A winter weekend in the western Poconos can pack in a lot: a morning on the slopes, an afternoon of snow tubing, a quiet snowshoe through a state park and an evening in a historic railroad town.
This plan is built around homes in Lake Harmony, Blakeslee, Albrightsville and the lake communities near Pocono Summit. Ski and tubing dates depend on the weather each year, so check each place's website before you go.
Day 1: ski, tube, skate
- Morning: ski or ride at Big Boulder in Lake Harmony or Jack Frost. One season pass covers both mountains. Rent at the mountain's rental shop, or pick up gear the night before at a local shop.
- Afternoon: snow tubing at Camelback in Tannersville, with more than 40 lanes and 2-hour sessions that start on the hour (arrive 30 minutes early; a waiver is required). Big Boulder's tubing park was closed for 2025-26, so check whether it reopens. Or stay on at Big Boulder for night skiing when it's scheduled.
- Evening: dinner in Stroudsburg, then skate at the free outdoor TLC Park rink in Tannersville (open 8am to 9pm, weather permitting; bring your own skates).
Day 2: trails and a train
- Morning: snowshoe or cross-country ski at Hickory Run State Park, which has 14 miles of ungroomed ski trails. Tobyhanna State Park, closer to Pocono Summit, Pocono Lake and Blakeslee, also has cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
- Afternoon: drive to Jim Thorpe, walk the historic downtown and, from late November through December, ride a Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway holiday train (about 80 minutes).
- Too cold or rainy: spend the day at an indoor waterpark instead. Great Wolf Lodge in Scotrun and Kalahari both sell a limited number of day passes.
Ice on the lakes
Tobyhanna and Hickory Run allow skating on natural ice, but the ice isn't monitored and snow isn't cleared. Pennsylvania's state parks recommend at least 4 inches of ice for one person.
