THE PARKS...
Beltzville State Park
Phone - (610) 377-0045
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/beltzville.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Lehighton, Carbon County; five miles east, just off of US 209. From the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, take Exit 74 and follow the signs to the park.
The Park
The 2,972-acre Beltzville State Park is developed around the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control project, Beltzville Dam. Beltzville Lake is 949 acres with a shoreline of 19.8 miles. The park is along the Pohopoco Creek with recreation areas around the lake. The park officially opened in 1972.
The Walks
There are four areas to get your dog on the trail at Beltzville. For longer outings head for the south shore and Preachers Camp where long linear trails leave from both sides. Behind the dam on the west end are two short, stacked loops and there are short trails in the recreation area. But the prime spot to experience Beltzville is from the lot at the Wildcreek Trailhead. The trail pushes out on a wide woods road before fracturing into three segments. The picturesque Falls Trail drops off to the left and then you can continue onto the two-mile Cove Ridge Trail loop. If your dog hasn’t gotten enough of the mature hemlocks and mixed hardwoods you can tie into the Christman Trail and finish a complete two-hour tour of the peninsula around Wild Creek Cove.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural surface trails
Workout For Your Dog - Rolling hills around the lake
Swimming - Plenty of opportunity to get your dog in Beltzville Lake from the trail or boat ramps
Restrictions On Dogs - No dogs in the swimming areas
Something Extra
At the suggestion of local residents, the original covered bridge, built across Pohopoco Creek in 1841 by local craftsman Jacob Buck, has been relocated between the picnic areas and the beach for public use and enjoyment. This bridge was first used by horse and buggy traffic and later by one-lane car traffic. It is now for pedestrian use only.
Big Pocono State Park
Phone - None
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/bigpocono.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Tannersville, Monroe County; the entrance to the park is from PA 715 and Exit 299 of I-80 at Tannersville. Turn left into the Camelback Ski Area and follow the road to the top of the mountain. The park is closed from just after deer hunting season in mid-December until mid-March.
The Park
Big Pocono State Park is on land which was owned by Henry S. Cattell near the turn of the 20th century. In 1928, 12 years after Mr. Cattell's death, the Pennsylvania Game Commission purchased the area. In 1950, a portion of the state land on the steep north slope of the mountain was leased to Big Pocono Skiing, Inc., for commercial ski development. Later named Camelback Ski Corporation, the facility has been developed into a major ski resort. In 1954, after the construction of restrooms, parking areas, picnic sites, fireplaces and a scenic drive around the summit, the area was opened to the public as Big Pocono State Park.
The Walks
You have a choice of three wooded loops atop Camelback Mountain. The toughest is to drop down the mountainside on the wide, rocky North Trail (red blazes) and climb back up on the more reasonably graded South Trail (yellow blazes). The entire loop will cover about three miles and 90 minutes.The South Trail can also be hike completely around the summit using the paved entrance road to close the loop. Inside the North-South Loop is the 1.3-mile Indian Trail loop that also drops off the summit but not as severely.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Rocky fire roads, asphalt and dirt
Workout For Your Dog - Yes, a great workout for your dog
Swimming - None
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Henry Cattell constructed a stone cabin on the summit of Camelback Mountain in 1908 and, knowing that many others shared his love for the area, left it unlocked for many years to be used as a shelter by anyone who wished. The Cattell Cabin served for many years as a park office and nature museum.
Delaware State Forest
Phone - (570) 895-4000
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/delaware.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Swiftwater, Pike County; for the headquarters take PA 447 north and turn right on Laurel Run Road.
The Park
In 1899 the first forest tree planting on any state land in Pennsylvania was made in Pike County. One half acre of Carolina Poplar cuttings were planted, but the planting was later reported as a failure due to winter kill. Now the Delaware State Forest admininsters over 12,000 acres of land with hundreds of miles of trails.
The Walks
There are several popular natural area destinations in the state forest. Bruce Lake Natural Area covers 2,845 acres including two lakes visited by the trails system, Bruce Lake and Egypt Meadow Lake. Bruce Lake was formed during glaciation and is completely spring-fed. Egypt Meadow Lake was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935. The Blooming Grove 4-H Hiking Trail covers nearly seven miles and features two loop trails encircling hardwood swamps and a meadow. The Thunder Swamp Trail System traverses 26 miles of southern Pike County. The trail is highlighted by mountain streams, swamps, varieties of forest types, forest management practices and other natural features found on the Pocono Plateau. This trail system offers short loop trails for day use and longer loops for overnight camping.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Expect many rocks on your trails
Workout For Your Dog - Long hikes on the menu but not much elevation change; Pennel Run is an exception
Swimming - There are 13 lakes and ponds within Delaware State Forest - six glacial and seven artificial and scores of streams
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The Tarkill Forest Demonstration Area was established in 1998 as an “outdoor textbook area.” This 82-acre tract contains sites where several different forest management practices have been conducted. A self-guided nature trail showcases the results of these practices and of various forest dynamics. A trail brochure, which describes each site, is available.
