The state's great year-round vacationland, the Pocono Mountains offer every outdoor activity imaginable. Accommodations range from luxury resorts to motels, cottages, bed-and-breakfasts and campgrounds. Even though the area has a reputation as a honeymoon retreat (some hotels offer heart-shaped beds and tubs with champagne bubble baths), there's something for all ages, including some of the best skiing south of Vermont.
Lake Wallenpaupack, a man-made lake built in 1927 by the Pennsylvania Power and Light Co. for hydroelectric power, offers excellent fishing and watersports along its 52-mi/83-km shoreline. At
Shawnee-on-the-Delaware, there's canoeing, white-water rafting and mule rides. The Appalachian Trail (the famous hiking route that runs from Maine to Georgia) winds through the Poconos and has spectacular views for those willing to stretch their legs a bit.
Other attractions include the gorgeous Delaware Water Gap, a large 38-mi/61-km opening in a mountain ridge where the Delaware River flows through. In Bushkill, check out Niagara of Pennsylvania, one of the state's most famous scenic attractions—you can see a series of eight waterfalls that drop 100 ft/30 m. Stop in the town of Milford and see Grey Towers, built by the famous architect Richard Morris Hunt. This fieldstone castle was once the summer home of Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service. The Water Gap Trolley runs through the area. The Jim Thorpe Memorial, in the city of Jim Thorpe, is the final resting place of one of the world's greatest athletes. In the same city is the 143-year-old Asa Packer Mansion Museum, the Victorian home of the millionaire who founded Lehigh Valley Railroad and Lehigh University. The museum has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
Other attractions in the area include the 209-year-old Stroud Mansion and Promised Land State Park (a great hiking spot), both in Stroudsburg; the Big Pocono Overlook (2,100 ft/650 m high, with views of New Jersey and the Catskills); Bushkill Falls; the Pocono Playhouse in Mountainhome (summer theatrical performances); and the Pocono Raceway (in Mount Pocono). Two of the area's most popular ski resorts are in the western Poconos. Jack Frost and Big Boulder are adjacent to one another and are known as "The Big Two." Nearby are 18,000 acres/7,300 hectares of recreational lands available for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. 75 mi/125 km north of Philadelphia.
