Poconos Waterfalls, Pennsylvania - Day Trip

Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing, in the end, can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.

― Margaret Atwood

July 4, 2025

On the 4th of July we didn't have anything special planned, so we decided to join our daughter and 2 of our granddaughters for a ride to the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania to see some waterfalls.

Marshall Falls

Marshall Falls is a 25-foot-tall waterfall located near Stroudsburg in Monroe County. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the falls except for a quick glimpse through our car windows are we drove away from the small park in which it's located. Apparently there is a $10/person charge for non-residents of Monroe County to enter the park and see the falls. There was a canopy with volunteers collecting the fee when we entered the park. We thought that was a bit expensive for a 17-acre park, so we decided to pass on this one. If it had been $10/car, we would have paid, but there were 6 of us, so sadly, it was a no-go.

Resica Falls

Resica Falls is located along the Bushkill Creek, north of Stroudsburg, on the property of the Resica Falls Scout Reservation. The public may view the falls as long as they stay on the trail and within the designated viewing area. There's a parking area near the entrance to the scout camp with a path leading about 100 feet to the falls.

Resica Falls

The falls are about 25 to 30 feet in height and 50 or 60 feet wide. The falls feature three separate streams of water, except when the water is extremely high. It can be hard to get a good view of the falls because of the limited access and the undergrowth that has grown up around the viewing area.

George W. Childs Park

George W. Childs Park was named after a newspaper publisher who purchased the land in 1892 and later bequeathed the park to the state. Dingmans Creek runs through a deep ravine in the park and is crisscrossed by wooden bridges and overlooks for three waterfalls cascading over rock ledges. Currently managed by the National Park Service as part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the park has a clearly marked hiking trail with an ADA accessible section from the parking lot to the first two waterfall viewing platforms. Visitors who hike past the accessible portion will follow trails and stairs down into the ravine along the creek to the last waterfall.

We hiked the 1.2 mile loop trail in a counter-clockwise fashion, arriving first at an overlook above Factory Falls. The 18-foot tall three-tiered falls received their name because it's located next to the ruins of the Brooks woolen mill.

The top of Factory Falls & the overlook on the other side

Continuing down four flights of stairs and over a bridge, we arrived at the tallest falls in the park - Fulmer Falls. The falls are 56 feet tall and have a nice pool at the bottom where we found people wading.

Fulmer Falls

From there we branched off the main loop trail onto a lollipop loop that took us down the gorge further to the 30-foot tall Deer Leap Falls. The bridge passing over the top of the falls made a great photo op.

Deer Leap Falls

After returning back up the trail and rejoining the main loop, we arrived at the overlook for Fulmer Falls, this time viewing them from the opposite side of Dingmans Creek.

Fulmer Falls

Further up the trail we passed through a pavilion built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and then past the Brooks Woolen Mill ruins. The 3-1/2 story stone woolen mill was built in 1826 and abandoned in 1832.

Next we stopped at another overlook for Factory Falls, then followed a spur trail to a CCC Pump Shelter. Retracing our steps back to the main path we crossed over Dingmans Creek one last time before returning to the parking lot.

We enjoyed our little adventure to visit some of Monroe County's waterfalls. It was a nice way to spend the 4th of July!

* All photos and videos are the property of the blog owners unless otherwise noted. *

Delaware & Raritan State Park, New Jersey - Day Trip

 I've never met anybody who regretted taking a long ride. But I've met many who regretted not doing one. 

- Alistair Humphreys

June 27, 2025

The Delaware & Raritan (D&R) Canal State Park is one of central New Jersey's most popular places for boating, jogging, hiking, bicycling and fishing. The 70-mile-long park includes wooden bridges, spillways, locks, waste gates, and stone-arched culverts, as well as bridge and lock tender houses. The canal is a great place for history and canal lovers.

The canal consists of two parts: the 22-mile long "feeder canal" wanders along the Delaware River from just north of Frenchtown to Trenton. The 36-mile main canal winds northward from Trenton to New Brunswick.

Trail from Frenchtown to Lambertville

We rode our bicycles on the northern portion of the feeder canal from Frenchtown to just north of Lambertville in June 2024 (click here for our blog post about that trip). One year later we returned to ride our bikes south from just above Lambertville where we left off previously and headed down to Trenton's Cadwalader Park.

