Some of the best hiking in Pennsylvania is a short drive from our homes. Hickory Run State Park, with its famous Boulder Field and Hawk Falls, is close to Lake Harmony, Blakeslee and Albrightsville, and Tobyhanna and Gouldsboro State Parks are near Long Pond and Pocono Summit.
Pennsylvania state parks and state forests charge no entrance fee, and the Delaware Water Gap has no entrance fee either. Bushkill Falls is the main exception: it's a private park with paid admission. Trail conditions and closures change, so check the park's page before you go.
State parks close to our homes
- Hickory Run State Park (White Haven): more than 40 miles of trails. The Boulder Field, a National Natural Landmark about 400 by 1,800 ft, is at the end of the 3.5-mile, more-difficult Boulder Field Trail (out and back). You can also drive there on a 5-mile one-way dirt road, which isn't maintained in winter and is often closed until spring. Please don't move or stack the rocks.
- Hawk Falls Trail at Hickory Run: 0.6 miles, rated more difficult, to a 25-ft waterfall. It's often icy in winter. The 1-mile Shades of Death Trail, rated most difficult, starts at the visitor center, which has restrooms. Trailhead lots can fill early. From I-80, take Exit 274 and follow PA 534 east about 6 miles.
- Tobyhanna State Park: the Lakeside Trail is an easy 5.1-mile loop around the 170-acre lake. The Range Trail (2.75 miles) is more difficult, and the Frank Gantz Trail is the hardest. Open sunrise to sunset. Old artillery shells may still turn up in remote areas; don't touch one, and report it to the park office.
- Gouldsboro State Park: 7.25 miles of trails, including the more-difficult Prospect Rock Trail (2.9 miles) and the easy Old Entrance Trail (1.8 miles) and Old 611 Trail (1.25 miles).
- Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area, just south of Blakeslee off Route 115: about 130 acres of county land with short, easy creek and woodland trails.
- Big Pocono State Park, on top of Camelback Mountain: views of three states. The access road is steep, and the park closes in early December and reopens the first week of April.
Lehigh Gorge
Lehigh Gorge State Park runs along the Lehigh River between White Haven and Jim Thorpe. The Lehigh Gorge Trail follows a flat former rail line for more than 20 miles with no motor vehicles, so it's good for long walks and bike rides. Parking is at White Haven, Rockport and Glen Onoko, and the park is open sunrise to sunset.
Glen Onoko Falls is closed. The Falls Trail has been closed since 2019, and the state says it will stay closed through 2026 while multi-year repairs go on. Please don't try to hike it.
Bushkill Falls
Bushkill Falls, a private park in Bushkill, has eight waterfalls on trails of different lengths. It's open April through November (weather permitting in April and November) and closed December through March.
- 2026 admission: $24 general, $22 seniors 62+ and active military, $12 children 4 to 10, free for ages 3 and under.
- Green Trail: about 15 minutes to the Main Falls.
- Yellow Trail: about 45 minutes. Blue Trail: about 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Red Trail: about 2 hours and almost 2 miles, past all eight falls.
Delaware Water Gap
- The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area has no entrance fee. Some beaches and boat launches charge a $10-per-vehicle amenity fee in season.
- Mount Tammany (New Jersey side): the Red Dot Trail climbs 1,201 ft in 1.2 miles. Coming down the Pahaquarry Trail makes a loop of about 3 miles. Park at the Dunnfield Creek lot off I-80, which fills early.
- Dingmans Falls is closed for bridge replacement and trail repairs, with no reopening date. All traffic, including people on foot, is prohibited.
- The Mount Minsi cliffs close for part of the year for nesting peregrine falcons, and the Raymondskill Creek area closes May 1 to September 30 (the Raymondskill Falls Trail stays open). Check the park's conditions page before you go.