Frances Slocum State Park
Phone - (570) 696-3525
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/STATEPARKS/parks/francesslocum.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Wyoming, Luzerne County; five miles north of Dallas. From exit 170B of I-81, take PA 309 north about seven miles (7.2). Turn right (east) on Carverton Road and go about four miles (4.2). Turn left (north) on 8th Street Road and go about one mile (1.3). Turn left (west) onto Mt. Olivet Road and go one mile. The park entrance is on the left.
The Park
On November 2, 1778, a small group of Delaware Indians entered the Slocum home and carried away Frances who was then just five years old. Frances was taken along as the American Indians moved westward and spent the rest of her life with them. Her brothers found her 59 years laer living on a reservation near Peru, Indiana. She had been married twice and had borne four children. Frances refused the pleas of her brothers to return to Pennsylvania and died in Indiana in 1847, at the age of 74. Frances Slocum Lake was created to control flooding. Picnicking areas and the dam were constructed and the only Pennsylvania state park named for a woman opened in the spring of 1968.
The Walks
There is a trail for any level of canine hiking available in the park. A good start is the red-blazed Lakeshore Trail that traipses around the boot-shaped peninsula that is surrounded on three sides by Frances Slocum Lake. After this easy warm-up you can test the trails on the wings on either side of the lake. The Larch Trail near the campground is a hilly loop that visits a vibrant stand of the coniferous trees known for shedding their needles. The Deer Trail is a series of interconnecting loops that can cover any canine hike up to four miles. These sporty paths - open to hunting - traverse the entire spectrum of habitats found in the park - hardwoods, marshes, thickets and hemlock groves.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt trails
Workout For Your Dog - If you cover all 9 miles of trails in the park you will have one tired dog
Swimming - The Lakeshore Trail provides access to the water in many places, although not constantly
Restrictions On Dogs - None; dogs are allowed in the campground
Something Extra
The first night after her abduction was spent in a crude shelter under a rock ledge along Abraham Creek, found on the Frances Slocum Trail.
Gouldsboro State Park
Phone - None
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/gouldsboro.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Gouldsboro, Monroe County; the park entrance is one-half mile south of the village on PA 507. PA 507 intersects with I-380 at Exit 13, two miles south of the park entrance, and with I-84, 13 miles north of the park entrance.
The Park
The name Gouldsboro comes from the village north of the park that was named for Jay Gould (1836-1892). A native of New York, Gould acquired a very large fortune that by 1892 included ownership of ten percent of all railroad track in the country. One of the railroads he owned was the Erie-Lackawanna. This rail line parallels the eastern boundary of the park and is now a part of the Steamtown, USA railroad excursion route between Scranton and Pocono Summit. Gould was a co-owner of a leather tannery at Thornhurst, a small village 9.5 miles west of Gouldsboro. Raw hides shipped from Australia and the western United States came to Gouldsboro by railroad and then were taken in two-ton loads by horse drawn wagons over a plank road to Thornhurst for tanning. Gouldsboro State Park, in Monroe and Wayne counties in northeastern Pennsylvania, contains 2,800 acres of land, including the 250-acre Gouldsboro Lake.
The Walks
Canine hiking in the park is conducted on the Prospect Rock Trail, a large loop that features long, level stretches save for a topsy-turvy area around the namesake rock formation and a steady climb up the Old Route 611 Trail. The 5.8-mile trip is about evenly divided by trotting on woods paths and wide, old roads. The old concrete highway travels through the wide open Kistler Swamp.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt, concrete, rocks
Workout For Your Dog - A few tough patches and the full circuit will provide a hearty canine hike
Swimming - The trail doesn’t touch Gouldsboro Lake but it isn’t far away from the parking lot
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
You get to hike with your dog for more than one mile on the cracked concrete of the original Route 611 that was once the main thoroughfare to Philadelphia in a less congested time.
Grey Towers National Historic Site
Phone - (570) 296-9630
Website - http://www.fs.fed.us/na/gt/local-links/directions.shtml
Admission Fee - None for the grounds
Directions - Milford, Pike County; take Interstate 84 to Exit 46. Turn left off ramp onto Highway 6 East toward Milford. At the base of the hill, make a sharp right just after the Apple Valley shops complex. The entrance to Grey Towers is about 1/4 mile on the left.
The Park
The Pinchot family arrived in Milford in 1816 and opened a mercantile store, The French Store. In 1850 by the time 19-year old James was ready to enter the family business there was no room so he trundled off to New York City and made a fortune in the wallpaper trade. He retired after 25 years and by 1886 he had built the French-influenced Grey Towers in his hometown. At the time his son Gifford was 21 and instilled with a love of nature. When his friend Theodore Roosevelt became President in 1900, Gifford Pinchot was named the first Chief Forester of the United States Forest Service. During his tenure, national forests tripled in size to 193 million acres. Later, Pinchot became one of Pennsylvania’s most popular and progressive governors.