Trail from Lambertville to Trenton

We parked at the same access point as our last ride on the trail, just past the Holcombe Jimison Farmstead Museum. Heading south on the trail we passed under a train trestle where people had placed "love locks" on the fence along the canal. 

A short time later we arrived at the Alexauken Creek Aqueduct. The aqueduct still carries the canal over the Alexauken Creek. During high periods of water on the Delaware River a waterfall cascades down the east side of the aqueduct.

Further down the trail we passed the wooden remains of an old bridge on the Belvidere-Delaware Railroad and caught brief glimpses of Lambertville's "Grafitti Train" across the canal through the trees.

Once we entered Lambertville we passed behind buildings and houses, crossing over the main street near the historic 19th century Lambertville train station, which is now a restaurant and inn.

Entering Lambertville

Lambertville Station Restaurant

After passing through Lambertville we continued on past the ruins of the Lambertville Outlet Lock. The outlet lock allowed canal boats crossing over the Delaware River from Pennsylvania's Delaware Canal to enter the D&R Canal. From there they could travel on through Trenton before heading inland to New Brunswick and crossing the state to arrive at New York Harbor. All that remains of the lock today are some ruins hidden in the overgrowth. Next we passed a second lock and the lockkeeper's house.

Even though it was a little cool and the sky was cloudy, we enjoyed riding along the level trail, passing by many bridges over the canal and watching for signs of wildlife. 

At one point we passed by the historic Titusville Coal Tower across Route 23, which parallels the trail for much of its distance. The tower is not a true coal tower, but instead is a rock crusher and loader that was once used by the Belvedere-Delaware branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad to serve a nearby quarry. The railroad line is now the canal trail.

Further along the trail we arrived at Washington Crossing State Park. The park was founded in remembrance of the historic crossing of the Delaware River by General George Washington and his troops on December 25, 1776. Park visitors can tour the visitor center museum to learn about the Revolutionary War. The nature center offers year-round programming and displays representing the local environment. Picnic areas, playgrounds, trails and group camping offer something for everyone. We stood on the banks of the Delaware and took photos across the river to Washington Crossing Historic Park on the Pennsylvania side.

Bridge between New Jersey & Pennsylvania

Washington Crossing Historical Park, Pennsylvania

The Johnson Ferry House, built in approximately 1740, is located in Washington Crossing State Park near the Delaware River. In 1776 General George Washington used the ferry and probably the house at the time of the historic Christmas night crossing of the Delaware. Today the house offers living history programs that immerse visitors into the 18th century.  

Johnson Ferry House

Reproduction of an 18th Century Ferry boat

Back on our bikes, we continued south until we arrived at the recently rebuilt Scudder Falls Bridge. The bridge has a one-of-its-kind shared used path for trail users wishing to cross over the Delaware River between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The "falls" after which it is named are really just some rapids, and are located about 1/2 mile north of the bridge. We rode up onto the bridge for the view of the river before heading back down onto the trail again.

View of the Delaware River From Scudder Falls Bridge

From this point south we had the trail pretty much to ourselves until we got closer to Trenton. Once again we enjoyed views across the canal and the wildlife we found along the way. Before long, the trail started to become more urban in nature, with houses on one side of the trail. Finally, we saw ahead the small pedestrian bridge leading to Cadwalader Park.

Cadwalader Park is the largest urban park in the city of Trenton. The nearly 100-acre green space is also the city's oldest park. At one time the park had a train stop along the long gone Belvedere & Delaware Railroad. As mentioned previously, much of the D & R Canal Trail passes along the former rail corridor.

After taking some time to eat our lunch on a park bench we headed back over the bridge to return to where we had started. The heavy clouds had become darker and we ran into some light rain on the way back, but it wasn't enough to soak us through our clothing. We arrived back at the trailhead above Lambertville 4 hours after we had started, having ridden our bikes just over 28 miles. 

We really enjoyed our ride on this trail. There is a lot of history surrounding it. We would definitely be returning again to pick up the trail in Trenton.

If you would like to watch the YouTube video of our ride on this section of the D&R Trail, which includes footage of nearly all the places mentioned in this post, click here.

* All photos and videos are the property of the blog owners unless otherwise noted. *