When the snow comes, the Pocono state parks turn into quiet places to cross-country ski and snowshoe. Trails are free, and most are ungroomed backcountry trails, so conditions depend on recent snow.
Check each trail's difficulty before you go, and dress in layers. There's no dedicated groomed nordic center in the Poconos, so bring your own gear or borrow snowshoes at Promised Land.
Pennsylvania state parks
- Hickory Run State Park: 14 miles of trails set aside for cross-country skiing, marked with blue blazes (not groomed). Snowshoeing is allowed on park trails.
- Beltzville State Park: nine miles of trails suitable for cross-country skiing, plus open rolling fields; snowshoeing is allowed.
- Promised Land State Park: ski on park trails, best at the Bruce Lake Natural Area and Conservation Island; snowshoes are allowed on all trails. You can borrow snowshoes at the park office with a photo ID on winter weekdays (about 8:30 AM to 3 PM) once there are 6 inches or more of snow.
- Lehigh Gorge State Park: the Lehigh Gorge Trail on the west side of the river from White Haven to Glen Onoko is open for cross-country skiing, and park trails for snowshoeing.
- Tobyhanna and Gouldsboro State Parks: trails are open for both; Gouldsboro suggests the Old Route 611 Trail.
Sources: DCNR: Hickory Run in winter · DCNR: Beltzville in winter · DCNR: Promised Land in winter · DCNR: Lehigh Gorge in winter
Delaware Water Gap
- The National Park Service lists the McDade Trail and the Slateford Trails on the Pennsylvania side, and the Blue Mountain Lakes trails in New Jersey, for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
- After big storms, McDade Trail parking areas can stay snow-covered until plows clear them. For current conditions, call park dispatch at (570) 426-2435.