The Walks
A collection of short trails designed to educate and experience nature surround the Grey Towers mansion. The Trail of Time snakes down a hillside to learn about the Pinchot land, lives and legacy. The Forestry Trail travels on well-groomed loop through the woods behind the house for almost one mile and the Bluebird Trail is a walk along the deer fence around the perimeter of the estate. Some of the most fun for your dog will be on the free-form Tree Trail where you are invited to “wander, walk, saunter, run, skip or hop” through the field along the estate driveway and learn about some of the trees of Grey Towers. Tree ID signs reveal the names and most popular uses of these trees. One oak tree in the yard is over 150 years old and 18 feet in diameter.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Grass and pawfriendly dirt
Workout For Your Dog - Easy loping around the hillsides
Swimming - None
Restrictions On Dogs - No dogs in the mansion
Something Extra
The Grey Towers mansion is open for tours; be sure to visit the historic gardens that includes the Fingerbowl, the Pinchot’s unique outdoor dining table.
Hickory Run State Park
Phone - (570) 443-0400
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/hickoryrun.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - White Haven, Carbon County; from I-80, take Exit 274 at the Hickory Run State Park Exit, and drive east on PA 534 for six miles. From the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, take Exit 95 and drive west on PA 940 for three miles then turn east on PA 534 for six miles.
The Park
In 1918, Allentown millionaire General Harry C. Trexler began buying land for one purpose: “I would like to see Hickory Run developed intoa state park where families can come and enjoy wholesome recreation.” Trexler, who began his career as a farmer but soon branched into logging and other industries, opened his land to public hunting and fishing. Trexler died before his plans could be completed. The National Park Service purchased Hickory Run in 1935 to create a national recreation demonstration area and a decade later was transferred to Pennsylvania and became Hickory Run State Park.
The Walks
More than 20 trails covering over 40 miles in three natural areas await your dog in Hickory Run State Park. One thing he won’t find is many hickory trees; one theory of the park’s name origins is that it was based on one large, now-extinct hickory tree. The leading candidate for “prettiest trail” in the park is the intriguingly named Shades of Death Trail near the park office. It follows Sand Spring and meanders through unique rock formations and past dams and old logging-mill ruins that date to the 1800s. The thick rhodedendron forest is a June highlight.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Rocky dirt trails
Workout For Your Dog - Plenty of varied opportunities for a hearty hike
Swimming - Hickory Run Lake and Sand Spring Lake and a hatfull of streams are idela for canine aquatics
Restrictions On Dogs - None, dogs are also allowed in the campground
Something Extra
The Boulder Field, a striking boulder-strewn area, is a National Natural Landmark. Some 14 acres of jumbled stone deposited during the last Ice Age stretch across more than a quarter-mile. The unique slope of the terrain here is repsonsible for the glacial debris piling up here. The Boulder Field is reached on a relatively easy hike with your dog of 3.5 miles on the Boulder Field Trail. Across the road from the trailhead is a short trail leading to the picturesque Hawk Falls.
Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center
Phone - (610) 746-2801
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/jacobsburg.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Wind Gap, Northampton County; from PA 33 at the Belfast Exit. Follow signs to the meeting of Henry and Belfast roads. Turn left on Belfast Road and in less than a mile will be a parking lot on the left, just past Bushkill Creek.
The Park
On the northern edge of the Lehigh Valley, the rolling terrain of Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center is near the foothills of the Pocono Plateau. The habitats range from fields in various stages of successional growth to mature hardwood forests dominated by oak trees. About 2.5 miles of the beautiful Bushkill Creek and its tributary, Sobers Run, wind through the center. The original land for the center was purchased by the Department of Forests and Waters from the City of Easton in 1959. In 1969, additional land was purchased using funds from Project 70. This brought the total land area of the center to its present size of 1,168 acres.
The Walks
The star canine hike in the park is a 4-mile loop through Henrys Woods linked by the Homestead Trail and the Henrys Woods Trail. This route is particularly attractive along the Bushkill Creek where luxurient hemlocks grow. The Henry Woods Trail is the only pedestrian-only trail in the park. Most of the more than 18 miles of wooded paths are equestrian trails. Short detours off this loop lead to the Henry homestead and other historic souvenirs.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Rocky, rooty dirt trails
Workout For Your Dog - Easy to moderate climbing around the woods
Swimming - The trails tip onto Bushkill Creek for splashing
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The Jacobsburg National Historic District lies almost entirely within the boundaries of Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center. William Henry II purchased land here from the heirs of Jacob Hubler, who in 1740 founded the community from which Jacobsburg draws its name, and built a gun manufactory. Three succeeding generations produced small arms and the Henry firearm became the most prominent weapon of the western frontier due to its durability, accuracy and relatively low cost. Only the foundations remain from the colonial village of Jacobsburg.
