Pocono Mountains
The Pocono Mountains are a mecca for outdoor activity. With 52 miles of shoreline, Lake Wallenpaupack offers kayaking, waterskiing, parasailing, wakeboarding and jet skiing. When the lake freezes over — if the lake freezes over — outfitters are ready with ice skates and ice fishing gear. Groups may even get the chance to participate in a Wallenpaupack frozen lake golf tournament.
“Weather permitting, they cut holes in the ice, and Christmas trees serve as the markers,” said Elizabeth Richardson, spokeswoman for Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.
Eight major ski areas and resorts are up and running through the colder months. Blue Mountain Ski Area has the highest vertical terrain in the state at 1,082 feet. It also claims the state’s only bobsledding and luge run — a high-speed 2,000-foot ride. Another popular resort is Camelback Mountain, which sends thousands of visitors down the slopes of the largest tubing park in the country. Totally unique is the opportunity to drive Iditarod-trained huskies on the groomed trails at Skytop Lodge. And if group members tire out at these winter activities, they can opt for horse-drawn carriage or sleigh rides available throughout the area.
With several state parks, the Pocono Mountains have hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails. The 25-mile scenic bike trail at Lehigh Gorge State Park offers breathtaking views that include side streams that run into surging waterfalls. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation area is a great fit for canoeing and rafting tours, and hikers will run into some of the state’s largest waterfalls, like Dingmans Falls and Raymondskill Falls.
More groups are taking in the mountain views by zip line and aerial obstacle courses with suspension bridges, nets and swinging logs, Richardson said. Several locations offer courses, including a set of dual racing zip lines that drop riders 36 stories at speeds of up to 60 mph.
“They have become so extremely popular,” Richardson said. “They run through spring, summer and fall. Personally, I think they’re awesome in the fall; you get a bird’s-eye view of the leaves.”
Erie
The most popular of Pennsylvania’s 120 state parks is Presque Isle State Park, on the north shores of Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay.
“We welcome 4 million visitors each year,” said Christine Temple, spokeswoman for VisitErie. “Presque Isle State Park is our crown attraction.”
Many groups flock to the park’s seven miles of sandy beaches for swimming, kayaking and canoeing. Others take to the sand by Segway, surrey or fat-tire bikes. Another big draw is the 13.5-mile trail around the peninsula, commonly considered one of the nation’s top coastal bicycling trails.
Bird-watchers won’t be disappointed when they take the six miles of hiking trails at the Erie National Wildlife Refuge, designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society. It’s home to 237 species of birds, including bald eagles, other birds of prey, songbirds and waterfowl. Presque Isle State Park is also a stop for distinctive birds such as snowy owls, piping plovers and purple martins on their way across the lake.
A second interesting hiking spot is Oil Creek State Park. It’s 52 miles of hollows, hills, wetlands and waterfalls, and some areas include historical markers that tell the story of the world’s first commercial oil well, which is how the park earned its name.
Because Erie is Pennsylvania’s only port on the Great Lakes, groups often think of the park only during summertime, Temple said.
“But we’re a great outdoor location in the colder months, too,” she said, explaining that the nearly flat coastal trail and beaches convert into cross-country ski and snowmobile zones during winter.
