Bushkill Falls is located in the Pocono Mountains right by the Delaware Water Gap. This place has come to be known as the Niagara of Pennsylvania. While the waterfalls are nowhere near as big as those in Niagara. They are just as beautiful (if not more) and it is much less crowded.
There is also more to do here than just hiking and waterfall viewing. You can go fishing in the nearby pond or use the paddle boats. Play a round of miniature golf. You can even go “mining” for gemstones. There are many things to enjoy while spending the day at Bushkill Falls.
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TRAILS
Bushkill Falls has four different trails to choose from. They rank from easy to hard, depending on your skill level. The easy trail (Green) will take between 15 and 30 minutes depending on your walking ability. There are some steps to climb but nothing crazy. Just remember you are up in the Pocono Mountains so it is hilly.
The Green Trail will give a chance to view only the Main Fall from the observation deck. It is a pretty decent view of the waterfall but doesn’t give you the full experience. Now moving up on the difficulty factor is the yellow trail.
The yellow trial is your best bet if you cannot do a lot of walking or climbing of steps. While there are plenty of steps and hills to climb. Overall it is not TOO bad. Just make sure you wear sturdy, comfortable shoes. And take your time. You will be climb down to the bottom of the canyon to see the main waterfall.
The yellow trial will take you about 45 miles to walk. You will get some amazing views of the Main waterfall from the top to the bottom. The trial also takes you to view the Lower Gorge Falls. While it’s not as grand as the Main waterfall, the Lower Gorge waterfall is still spectacular.
The next trail you can choose to walk is the Blue trail. This trail takes roughly an hour and 15 minutes to walk and other than the distance it is a fairly moderate hike. I like to combine the blue and yellow together. The blue trail takes you along the little bushkill creek.
It is a nice peaceful hike along the creek. Just do yourself a favor and spot for a minute and listen. You will not hear passing cars. You probably won’t even hear any people. (My daughter and I were the only ones on this trail for a while)
You will just hear the calming sound of the rushing water as it makes it’s way down the mountain towards the main falls. A lot of us nowadays do not get to experience that. Just the peaceful sounds of nature.
Follow the blue trail and you will come across Pennell Falls. This is another pretty cool little waterfall at Bushkill falls. This one will also mist you a little so be mindful of WHEN you are visiting. Summer months it is a welcome relief. Early spring and fall not so much.
Once you pass the Pennell Falls its a little up hill walk through the forest. There are no more water falls to view until you head back down towards the main fall or continue on to the red trail.
The blue trail has some great spots to just stop and marvel at the beauty of Pennsylvania. Who knows what animals you may come across while hiking Bushkill Falls. Another thing to note while hiking the Blue trail is to be sure you stop off at the Delaware Valley lookout. It has a nice view of the surrounding area.
The final trail at Bushkill Falls is the Red trail. This trail will take you past all 8 waterfalls. This trail is about 2 miles long and they claim it will take you about 2 and a half hours to hike.
As you would guess it this trail takes you all around Bushkill Falls. It is listed for avid hikers. I would combine this trail with the sections of the Yellow trail that goes near the main waterfall.
Walking most of these trails will give you a good little workout along with some pretty stunning views of the waterfalls. While out and about keep a lookout for some of the local wildlife that includes Eagles, Owls, Wild Turkey, Foxes, White Tail Deer, Woodchucks and Chipmunks. You could even spot Bobcats, Coyotes or even Black Bears. As always remember to be safe and not feed the wildlife.
THINGS TO DO
Maybe hiking is not really your thing but you still want to spend half the day here. Well you can they have many other things to offer other than hiking the Waterfalls. You can go fishing along the shoreline of the two lakes they have here. But don’t worry you don’t need to have a PA fishing license but you will need to get a permit from the office. If you didn’t bring your rods you can also rent them.
If you love the water but fishing just is not your thing, give the paddle boats a try. You can go paddle boating daily in July and August and on Weekends other times of the year when the weather allows it. If you never paddled your way around the water this is a great place for your first time. It’s a pretty fun experience.
Do you think you can get the fastest time through the Bushkill Falls mining company maze? Go ahead try it out. If you have the fastest time for the month you could win a prize during the monthly drawings. Currently the cost is $5 for your first run and $2 for each rerun.
If you have younger children with you be sure to stop off at the playground. I am sure they will enjoy that much more than the gemstone mining. Plus the playground is free. And if miniature golf is on your list of things to do while vacationing, they have you covered there too.
Before you leave don’t for get to stop by the gift shop. Here you will find t-shirts, mugs, stuffed animals and much, much more. Did you hike the red trail? Maybe get the t-shirt to dedicate the feat.
If you never visited Bushkill Falls it is well worth the visit. Try to go during the fall when you get the beautiful fall colors mixed in with the waterfalls. This place is also very camera friendly. I had no problem setting up my camera to get some nice long exposure shots. I would also see other people doing the same.
Have you ever visited Bushkill Falls? Any other great places in PA to view waterfalls? Let us know in the comments below. Remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest at KozmoPhotos. It will help you stay up to day with all the latest post and photos.
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