Lackawac Sanctuary
Phone - (570) 689-9494
Website - http://www.lacawac.org
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Lake Ariel, Lackawanna County; I-80 Exit 20 to Route 507 north for half a mile and left on Ledgedale Road. Follow to stop sign, then turn right (toward Hawley). Go one mile and turn right onto St. Mary Church Road to entrance on the right. Parking for the nature trail is just past stone gate on the right.
The Park
This property has, at one time or another, been in the hands of many of the region’s most powerful landowners, beginning with William Penn, whose family called its holding here Wallenpaupack Manor. The next owner was James Wilson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, who, at his death in 1799, was the largest landowner in Wayne County. Then in 1849 came Burton G. Morss, whose sawmill and tannery dominated the area. At the turn of the century, coal baron William Connell bought the Lacawac property as a summer estate and a deer farm (at that time you actually had to import and breed deer in eastern Pennsylvania). When he died the property was acquired by Colonel Louis A. Watres, Scranton’s leading businessman. His grandchildren sought to establish Lacawac as place of study and nature and formed the Lacawac Sanctuary Foundation in 1966.
The Walks
The sanctuary covers more than 500 acres and features a mature second-growth forest, a glacial lake, two ponds, several wetlands, and over one mile of shoreline on Lake Wallenpaupack. For the canine hiker the most important will be the woods, last lumbered in 1920. The Maurice Broun Nature Trail begins in an open field where nature is reclaiming an old apple orchard. After a short time the path drops down the hillside and begins a mile-long loop above Lake Wallenpaupack and meanders among weathered rock formations that inspired early settlers to give the town of Ledgedale its name.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt trail with not as many rocks as the typical Poconos path
Workout For Your Dog - A little trotting down a hillside
Swimming - None
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
If you spend any time in the woods in the spring, you are likely to encounter folks with a hiking stick and a mesh bag. These are morel mushroom hunters - passionate seekers of the storied fungus that sprouts in moist, dank woodlands. A prime spot for morel hunters are abandoned apple orchards like the one in Lacawac. Look near the trunks in late May.
Lackawanna State Forest
Phone - (570) 963-4561
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/lackawanna.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Pleasant View Summit, Lackawanna County; from I-80 take Exit 284 and head north on PA 115. After 5.5 miles look for River Road (SR 2040) on the right and turn. Turn left on Bear Pond Road (SR 2016) to the forest headquarters.
The Park
The Lackawanna State Forest, noted for its diverse recreational opportunities, contains a total of 8,115 acres of State Forest land in two separate tracts. The park consists of two tracts: the larger and more developed Thornhurst Tract (6,711 acres) and the wilder West Nanticoke Tract. Formal hiking trails have not been developed here.
The Walks
The 23-mile Pinchot Trail System is a large loop that was laid out by Frank Gantz, a retired truck driver, in the 1970s. It offers everything from a scenic overlook of expansive forests, a path sheltered by hemlocks next to a gurgling creek, to bog areas which contain some plants not common to Pennsylvania. You can do the entire orangeblazed trail across the Pocono Plateau in a day with your dog but if you aren’t that ambitious a good sampler is the Choke Creek Trail in the southern swing of the system.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Rocky dirt/grass roads and paths
Workout For Your Dog - Long trails but not arduous climbing
Swimming - Bear Lake and its tiny neighbor Grassy Pond are the best places to take your dog
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
This 87-acre Spruce Swamp Natural Area, located on the Thornhurst tract, is noted for its glacial bog where native spruce, balsam fir, and tamarack are found. Labrador Tea and Bog Roseary, not commonly found in Pennsylvania, also grow here. Surrounding the bog and acting as a buffer is a typical hardwood forest interspersed with hemlock and assorted pines.
Lackawanna State Park
Phone - (570) 945-3239
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/lackawanna.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Dalton, Lackawanna County; from I-81 north of Scranton take Exit 199 and travel three miles west on PA 524. Visitors coming via U.S. routes 6 and 11 should take PA 438 east about three miles to PA 407, then south. Entrance.
The Park
The price of water indirectly led to the creation of Lackawanna State Park on this former swath of farmland. In 1912, the D.L. & W. Railroad felt that they were being overcharged for water and began purchasing land to build their own reservoir. The Scranton Gas and Water Company lowered their price and the lake was never built. The land was leased to farmers until 1946 when Robert Moffat, a prominent Scranton coal operator, purchased the land and rented it to his employees. In 1968, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased the landand developed it into an outstanding recreation area whose primaryattraction is Lackawanna Lake, the meeting place of many streams (Lacka-wanna is an American Indian word meaning “the meeting of two streams”). The park was dedicated on June 10, 1972.
The Walks
Over five miles of trails fold back on one another, mostly on the east side of the lake. Much of the second-growth forestin the 1,411-acre park was planted in rows of pine and hemlock trees. You can even cobble together a route to circle the lake cutting through the recreation area and using some short walks on paved roads.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Rocky dirt trails mostly, plus some grass and paved roads
Workout For Your Dog - Moderate climbing and many easy stretches
Swimming - Lackawanna Lake and farm ponds
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are not allowed in thecampground
Something Extra
In 1898 several area farmers organized the Maitland Fair and Driving Park Association. Annual fairs and horseraces attracted large crowds for a dozen years. The site of the former racecourse is located in the park camping area on the Woodland Ponds Trail.
