In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.
- John Muir
May 1 to May 4, 2025
During our first camping trip of 2025 to Tobyhanna State Park in Pennsylvania, we tried to fit in as many activities as we could in the short time we had. The typical spring rainy season didn’t materialize in April, but instead waited until May, as this weekend trip would prove. We were determined to make the most of the two whole days we had in the area. It didn’t rain all of the time, and we were able to do most of the things we had planned, but we did have to cut one of our adventures short.
Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area
One of the places we wanted to check out was the nearby Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area. The 130-acres of permanently preserved land is located in Tobyhanna Township. It features hiking trails, a waterfall, picnic areas, and areas for fly-fishing. The park is open year round and is pet friendly. We followed the 1-mile-long Creek Trail through the park along the banks of the creek until we arrived at Tobyhanna Falls.
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The falls are probably no more than 5 feet tall, but the power of the falls was quite impressive. The deep pool below the falls is a favorite of fisherman, who have been known to catch large trout there. We saw one fisherman there during our visit and we passed a couple of others as we made our way along to the end of the trail.
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After backtracking a little, we followed the Highland Trail up above the creek to an overlook above the falls. The trail continued on through the forest, past some interesting teepee-like structures made from fallen tree branches before crossing a stream and coming upon a pine tree with ornaments decorating its lower limbs. It had started to rain so we made our way back to the truck.
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We really enjoyed this little hidden gem of a park and highly recommend it if you happen to be in the area.
To see a video of our hike in the Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area, click here.
Tobyhanna Lake - Kayaking
The rain didn’t last long, and the sun came back out, so we decided to paddle our kayaks on the lake at the state park. It was sunny with big puffy clouds when we started, but after we got pretty far out on the lake the wind came up and the clouds started getting darker, so we only spent about an hour on the water before heading back in. If you would like to view a video of our ride on Tobyhanna Lake, click here.
Nay Aug Park - Scranton, PA
The next day we planned to visit three different places. The first stop was at Nay Aug Park in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The 73-acre park is the largest park in Scranton and has walking trails, picnic areas, swimming pools, a waterslide, and a treehouse. The park also includes the Everhart Museum, the Brooks Coal Mine, and a rocky gorge with waterfalls, which was the main focus of our visit and the reason for the park’s name. “Nay Aug” was the local native American term for “noisy brook”.
We parked in a parking lot next to the Everhart Museum, then crossed the street to the park’s southeast corner where we found the entrance to the two-mile-long Davis Trail. If you visit, keep in mind the trail can be a bit rough in spots, so we suggest wearing appropriate footwear. We were fine in our sneakers, but wouldn’t recommend open-toed shoes. Pets are welcome in the park, but must remain on a leash at all times.
Once we started on the trail we were amazed to see this beautiful area seemingly hidden by the city surrounding it. The trail started with a gradual descent into a gorge that quickly became much steeper with stairs and bridges leading to overlooks. Below we could see the rushing waters and huge rock formations. We felt as though we were in the middle of a forest as we made our way along the path. At one point we passed beneath a treehouse high above us, and at another we had a great view of the western portal of the Nay Aug train tunnel.
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Nay Aug Falls is a very powerful 20-foot waterfall formed by the Roaring Brook as it drops down into the gorge. Because the gorge walls are so high, the waterfall looks higher than it actually is. There are a few platforms and overlooks that provide a clear view of the falls from good vantage points. You can also follow along the Rodman Trail which takes you over a covered bridge to the opposite side of the falls and another overlook. This one was in need of some repair, however, so be careful if you visit and choose to take in the falls from this overlook.
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After getting our photos of the falls and heading back over the covered bridge, we headed up another path to the top of the gorge until we came to the David Wentzel Treehouse, with its view of the gorge below. From there we followed the sidewalk past a small zoo and through the park until we returned to where we had parked.
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Before leaving, we had a quick look at the Brooks Coal Mine, located right next to where we were parked. It wasn’t open yet, but we were able to get a couple of photos.
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This park amazed us. There is a lot to see and do both in the park and in and around the city of Scranton. For instance there’s the Steamtown National Historic Site, the Electric City Trolley Museum, the Electric City Aquarium and Reptile Den, the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour, and if you’re interested in antiques, like we are, there’s the On and On, a 6,000 square-foot antique store and vintage marketplace. We’ve already decided we need to return to Scranton to spend more time seeing what it has to offer, and that’s unusual for us as we tend to avoid cities.
But, because we had a couple more places to go and more rain was forecast for later in the day, we had to move on.
Archbald Pothole State Park
Our next stop was to tick another state park off of our list. Archbald Pothole State Park is perhaps the quirkiest, and at only 150 acres, one of the smallest parks in the state park system.
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The park is named for a geologic feature that formed around 15,000 years ago. The pothole is 38 feet deep, and 42 feet by 24 feet at its largest diameter. At the bottom, it's only 17 feet by 14 feet. It’s estimated the pothole could hold about 140,000 gallons and it would take 35 fire truck tankers to fill it.
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A pothole is usually a hole worn into bedrock by a stream at the base of a waterfall. As the moving water spins bits of sand, gravel and rock fragments, it forms a round hole. In the case of the Archbald Pothole, its believed meltwater from a glacier broke through a crevasse and fell to the bedrock below. The force of the whirling water and rock fragments eventually carved the pothole. As the glacier moved on, more rock fragments fell into the hole, filling it in.
The pothole was discovered and uncovered in 1884. Since then it’s been exposed to weathering and the sides of the pothole are slowly eroding. Another larger pothole was discovered about 1,000 feet north, but has never been excavated because of the excessive cost.
The Archbald Pothole was once used to ventilate a mine shaft, but later became a popular tourist attraction. In 1914 the land on which the pothole exists was donated to the local historical society. The land and some additional acreage were deeded to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1961, and the park opened in 1964.
We didn’t spend a lot of time at this park. There wasn’t a lot to see or do, other than a small loop trail through the surrounding forest. Rain was threatening and we had one last stop to make, so after peering down into the pothole for a bit we headed on to our next destination.
To see a video of our visit to Scranton's Nay Aug Park and Archbald Pothole State Park, click here.
Varden Conservation Area
The 444-acre Varden Conservation Area is part of Pennsylvania’s state park system. The property is split into two tracts separated by Pennsylvania Route 296. The Tannery tract lies to the east and the Mid Valley Tract lies to the west. Both tracts include short hiking trails that cross forests, wetlands and the remains of an old farm. Middle Creek also runs through the property, and is a popular spot for trout fishing. In addition, fishing is allowed at a pond at the Tannery Tract and hunting is also allowed in season.
We drove to the Mid Valley Tract and decided to attempt hiking a quick loop on the Bear Paw Trail. We didn’t get far before turning back. The trail was super wet and boggy from all the recent rain. We hadn’t put on our waterproof hiking boots because the trails were listed as easy. Rain was threatening and we didn’t know how much time we would have, so after filming a couple of short clips, we decided to return to the truck. We’d have to return at another time to explore this park further.
That ended our adventures for the day, and for the rest of the trip. It rained off and on for the rest of the day. We managed to pack everything up the next morning just as it started to rain again, and actually had to sit at the dump station for a while until it slowed enough for us to empty our tanks. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. We still enjoyed our time at Tobyhanna State Park and exploring the surrounding area.
* All photos and videos are the property of the blog owners unless otherwise noted. *
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