Hawk Falls
As the temperature climbs, so do many families, into the mountains seeking a cooler oasis.
This year, my family decided to explore somewhere we’d never been—the Poconos. Ascending the winding pathways northeast, we found temperate relief as grasses turned to ferns, moss made blankets on trees, and the sound of rushing water competed with the roar of my engine.
Sold on a Google review rating of 4.6/5 stars and a feature photo of a playground with a castle, we stayed at Peaceful Woodlands Family Campground in Blakeslee. Privately owned and operated, the folks are kind and welcoming, even going above and beyond by offering free coffee, tea and cocoa in the mornings. Mini golf is included in your stay, with a course built by hand that’s full of pinwheels and tunnels with varying grades of difficulty. A pool packed with kids splashing and playing met our need to cool off. When they’re not poolside, kids swarm the two playgrounds, making up games and forging friendships.
Peaceful Woodlands also hosts two music festivals a year. Unfortunately, our stay didn’t overlap with a festival this time. Many of the campers were raving about the upcoming Robin and Beth Music Festival happening the first week of August with headliner Hezekiah Jones, a collection of Philadelphia-based artists specializing in folk music. The Midnight Mountain Music Show is upcoming on Sept. 12 and 13, with 12-plus bands in the lineup.
Hike & Splash
The campground is located about five minutes from the Pocono Raceway, if your family is into watching cars go fast. It’s also 15 minutes from Hickory Run State Park where Hawk Falls, a 25-foot waterfall, roars in the forest. Hawk Falls can be accessed from a 1.2-mile out-and-back hike. The trail borders boulders, perfect for little feet to climb, then traverses tunnels of dense rhododendron reminiscent of Alice falling down the rabbit hole. Hikers emerge from the tunnels at the base of the falls where there’s ample room to sit in wonder, splash in the creek, or enjoy prepacked snacks.
As your tribe is enjoying the outdoors, remember to be cognizant of disposables. During our hike, we noticed a fair amount of trash littering the pathway. Encourage your family to be proactive stewards of the earth by packing bags or containers to gather litter that you may encounter. The Pocono Mountains are part of the Delaware River Watershed, a drinking water source for over 320,000 people. The base of a waterfall is an excellent place to educate your little(s) about the water cycle and how the mountain streams tumble and grow until they meet the ocean. Speaking of tumbling and growing, when it comes time to clean your crew, remember to pack eco-friendly soap.
Post-hike, we visited the town of Jim Thorpe, which is bustling with kid-friendly things to do. Some highlights are The Historic Jim Thorpe Trolley Tours and the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Train Excursions. We were surprised to learn that reindeer can live outside of the North Pole during a “Summer Reindeer Tour” at Spruce Ridge Reindeer.
Eco-art
With so much excitement and easy entertainment, we almost didn’t have time for our craft. But as all parents know, the boredom comes quickly, so we made our own paintbrushes. The cool thing about making your own paintbrush is that the textures are a night-and-day difference from the store-bought kind.
To start, find a stick that seems paintbrush size, about 3 to 4 inches long and sturdy. Next, gather the materials for the brush. We tried two contrasting materials—pine needles on our first paintbrush then fresh green leaves on the second. The pine needle paintbrush ended up looking similar to a witch or wizard’s broom and made designs that were distinct, keeping the paint separated and fairly difficult to spread. The green leaf paintbrush was pretty silly, offering an almost watercolor experience with globs of paint mixing and mashing, colors running into each other and making quite a mess.
If your family is interested in testing out paintbrushes but you don’t have any paint with you, try using water on a rock to see ecofriendly designs come to life then disappear again before your eyes. This is another example of how water changes form, moving from liquid to gas as it evaporates off the surface of the rock.
Only about two hours from Harrisburg, the Poconos are the perfect place to cool off during this scorching month. In one weekend, we barely scratched the surface of what these mountains and this community have to offer. An amazing thing about Pennsylvania is the varied terrain and people and that a two-night trip can feel a world away. Renewed by the rhododendron, we wound our way back home to enjoy the last few weeks before school begins anew.
For more information on Peaceful Woodlands Campground, visit www.peacefulwoodlands.com.
Hawk Falls Trail is located on Route 534, Hickory Run State Park, Albrightsville.
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