Lehigh Gorge State Park
Phone - (570) 443-0400
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/lehighgorge.aspx#history
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Jim Thorpe, Carbon County; Glen Onoko is the southern access area and may be reached by taking Exit 74 of the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Follow US 209 south to Jim Thorpe. Then take PA 903 north across the river to Coalport Road. Turn off of Coalport to Glen Onoko.
The Park
In the early 1800s, the need to transport increasingly large quantities of coal to markets down the Lehigh River river led to construction of 20 dams and 29 locks over the 26 miles between Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe) and White Haven. It was called the Upper Grand Section of the Lehigh Canal because the locks and dams were larger and far more impressive than the locks of other canals. At the turn of the 20th century, railroads popularized the southern end of the canal as a resort called Glen Onoko. Hotel Wahnetah boasted 47 rooms, a dance pavilion, tennis courts, fresh air and hikes to the scenic Glen Onoko Falls. A fire in 1911 closed the hotel and a fire in 1917 ended the resort era. The gorge lay forgotten. In the 1970s, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania began purchasing parklands and in 1980 the land was turned over to the Bureau of State Parks.
The Walks
The 26-mile Lehigh Gorge Trail is mostly for biking so canine hikers will want to cross under the railroad tracks and tackle the demanding Glen Onoko Run Trail. In about a mile the stream will tumble 900 feet over seven distinct waterfalls. Chamelon Falls, that drops 150 feet, is the highest and most colorful cataract. You will be moving almost straight up at times, hopping across the stream and picking your way to the top. The return trip can be down a less arduous side route to complete a loop or back down the way you came.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Rocky dirt trails and slippery rocks
Workout For Your Dog - Absolutely
Swimming - Glen Onoko Run doesn’t run very deep very often but the Lehigh River calms down enough at this point to offer some excellent canine swimming
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
When severe flooding in the mid-1800s destroyed the canal system, it was replaced with the new technology of railroads. Remains of locks, dams and towpath are still evident in the Lehigh River Gorge.
Mauch Chunk Lake Park
Phone - (570) 325-3669
Website - http://www.carboncounty.com/park/index.htm
Admission Fee - Yes, daily rate or seasonal
Directions - Jim Thorpe, Carbon County; from the Pennsylvania Turnpike take the Lehigh Valley exit and go south on PA 209 thru Lehighton into Jim Thorpe. Make a left at first stoplight in Jim Thorpe and head uphill through town for 4 miles. The park entrance is on left.
The Park
Coal excavated from the mines on Summit Hill here departed on an ingenious journey to the markets in Philadelphia beginning in 1828. Gravity took unpowered wooden coal cars down a switchbacking rail into the town of Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe). Barges in the Lehigh River then floated the coal through a series of brilliantly engineered locks and canals. Meanwhile, mules hauled the empty cars back up the mountain on a parallel track for the next load. Steam power eventually replaced the mules but the gravity railroad lasted until 1933 - its final years spent as one of America’s first rollercoasters and a popular tourist destination for thrill seekers. The lake and 2,500-acre park were completed in 1972 to control floods and as a recreational facility and public drinking supply for Jim Thorpe.
The Walks
The marquee trail in the park is the Switchback Trail that has been developed as a corridor to the recreation facilities of the valley and the town of Jim Thorpe. The down track follows the gentle 2% grade while the back track is a heartier canine hike. The trail, that crosses itself to create an elongated figure-eight configuration, climbs to Mt. Pisgah and numerous views of the Lehigh River gorge. The full up-and-down canine hike will cover about 11 miles. For dogs not ready to bite off this ambitious hike, the Shoreline Trail stays in the park and slips between mixed hardwoods and open shoreline around the lake. The full circuit covers six miles, almost all of it across easy, level terrain. You can also explore the Fireline Trail, a 3.5-mile shale roadway that runs along the top of the Mauch Chunk Ridge. Again, this is an easy ramble for your dog.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural and paved surfaces
Workout For Your Dog - Yes, long hikes
Swimming - Plenty of good swimming in Mauch Chunk Lake
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs can use the trails but can’t go in the beach or swimming areas or stay overnight in the campground
Something Extra
If you take the Switchback Trail into the town of Jim Thorpe walk your dog past the Asa Packer Mansion, a grand Italianate Villa that was the home of philanthropist, railroad magnate, and founder of Lehigh University, Asa Packer. It is easily identified by its red-ribbed tin roof and central cupola. The home was built in 1861 over a cast iron frame at the cost of $14,000 dollars (the equivalent of $2.3 million dollars today) and renovated twenty years later with another $85,000. The most amazing story about this National Historic Landmark is that the mansion was boarded up from 1912 until 1956 and it was never vandalized and nothing was ever stolen from the house.
