Trails Mix: UpstatePA

Start the morning off at the Falls Trail in Ricketts Glen, which corrals 18 of the park’s 22 amazing waterfalls, including the 38-foot F.L. Ricketts bridal-veil waterfall and the 94-foot wedding-cake Ganoga Falls. We’re talking massive falls. The trail has a reputation for being steep and wet – definitely not a flip-flop adventure – so you’ll find rock steps built at crucial junctures. Start your hike at Lake Jean, just a few miles from the park entrance and head down the well-groomed path towards the first set of falls. Be sure to take in the diverse wildlife, from cranes to deer, and if you’re lucky, a black bear. At some points on this hike you’ll pass up to 10 waterfalls in under a mile, cross overhanging bridges, and see more wildlife than people. One more thing – at the end of the hike, we guarantee you’ll remember these magnificent waterfalls more than the work it took to see them. Our next destination is both hiking boot and flip-flop friendly … we’re heading west to Lake Wallenpaupack.

A two hour drive west will lead you to the village of Hawley, a good place to pick up some sandwiches and sides – just park on Main Street and run in the Lunch Box Café. Then drive a few miles out of town to Shuman Point (just off Rte 590), a wooded, three-mile loop of rocky trails and old roads that’ll take you down to the shores of Lake Wallenpaupack. Say that fast ten times. This man-made lake has some serious dimensions - covering 5,700 acres, stretching 13 miles long and containing 52 miles of shoreline there’s plenty to do both on-land and in the water. The lake has six recreation areas and features hiking, biking and walking trails, campsites and boat slips. Take note along the way of all the colorful mushrooms (perfect for pictures…not eating), wildlife and the incredible mix of trees. Chestnut, oak, white pine, red maple and white oak are the common trees. Some of them have been around for a hundred years. And it does a soul good knowing this neck of Lake Wallenpaupack has stayed pretty much its same beauteous self all those years.

There are plenty of trails ahead, so a stop here might be a good idea. Just grab some good socks, maybe a hat. In fact, go ahead and ask for a bit of help; the store only hires outdoors enthusiasts, so you can trust their recommendations on the best hiking and biking trails in the area. They’ll also tell you where to rent bikes, the difficulty of each trail and provide maps that’ll keep you on all the right trails. Check their photo wall for inspiration, then sign up right there for one of their ecological hikes or waterfall tours, both guided by friendly locals totally into showing off their wood ‘hood.

A short thirty-minute drive takes you to Bushkill Falls – a hiker’s dream. The gorgeous, noisy series of eight waterfalls – the Main Falls are 100 feet high – plays soundtrack to the network of trails and bridges that wind throughout the Pocono Mountains. These trails match all levels of difficulty, from the easy ambling of Green Trail to the more difficult two-hour Red Trail that passes all eight falls. Make sure to grab a trail map and try to find all 20 points on the new Map Adventure. The Town of Bushkill offers plenty to do when not on the trails. Check out the Pennsylvania Wildlife Exhibit, Native American Exhibit, visit the variety of gift shops or take a paddle-boat ride, or enjoy a round of miniature golf. There’s plenty to do to work up an appetite.