Tag: poconos

  • Discover Raymondskill Falls: Hiking and Nature Escapes

    Discover Raymondskill Falls: Hiking and Nature Escapes

    Raymondskill Falls at 178 feet is the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania. Located in the state’s north-east corner where the Delaware River separates the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania from the Catskill Mountains in New York and the Kittatinny Mountains in New Jersey, Raymondskill Falls is in a mountainous region not far from the picturesque town of Milford which, because of its charming main street lined with quaint shops, restaurants, and historical buildings, is frequently cited as one the best small towns in America.

    Brief Hike

    The hike to the falls is brief. Completing the half mile, 16-minute loop takes the visitor to the top and bottom of the falls along a well-defined and well-maintained path complete with wooden guardrails that keep the visitor away from the steep drops below.

    There’s brick-and-mortar restroom, too, at the amply-appropriated parking lot.

    All for free.

    Expect Crowds

    If all this sounds inviting that you want to visit, then it’s going to be likely that so would many others, too. Indeed, the trail can be busy, especially on weekends. And, when compared to other waterfalls where the trails are largely undisturbed except for the paths formed by the footsteps of hikers past, a visit to Raymondskill Falls could have the feel of a crowded theme park instead of the quiet trip in Nature you were expecting.

    An Escape

    Fortunately, there is an escape from all this. An optional out-and-back at just under one mile total takes you down to Raymondskill Creek for some peace and quiet, with two additional waterfalls along the way, away from the crowds at Raymondskill Falls for some time alone communing with Mother Nature.

  • Experience the Beauty of George W Childs Recreation Park

    Experience the Beauty of George W Childs Recreation Park

    I wouldn’t mind a waterfall that requires a hike. It is, for me, the price of admission that weeds out the disinterested who would otherwise only crowd the place.

    But how does not one, not two, but three waterfalls sound?

    On a hike that is not 3, not 2, but only just over 1 mile?

    Over terrain that is if not paved then riddled with wooden steps, stairs, bridges, and viewing decks?

    With not porta-johns but brick-and-mortar bathrooms and more than ample parking?

    All for free?

    This nirvana is known as George W Childs Recreation Park and is in the Poconos in northeastern Pennsylvania.

    George W Childs worked in a bookstore when he was 12. At age 14 he worked in a bookshop where his employer entrusted him with purchasing books for the bookshop. At 18, he started his own firm and at 21 was offered partnership in a publishing firm that eventually bore his name (along with his partner’s). The firm became prosperous.

    Prosperous enough to become a philanthropist, purchasing land in the Poconos (with several waterfalls) and creating a trail system that he opened to the public for free. He believed that not just the wealthy, but everyone should enjoy the outdoors.

    A few years after his death, his wife gifted the park to the state in 1911 and remains to this day open to the public for free.

    Books. Trails. Two peaceful pursuits. But I never thought that one could lead to the other. Nirvana, indeed.