Mount Minsi
Phone - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - East Stroudsburg, Monroe County; exit from I-80 south on PA 611 and turn right on Mountain Road in .8 mile. Steer left onto Lake Road at the approaching fork and park on the right.
The Park
The Delaware River, the largest undammed and free-flowing river east of the Mississippi, makes an S-turn that has ground out the Delaware Water Gap at this point. The sentinels of the Gap are Mount Tammany in New Jersey and Mount Minsi in Pennsylvania.
The Walks
The Appalachian Trail enters - or exits - Pennsylvania at this point. You can tag the summit of Mount Minsi with your dog on a loop that includes the AT and an old fire road. Most climbers head up on the steeper, twisting Appalachian Trail and come down on the wider, less severe fire road. You will be stopping often to soak in the views across the Water Gap from exposed rocks on the cliffs (this is not a dangerous route for your dog, however).
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Rocky dirt trail and rocky dirt road
Workout For Your Dog - Tough, rewarding climbing
Swimming - Lake Lenape is ideally situated at the beginning of the hike making it an ideal place for your dog to cool off after the climb - very easy access to the water for your dog as well
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The splendid views give out before you reach the actual summit of 1,463 feet. To get to the top of Mount Minsi continue another quarter-mile along the Appalachian Trail and take a little detour to the remains of an old fire tower. Look amidst the spruce trees for a marker in the rocks.
Pocono Environmental Education Center
Phone - (570) 828-2319
Website - http://www.peec.org/
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Dingmans Ferry, Pike County; from PA 209 in the Delaware Gap National Recreation Area, turn at the sign onto Briscoe Mountain Road and climb to the center parking lot on the right.
The Park
This area was once home to a resort known as Honeymoon Haven. The property was acquired by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in anticipation of a projected damming of the Delaware River that would create a 37-mile long, 12,500-acre reservoir. The project fell through in 1972 and the skeleton of the resort was converted into the Pocono Environmental Education Center to provide education and cultural programs for the new national recreation area.
The Walks
The center offers five loops from its corps camp that lead to a variety of ecologically diverse attractions. The Tumbling Waters Trail stretches for three miles past two scenic ponds, through a pine-and-hemlock forest, up the ominously named Killer Hill to reach a switchbacking path to a series of powerful cataracts flowing down the mountain. The Ridgeline Trail is longest in the park at 4. 5miles and visits sharply-cut ravines, rock ledges and wetlands. The third main route here is the 1.25-mile Fossil Trail that leads to a series of rock ledges containing the remains of organisms from a prehistoric sea.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt paths - not as rocky as some other Pennsylvania mountain trails
Workout For Your Dog - Plenty of hillclimbing for your dog with some steep spots
Swimming - Pickerel Pond and Front Pond can be reached for a swim
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Each of the trails comes with a detailed descriptive brochure that is rare for an outing with your dog. Among the attractions that might otherwise go overlooked is the “Ecology Cemetery” where headstones tell the tale of how long various materials take to decompose.
Promised Land State Park
Phone - (570) 676-3428
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/promisedland.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Greentown, Pike County; 10 miles north of Canadensis, along PA 390.
The Park
There is a long tradition of irony in geographical place names - Greenland, for instance, is all ice. Promised Land was named by the Shakers, a religious sect who purchased land here in hopes of founding a Utopian agricultural community and found instead nothing but unplowable rocky soil. They quickly left. Early settlers of the area erected sawmills to process the large stands of conifer and hardwood trees. The land was repeatedly clear-cut. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
purchased the land in 1902. Promised Land was the fourth Pennsylvania state park. The Commonwealth worked to protect and reclaim the area and the forest and wildlife began to return. The first park facilities were open to the public in 1905.
The Walks
Not much happened in the park until the Depression when Civilian Conservation Corps camps were established to reforest the land, carve roads and construct campgrounds. Today there are four campgrounds with 500 sites and it is a busy place in season. Several short trails are available in th park including a unique one-mile Conservation Island Trail on an island in Promised Land Lake and the Little Falls Trail that skips past severla waterfalls on the East Branch of Wallenpaupack Creek. For extended time on the trail with your dog, jump on the Boundary Trail for a trip arund Promised Land Lake, although the lake isn’t a standout feature of this hike.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Rocky soil and wet areas
Workout For Your Dog - More in length than difficulty
Swimming - Lakes aplenty in Promised Land
Restrictions On Dogs - No dogs in the swimming areas
Something Extra
On Sunday evening, May 31, 1998, an F-2 tornado (winds of 113 -157 mph) passed through Promised Land State Park. It cut a northeasterly path through the park and crossed Lower Lake Road, PA 390 and North Shore Road near Sucker Brook. Over 500 people were trapped overnight in the park, but no one was seriously hurt. The park office has copies of After the Wind Died Down, a booklet about the tornado and its aftermath.
