Promised Land State Park

[Jim lombard]

I'm looking for recommendations of hikes around Promised Land SP in Northeastern PA. I've never hiked in PA. We're camping there this summer and these would be family-type hikes.

Thanks, Jim

 

[Rick]

Jim,

Closeby (within 30 minutes) is the Thunderswamp trail - There are a few road crossings on it so you have some options. I don't recall any vistas, but it is a decent 20 mile loop trail.
Also there is the Delware Water Gap - Dingman's Ferry is about 30 minutes away and there is some nice hiking off Route 209 - There is Dingman's Falls and also Bushkill Falls. You could also rent a canoe and paddle a section of the Delaware.
Farther out on Rte 206 in NJ (maybe 45 minutes), you can hike the AT to a firetower on the NOBO side of 206, but there are nice climbs on either side of 206 to great vistas.

 

[Jim lombard]

Posted by Rick:
Delware Water Gap - Dingmans Ferry is about 30 minutes away and there is some nice hiking off Route 209 - There is Dingman Falls and also Bushkill Falls

Thanks Rick,
I'll look into that, I think the family would like to see the falls. You mentioned renting a canoe also. Is there white water rafting near there?

 

[Tuggy]

A nice spot in Promised Land SP is Bruce Lake. Its a fairly short trail but the area isn't often used the and lake is small but pretty. I carried a canoe back to it once. You can get info on Thunderswamp Trail by contacting Delaware State Forest. They will mail you a map for free. Sometimes you can find one at the trailhead in a box. My brother and I hiked Thunderswamp last year. With side trails its about 45 miles or as little as 20 miles. Its fairly flat upland Pocono Plateau. Lots of rocks and pretty. Swamp is something of a misnomer as it is predominantly dry. No real overlooks of any kind if you're looking for grand vistas. But lots of wildlife through out it. Its South on Pa 402 from Promised Land. You might find some whitewater on the Upper Delaware above Skinner's Falls but really the main whitewater would be on the Lehigh River to the west. The Delaware there is nice to float down because you can go thru Delaware Water Gap. Very scenic but oft crowded with boats. Nonetheless it is a fun paddle. Lots of sites if you look up Lehigh River and whitewater rafting. Big Pocono SP has a loop trail around the top and has some good views. I think Camelback(ski ing) has an alpine slide there too. They probably have a website. Hickory Run SP has some good trails. You should be able to get info on them and Promised Land on www.state.pa.us. If you go far enough afield you can also go to HIckory Run SP which has lots of hiking trails and a really neat boulder field. I'd camp there in preference over Promised Land. Hickory Run is the largest state park in Pa and has a variety of trails. Flat ones on top and then steeper ones running down to the Lehigh River. Hawk Falls by where all the bear hulabaloo was being talked about. It has a lake you can swim at. You could get some whitewater rafting on the Lehigh from there. Drive along the roads at night to spot deer. They are known to hae bear thru the campground but if you're neat you should have no problems. You could also go east and hit High Point SP in New Jersey where I think the highest elevation in NJ is along the Appalachian TRail. Have fun.

 

[daxs]

My PA Hiking Trail guide book states there are 29 miles of hiking trails within the Promised Land Area. An address to get more info is Promised Land State Park RR 1 Box 96 Greentown PA 18426 717 676 3428. Most of the trails that I have hiked in this area are fairly level and would be family friendly. The Lehigh Gorge and Glen Onoko Falls is also a great place to hike or mountain bike. This area would be south of Promised Land. In the right season there is white water rafting on the Lehigh River thru the gorge. I you google Jim Thorpe or Lehigh Gorge you should be able to get some additional info. I do not know how old your kids are, but as mentioned in another post, Hickory Run State has hiking trails and a great boulder field to hike to. I used to love hiking thru that boulder field as a child. If you want to spend a few dollars, The Keystone Trails Association has a trailguide to trails in PA. Their address is PO Box 129 Confluence PA 15424.

 

[snowshoe]

Promised Land SP is a great place for hiking. Although not much in the way of views. Bruce lake natral area is one of the best although the most popular. Another great area is the park boundary trail. There are areas in there where you get a catskill feel and it is very underused.

The Thunder Swamp trail is also a great area to explore. Again no great views but that is very typical for the Poconos. It is another spot that gets very little use but very nice for hiking/backpacking.

A great trail to explore in the Delaware Water Gap is the Conashough trail. It is a 13 mile figure eight loop hike with some real nice climbs as well as some great views of the Delaware River It is just North of Dingmans Falls. Also just north of Dingmans falls is the Raymondskill falls. 10x better than Dignmans falls. You can also jump the border in into Jersey and hike in the Delaware water gap, Stokes and High Point SP creating Well over 100,000 acreas of protected land. One of the best campsites is over in High Point. Promised land SP is about 35 minutes away. You are picking a great area to stay. If you are intrested there are some great small towns nearby, like Milford PA and Branchville NJ.

For some white water you can hit the Mongaup. They usuall do a release every other weekend. It is just above Port Jervis NY by the Delaware River. Plus there is some great class II+ Kayaking on the upper Del. Hope this helps some

 

[Rick]

Jim, Yes there are a couple of WW rafting outfitters in the area, I cannot remember their names, other than "Pocono" or "Delaware" something or other. The times we have paddled, we have seen groups of canoes from at least 3 canoe outfitters, so rental gear is available.
You might check Miford, Stroudsberg or DWG for rentals or whitewater.
Cheers
Rick

Thanks Rick,
I'll look into that, I think the family would like to see the falls. You mentioned renting a canoe also. Is there white water rafting near there?

 

[Jim lombard]

Thanks!

Great suggestions, what a wealth of knowledge we have here. I'll print these up

THANK YOU!!

 

[JohnMcK]

Try the Pack Shack in Delaware Water Gap, Pa., for canoe and rafting trips.

 

[snowshoe]

The only whitewater outfitters is pocono white water which runs trips on the Lehigh. There is also Kittatinny canoes which is the largest outfitter for the Upper and lower delawares. They have bases all over but the main headquarters is in Dingmans. If you do the Delaware you can do some great overnight trips. There is legal primitive camp sites all along the Delaware.

 

[Jim lombard]

The only whitewater outfitters is pocono white water which runs trips on the Lehigh.

Thanks for the info Snowshoe

 

[Jim lombard]

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. We had a fantastic week camping at Promised Land State park. I highly recommend it.

We hiked Bruce lake and had a hair raising encounter with a family of bears feasting on the plentiful blueberries. Fortunately the bears (two cubs and Mom) decided to head off down the trail after the cubs were coaxed down from the trees by momma bear. We went in the opposite direction. What a beautiful and serene place, we had it all to ourselves for hours.
We took several other suggestions and everything worked out great.

Thanks again!