Big Pocono State Park

Great day for a hike!

Great hike! We took the Indian trail and it was a moderate hike. The only issue I have is that the maps don’t tell you the trail difficulty. One person in my group had trouble keeping up :(

Scenic drive to the top with terrific views of the countryside! We came during peak fall colors and it was truly a spectacular scene! Some decent trekking trails too.

Big Pocono State Park was opened to the public in 1954 after the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters acquired 1,306 acres of state game lands from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The Pennsylvania Game Commission acquired the land in 1928 from the estate of Henry Cattell who built the stone cabin that still stands on the summit in 1908.
Along the way the state leased a portion of the north slope for commercial development which is how Camelback Mountain Resort and Camelbeach Waterpark came to exist and it’s obviously why the two places border each other.
Big Pocono offers over eight miles of trails some of which are open to horses and mountain bikes. Personally, the best trail is the Indian Trail with its scenic overlook that affords views of I-​80, Tannersville and into New Jersey.
The summit area of Big Pocono also offers excellent views of Eastern PA, New Jersey and New York via the mile and one half Rim Road driving loop and the picnic area which is 2100 feet above sea level.
As an FYI, about 800 acres are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are deer, bear, cottontail rabbit, squirrel, turkey and ruffed grouse along with fox, raccoon and coyote. Also in terms of animals the area has a large rattlesnake population and the DCNR has signage warning people about that in multiple places.
Big Pocono does not have a dedicated ranger station I’m assuming since it is a smaller park so if you have any questions before you come you need to call or stop by the Tobyhanna State Park.
In terms of hiking unless you’re more hard core, sticking to the Indian Trail plus the part of the south trail that runs by parking lot #4 & parking lot #3 will get you close to two miles plus the scenic overlook and shouldn’t be too taxing. The western part of the south trail along with the north trail have much steeper grades.
If you go:
Big Pocono State Park is open dawn to dusk daily although the park closes the day after the end of deer season in December and reopens as conditions permit in the spring. At the summit there is an outhouse style bathroom, grills, water station, plenty of parking, plenty of picnic tables and a bitchin’ view.

Enjoyed a short 3 mile hike here. The trails are well marked and the park was shockingly empty on a Saturday. We actually did have a run in with black bear which was down hill from us, but hiking in the area I should not have been so surprised.

I love this park, nice trails for all levels of difficulty, never many people around and the views are stunning!

Had a great hike here. Can’t wait till fall when the colors change. Just remember, if you go down, you gotta come back up.

This state park offers a gorgeous view of forests from the picnic area at the peak. There are a few grills and you can drive right up to the peak, so it’s a great place for a barbecue. If it’s too windy, there are lower picnic areas that are more secluded as well.
We took a hike which was a short (1.5mile) loop from the peak. It was a very nice and leisurely hike until we hit the very end and saw the sign saying «This area is open for hunging. Visitors should wear fluorescent orange.» Uh, how about another sign at the other end of the trail??? Or were we clueless and stupid tourists?
So be warned, unless you know this as a common sense because you grew up wearing a fluorescent orange vest whenever you were playing in your backyard.