Ricketts Glen State Park
Phone - (570) 477-5675
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/rickettsglen.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Benton, Luzerne County; on PA 487. Also access to the Falls Trail on Route 118.
The Park
One of the most uniquely scenic areas in the Northeast, Ricketts Glen was slated to become a national park in the 1930s but World War II shelved plans for this development. Instead, Ricketts Glen opened as a state park in 1944. Gradually the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania continued purchasing blocks of land from the descendents of Robert Bruce Ricketts until the park spread across more than 13,000 acres. Ricketts enlisted as a private in the United States Army in 1861 and after commanding a battery during the Civil War was discharged with the rank of Colonel. When the war ended, Colonel Ricketts began acquiring inaccessible virgin timber and he would eventually control over 80,000 acres of land. His Central Penn Lumber Company began harvesting the old growth forest, with some trees 900 years old, when the railroads arrived in 1890. By 1913 the timber was exhausted and the lumber town of Ricketts deserted.
The Walks
More than 20 miles of trails meander through the deep woods and mountain lakes at Ricketts Glen. The rocky Cherry Run Trail takes you away from the crowded Glens Natural Area into the eastern section of the park and the Grand View Trail is a 1.9-mile loop that reaches a fire tower with an almost complete 360-degree vista. Other less demanding trails mosey along near 245-acre Lake Jean.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt, mud, rocks, bridges - you name it along the Falls Trail - be careful
Workout For Your Dog - One of the best
Swimming - Plenty of pools and streams and ponds
Restrictions On Dogs – None
Something Extra
The spectacular attraction of Ricketts Glen is the magical Falls Trail, a Y-shaped exploration of 23-named waterfalls. Two branches of the Kitchen Creek slice through the Ganoga Glen to the west and Glen Leigh to the east before uniting at Waters Meet. The stem of the trail flows through Ricketts Glen, among towering hemlocks and oaks, before tumbling over three cascades at Adams Falls at the trailhead. The two prongs of the trail connect via the 1.2-mile Highland Trail. The complete falls experience encompasses almost seven miles. If you take your dog on only one hike in the Mid-Atlantic region, this is it.
Tobyhanna State Park
Phone - (570) 894-8336
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/tobyhanna.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Tobyhanna, Monroe County; the park entrance is 2.1 miles north of the community of Tobyhanna on PA 423. PA 423 intersects with I-380, 2.5 miles south of the park entrance. The park can also be reached from Interstate 84 via PA 507, PA 191 and PA 423, a total distance of 11.4 miles.
The Park
The 5,440-acre park includes the 170-acre Tobyhanna Lake. Tobyhanna is derived from an American Indian word meaning “a stream whose banks are fringed with alder.” In 1912, the federal government acquired land that would become the Tobyhanna Military Reservation that was used to train tank and ambulance corps during World War I. After the war, the property was used for artillery training. After World War II, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania gained control of 26,000 acres of the military reservation, including the part that became the park. Tobyhanna opened to the public in 1949.
The Walks
The bulk of your canine hiking in the park will be on the Lakeside Trail that cirlces Tobyhanna Lake for 5.1 miles. The route only touches on the water on the east side of the shore but there are other water views including the Black Bear Swamp and Pole Bridge Run. This is a wide, easy exploration but if your dog demands more you can fill a day by heading down one of two linear connecting trails of about three miles each - the red-blazed Frank Gantz Trail that leads to Gouldsboro State Park or the Yellow Trail that crosses swampland to the park boundary at Route 196. Both are demanding treks that call for a good amount of rock-hopping.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Asphalt, packed dirt, crushed stone
Workout For Your Dog - Yes, in time on the trail; either of the spurs will test the most athletic dog
Swimming - Absolutely, in Tobyhanna Lake
Restrictions On Dogs - None, dogs are also allowed in the campground
Something Extra
Much of the park is the result of glaciation that scoured much of the soil from the ground, leaving an abundance of sphagnum moss bogs characterized by thin, moist, nutrient-poor soil. For sustenance plants turn to insects and several carniverous plants can be found here, including pitcher plants and the yellow bladderwort. In the underwater portion of the plant growing in bogs and Tobyhanna Lake, the bladderwort traps tiny aquatic animals in small sacks.
Tuscarora State Park/Locust Lake State Park
Phone - (570) 467-2404
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateParks/parks/tuscarora.aspx
Directions - Barnesville, Schuylkill County; two miles west ofTamaqua off of PA 309, south of Barnesville, which is on PA 54 between the Hometown Exit (131A) of I-81 and PA 309.
The Park
The thick hemlock and chestnut forests that supported American Indians for ceturies were sacrificed to loggers to feed local tanneries in the 1800s. The forests were gone by the early 1900s, replaced by shrubby land prone to seasonal floods and forest fires. The denuded land was purchased by the Marshalonis Brothers as a fishing spot and picnic grove. When digging a lake, the brothers found a dam, boards and the hub of a waterwheel under seven feet of leaves, silt and debris. The remains of an old logging mill and dam were under silt from flooding and runoff caused by the removal of all of the trees for lumber during the logging era. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased the Marshalonis Brother’s land in 1966. Locust Lake State Park, that is mostly a camping park, officially opened on June 10, 1972. Tuscarora Park is more for day use activities.
