Big Pocono

A Pennsylvania Recreational Guide for Big Pocono State Park Big Pocono State Park Big Pocono State Park is in Monroe County in northeastern Pennsylvania. The park consists of 1,306 acres of rugged terrain on the summit and slopes of Camelback Mountain. Seasonally, the park closes in mid-December and reopens as conditions permit in the spring. The park is open from sunrise to sunset. Big Pocono State Park facilities are maintained in cooperation with Camelback Mountain Resort. The trails of Big Pocono State Park are maintained in cooperation with the Pocono Outdoor Club. For an easier hike, try the upper loop of South Trail along the south face of the mountain and Indian Trail, which forms a 2-mile loop from Rim Road. North Trail Lower Loop connects the lower end of South Trail back to the North Trail via a portion of the old railroad grade, which is fairly flat. Visitors may also connect to South Trail midway across the south side of the mountain from Parking Lot 3 using Vista Trail for a shorter loop. Indian Trail offers a great vista from the eastern cliffs, visible from I-80 and points in Tannersville and Scotrun. Tell us about your hike at: Directions Entrance to the park is from PA 715 and Exit 299 of I-80 at Tannersville. CAUTION: Steep grades. Visitors should not attempt this drive in vehicles with trailers in tow. Municipal road maintenance is not provided and seasonal closures of the access roadway will occur. Scenic View From the summit, visitors can enjoy magnificent views. Parts of eastern Pennsylvania and portions of New Jersey and New York can be seen along the paved, 1.4-mile scenic drive. Recreational Opportunities This park is open from sunrise to sunset. PICNICKING: Picnic areas have picnic tables and charcoal grills. Most areas provide “a picnic with a view” high atop Camelback Mountain at an elevation of 2100 feet above sea level. For More Information Contact: Big Pocono State Park c/o Tobyhanna State Park 114 Campground Road Tobyhanna, PA 18466-0387 570-894-8336 email: tobyhannasp@pa.gov GPS DD: Lat. 41.04419 Long. - 75.36925 An Equal Opportunity Employer Information and Reservations Make online reservations at: www.visitPAparks.com or call toll-free 888-PA-PARKS (888-727-2757), 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Saturday. www.visitPAparks.com Printed on recycled paper visitPAparks 2018 HIKING: 8.5 miles of trails Since Big Pocono State Park is a mountaintop and some trails are extremely steep with rough grades. Inexperienced hikers should contact the Tobyhanna State Park office for information before hiking. South Trail and the North Trail Lower Loop are open to mountain bikes and horses. North and South trails extend down the east side of the mountain. They are steep and rugged, offering experienced hikers a challenging 600-foot elevation change in under a mile. HORSEBACK RIDING: Horses are permitted on all hard surface roads shared by vehicles, South Trail, and North Trail Lower Loop. Horses are prohibited on Vista, Indian, and North trails. Natural History The top of Camelback Mountain is a unique forest called a scrub oak shrubland. Wind-dwarfed gray birch, quaking aspen, pitch pine, and scrub oak cover the mountaintop, with no trees over twenty feet tall. Lowbush blueberry, sweet fern, and mountain laurel grow under the short trees. Down slope, the forest offers more shade with mixed hardwoods including oak, maple, and hickory trees. Portions of South Trail are lined with blueberry and mountain laurel, which blooms in mid-June. On the north side of the mountain, North Trail Lower Loop follows the old railroad grade and passes through a rock cut, offering hikers a glimpse of a hemlock and rhododendron glen, which is surprisingly cool on hot summer days. Rhododendron blooms in late July. Kartrite’s Summit House Restaurant Located at the top of Camelback Mountain, the new Kartrite’s Summit House Restaurant is home to beautiful views and is available as a wedding venue. The restaurant can be reached via Camelback Road or the ski area chair lift during both summer and winter operations. 855-515-1283 Please make your visit safe and enjoyable. Obey all posted rules and regulations and respect fellow visitors and the resources of the park. • Be prepared and bring the proper equipment. Natural areas may possess hazards. Your personal safety and that of your family are your responsibility. • Alcoholic beverages are prohibited. • Because uncontrolled pets may chase wildlife or frighten visitors, pets must be physically controlled, attended at all times, and on a leash, caged, or crated. Electronic fences and leashes are prohibited. • Do your part to keep wildlife wild! Enjoy wildlife from a safe distance and do not feed or approach wild animals. Nearby Attractions BICYCLING: Bicycles are permitted on all hard surface roads shared by vehicles. Mountain biking is permitted on South Trail and North Trail Lower Loop. Bikes are prohibited on the connecting trails from the parking lots, including Vista Trail, and on Indian and North trails. HUNTING AND FIREARMS: 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. Furbearers include fox, raccoon, and coyote. Adjacent to the park are 3,943 acres of State Game Lands 38, which are open to public hunting, trapping, dog training, and hiking. Hunting woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day following Labor Day through March 31 in designated hunting areas. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations apply. Contact the park office for ADA accessible hunting information. Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. Other visitors use the park during hunting seasons. Firearms and archery equipment used for hunting may be uncased and ready for use only in authorized hunting areas during hunting seasons. In areas not open to hunting or during non-hunting seasons, firearms and archery equipment shall be kept in the owner’s vehicle or enclosed trailer. Exceptions include: law enforcement officers and individuals with a valid Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms are authorized to carry a firearm concealed on their person while they are within a state park. Protect and Preserve Our Parks History The land that is now Big Pocono State Park was owned by Henry S. Cattell near the turn of the 20th century. Mr. Cattell was very fond of the view from the summit of Camelback Mountain. Knowing that many others shared his love for the area, he constructed a stone cabin on the summit in 1908. The Cattell Cabin was left unlocked for many years to be used as a shelter by anyone who wished. Since 1921, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry has maintained a fire tower on the mountain for use in detecting forest fires in the surrounding private and state forest lands. The tower is staffed only during the spring and fall seasons. Public access is prohibited. In 1928, 12 years after Mr. Cattell’s death, the Pennsylvania Game Commission purchased the land. In 1950, a portion of the state land on the steep north slope of the mountain was leased to Big Pocono Skiing, Inc., for commercial ski development. Later named Camelback Ski Corporation, the facility has been developed into a major ski resort. In 1953, a 1,306-acre portion of the state game lands, including the ski area lease, was acquired by the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters (now the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) for developing a state park at the mountain’s summit. In 1954, after the construction of restrooms, parking areas, picnic sites, fireplaces, and a scenic drive around the summit, the area was opened to the public as Big Pocono State Park. The Cattell Cabin served for many years as a park office and nature museum. Public tours of the cabin can be scheduled through the Friends of Big Pocono. www.facebook.com/ Friends-of-Big-Pocono-216068915075100/ Information on nearby attractions is available from the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, 800-POCONOS. www.poconomountians.com Camelback Resort is recognized as one of the top places to learn to ski and snowboard in the USA. The 162 acres contains 37 trails and 15 lifts that are 100% lit for night skiing and completely covered by snowmaking. Camelback is also home to 42 lightning fast tubing lanes and an incredible Galactic light show after dark. When the snow melts, the mountain adventures continue with zip lines, mountain coaster, alpine slide, and more. Camelbeach Waterpark and the Camelback Lodge & Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark are all located at the base of Camelback Mountain. For more information, call 570-629-1661. camelbackresort.com Big Pocono State Park is located in the famous Pocono Mountains resort area. Nearby attractions include State Game Lands 38 and 127, Gouldsboro State Park, Tobyhanna State Park, Hickory Run State Park, and the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Access for People with Disabilities This symbol indicates facilities and activities that are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible for people with disabilities. This publication text is available in alternative formats. If you need an accommodation to participate in park activities due to a disability, please contact the park you plan to visit.  In an Emergency Call 911 and contact a park employee. Directions to the nearest hospital are posted on bulletin boards and at the park office. NEAREST HOSPITAL Lehigh Valley Hospital - Pocono Medical Center 206 East Brown Street East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 570-421-4000 Take I-80 east to Exit 308 (East Stroudsburg). At the first traffic light, turn right to the hospital. BIG POCONO STATE PARK o MONROE COUNTY Cre ek 13 ba Exit 298 00 Sul liva n Road ck 00 Pocono 1350 Main Lodge 50 1100 11 ILLE RSV AN 0 165 0 0 16 0 155 Exit 299 0 150 50 14 14 1900 1850 1800 1750 00 10 T 115 1700 00 1950 1900 50 18 800 1 750 1 0 170 50 1950 a Tr NE h ut So 2000 Lo t # 3 50 12 2100 13 Vista Tr. 715 50 13 2000 00 13 10 1650 road Rail 1600 00 11 Road 1550 1500 Blue Symbols Mean ADA Accessible 1450 1400 1350 1300 t Nor h 0 Hiking Trail 0 100 200 300 400 500 METERS 0 400 800 1200 1600 2000 FEET State Park No Hunting Viewing Scope State Park Hunting Fire Tower One-way Road 400 Gate To East Stroudsburg, 10.0 Mi. Multi-use Trail: Hiking, Mountain Biking, Horseback Riding Picnic Area Scenic View 100 80 715 Parking Paved Water 1250 120 Parking ADA Accessbile Rustic Restrooms ad h Trail Sout m) (4.8 k 3 Mi. 0 Road Lot #4 00 R im 205 Lot #2 1. Lo op il Lot #1 N Ro LA N D S 3 8 Cattell Cabin Rim Road M O U N TA I Tra i l 1350 EL M CA ACK Indian Lo we r 1950 CAMELB 1900 Kartrite’s Summit House Restaurant 2 km) i. ( M 3 Loop Creek 0 185 No 0 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 2050 Lower l ai 50 B 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 Tra il 140 C Trail th ) Nor .6 km i. (1 M 1 14 A M 1500 1550 1500 1550 1750 K T 50 0 160 0 165 0 170 0 175 STATE G A M E 1700 O N North 14 Tr 1650 U T ono Poc 1600 N AI OR rt h 1550 S RE 0 1450 1500 611 50 Road 00 12 0 ck Camelba 115 0 1200 125 0 130 0 135 0 140 0 Camelbeach Mountain Waterpark 140 Cre ek 11 0 115 Road 00 10 l 50 12 0 120 11 00 11 50 10 Tra i 1050 1000 m Ca el N 00 on To Mount Pocono, 6.0 Mi. 12 Po c To I-380 Exit 293, 4.0 Mi. & Tobyhanna S.P., 17.7 Mi. 80 1350 1300 CONTOURS ARE ON 50 FT. INTERVALS ner War d R oa To Brodheadsville & US 209, 10.8 Mi. Rev. 12/10/18