The Walks
The canine hiking at Tuscarora takes place on wide, old logging roads that move easily through the hillsides. A handful of designated paths through the regenerated hardwood forest are topped by the doubleloop Log Trail; other short trails tour the developed picnic area on the wide, open shore of Tuscarora Lake. The longest park trail, the Crow, is a linear route connecting the lake and the park boundary. Canine hiking at Locust is for campers only until the off-season and much sportier on footpaths.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural-surface roads and grass
Workout For Your Dog - More at Locust; the hiking in Tuscaora requires easy hillclimbing
Swimming - Super swimming for your dog in the lakes in the off-season
Restrictions On Dogs - During the camping season, the only dogs permittted at Locust Lake State Park are those brought by campers; day use visitors can only bring pets to the park when the campground is closed
Something Extra
Tuscarora Lake is a great spot to fish, it offers the chance at the occasional monster walleye or musky. Outside the park season your dog will appreciate the beach area and easy access to the water.
Woodbourne Forest & Wildlife Preserve
Phone - None
Website - http://www.woodbourneforest.org/
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Dimrock, Susquehanna County; on Route 29, one mile north of the blinking light in town or five miles south of Montrose.
The Park
Henry Cope was a 19th century Philadelphia shipping merchant whose legacy is in fine summer homes that have surviced as nature preserves. His summer retreat outside Philadelphia in East Germantown is today the Awbury Arboretum and in the late 1800s the family began to summer in Dimrock.Eventually some Copes family members, prominent Quakers, stayed on the farm year-round. Francis R. Cope, Jr. grew up at Woodbourne, as did his daughter, the nature writer Theodora Stanwell Fletcher, later known familiarly as Teddy Gray. In 1956, Francis, an avid naturalist and early supporter of the conservation of wild lands, donated the 600 acres that is now Woodbourne Forest and Wildlife Preserve to The Nature Conservancy.
The Walks
Of the three hiking loops in the preserve the star is the shortest - the Yellow “Swamp Loop” Trail. From the Visitor Shelter the natural surface trail trips down a hill through open fields to the swamp’s edge and an observation tower overlooking the ghost trees left standing in the water. After some squishy hiking along the swamp you will enter the dark old-growth forest. Your option is to finish the loop - your dog has less than a mile of trail time - or jump across a stream onto the orange-blazed Woodruff Hill Trail. From here you can stitch together a loop around the swamp with the blue-blazed Copes Ramble Trail. For a big day of canine hiking you can take the entire 4.5-mile Cope’s Ramble but don’t forget to detour onto the Swamp Loop as well.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt paths
Workout For Your Dog - Moderate hill-climbing
Swimming - Come for the hiking
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Woodbourne Forest is noted for containing the largest remaining stand of virgin, unlumbered forest in northeastern Pennsylvania. Some of the giants, mostly eastern hemlocks, around the 16-acre swamp are estimated to be between 200 and 400 years old.
Worlds End State Park
Phone - (570) 924-3287
Website - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/worldsend.aspx
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Forksville, Wyoming County; the park is along PA 154 and is easily reached from PA 42 from I-80 and south and PA 87 from Dushore and the north and east.
The Park
Early maps called this place Worlds End, possibly due to the staggering views and difficulties in reaching the area. The unusual name may also be a reference to the swirling S-curve in Loyalsock Creek that blocked lumbered logs from flowing downstream, called “Whirls End.” In 1929, the former Department of Forests and Waters began purchasing the logged-out land to create a state forest park. In 1932, $50 was allotted to create the park facilities, which purchased little more than four picnic tables. Four Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built many of the park facilities, like the swimming area and dam, cabins, hiking trails and roads.
The Walks
The over 20 miles of hiking trails of Worlds End State Park are mostly rocky with steep sections that climb the surrounding mountains. Some of the more awe-inspiring canine hiking is on the north side of the creek with dramatic views from routes such as the High Rock Trail. Across the way trips on the Worlds End Trail and Double Run Trail pentetrate deep into the vast woods. these adventures follow the paths of treacherous old horse trails that early settlers used to cross the Endless Mountains.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural surface
Workout For Your Dog - Some of the best, toughest hiking around
Swimming - Down in Loyalsock Creek are canine swimming pools
Restrictions On Dogs - No dogs allowed in the campground
Something Extra
In the eastern half of the park the Canyon Vista Trail is highlighted by a spectacular view of the Loyalsock Creek gorge at an elevation of 1750 feet. Many wildflowers grow beneath the canopy of maturing ash, sugar maple and black cherry trees. Be sure to explore the blocky maze of the Rock Garden adjacent to the vista. A second rock labyrinth is found in the easternmost section of the trail where it runs parallel to Cold Run Road.