Big Pocono State Park

Hiking   -  Horseback Riding   -  Mountain Biking   -  Picnicking   -  Hunting   -  Restaurant   -  Downhill Skiing  

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The park is open sunrise to sunset

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Picnicking: There are three picnic areas with plenty of 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. Parking spaces in Parking Lot 4 are designated for people with disabilities. In Parking Lot 2, parking spaces, the restroom, and some picnic tables are designated for people with disabilities.

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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 Land 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 car, trailer or leased campsite. The only exception is that law enforcement officers and individuals with a valid Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms may carry said firearm concealed on their person while they are within the park.

Complete information on hunting rules and regulations in Pennsylvania is available from the Pennsylvania Game Commission Web site.

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Hiking: 8.5 miles of trails
Since Big Pocono State Park is a mountaintop, most of the trails have steep grades. Some trails are extremely steep with rough grades. Inexperienced hikers might want to contact the Tobyhanna State Park office before hiking some of the trails.

The trails are marked with different colored blazes (see map). Trails marked with blue are no longer maintained or shown on the map. 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.

For an easier hike, try the upper loop of South Trail along the south face of the mountain and Indian Trail, which forms a 1.3-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.

Indian Trail offers a great vista from the eastern cliffs, visible from I-80 and points in Tannersville and Scotrun. Visitors may also connect to South Trail midway across the south face section from Parking Lot 3 using the Vista Trail for a shorter loop.

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Mountain Biking: Mountain biking is permitted on South Trail and North Trail Lower Loop. Bikes are prohibited on the connecting trails from the parking lots and on Indian and North trails.

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Horseback Riding: Horses are permitted on all of the hard surface roads shared by vehicles, and also South Trail and North Trail Lower Loop. Horses are prohibited on Indian and North trails.

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Cameltop Restaurant: Cameltop, a restaurant near the summit of Camelback Mountain, is operated by Camelback Ski Area and provides refreshment for park visitors. The restaurant may be reached by the park road or by ascending the mountain on the ski area chair lift and is open daily Memorial Day to Columbus Day.

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Winter Activities

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Downhill Skiing: Camelback Ski Area is the biggest and best ski, snowboard and snowtubing area in the Poconos. You’ll find 33 trails, 13 lifts including two high-speed, detachable quads, two halfpipes, two terrain parks, night skiing and 100% snowmaking. 570-629-1661, snow conditions: 800-233-8100. www.skicamelback.com

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Access for People with Disabilities

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If you need an accommodation to participate in park activities due to a disability, please contact the park you plan to visit.

 

The top of Camelback Mountain is a unique forest called a scrub oak shrubland. Wind-dwarfed gray birch, quaking aspen, red pine and scrub oak cover the mountaintop, with no tree 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 bloom in mid-June. On the north side of the mountain, North Trail Lower Loop Trail on the old railroad grade passes through a rock cut and offers hikers a glimpse of a hemlock and rhododendron glen, which is surprisingly cool on hot summer days. Rhododendron blooms in late July.

Big Pocono State Park is on land which was owned by Henry S. Cattell near the turn of the 20th century. Mr. Cattell, being very fond of the view from the summit of Camelback Mountain, and knowing that many others shared his love for the area, 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 Big Pocono Fire Tower on the mountain for the purpose of detecting forest fires in the surrounding private and state forest lands. The tower is staffed only during the spring and fall seasons and has been dedicated by the National Fire Tower Association as a historical structure.

In 1928, 12 years after Mr. Cattell’s death, the Pennsylvania Game Commission purchased the area. 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 the purpose of 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.

Keep in Touch

Add yourself to the DCNR's online community to receive info on this park, or parks in general.

Volunteering

Like to spend time in the outdoors, meet friendly people and help make Pennsylvania State Parks great? Volunteering at a park might be for you.

Becoming a Conservation Volunteer is easy.

• Sign up to be a Conservation Volunteer
  OR
• Contact your local state park directly and ask for the Conservation Volunteer coordinator - you'll be hooked up with an interesting and appropriate project in Pennsylvania's natural resources.
   

Join a Friends Group

The Friends of Big Pocono State Park is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, protecting and enhancing Big Pocono State Park. It as an affiliate chapter of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forestry Foundation, and is a qualified 501(c)(3) organization, which means that your contribution is tax deductible. Any money that you donate to the Friends will benefit Big Pocono State Park directly. The Friends coordinate a wide variety of volunteer activities that benefit the parks. friendsofbigpocono.org/home

Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation

Believing that each generation is responsible for leaving behind a better legacy of good conservation, the Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation (PPFF) was created in 1999 to give supporters and users of Pennsylvania's parks and forests a positive way to contribute to the conservation of our publicly-owned properties. The Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation welcomes the support of individuals and businesses who share a commitment to conserving, protecting, and enhancing the natural, scenic, and recreational areas of this commonwealth. www.paparksandforests.org

Make a Donation

To a park - find this park's address below

To a park's friends group - see above

To a park or the Bureau of State Parks - Pennsylvania Parks and Forestry Foundation www.paparksandforests.org

Through a purchase at a park gift shop

Thank you for your support!

Education Programs

We love when young people ask us how to get involved!

DiscoverE has programs for young people ages 4 to 17, provided by Pennsylvania State Park educators. By combining recreation and education, we hope to motivate children to learn more and return often, leading to a lifetime of outdoor enjoyment and conservation leadership. 

In Watershed Education, teachers and students assess water quality of a local stream on a quarterly basis and develop strategies to solve local water quality problems. 

ECO Camp - Exploring Careers Outdoors - is a week-long residential camp for a cross-section of high school youth from across Pennsylvania, sponsored by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Participate in action-packed, hands on activities and recreational adventures in Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests that expose youth to conservation, recreation and careers in natural resources. Learn how people make a living working in the outdoors.

Explore education for more information on these and other programs.

Explore the Calendar of Events to find a program near you.

iConservePA

Do you take conservation personally? iConservePA is a Web site managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources whose vision is to inspire citizens to value their natural resources, engage in conservation practices and experience the outdoors. Take conservation personally.

Come Work with Us

Pennsylvania State Parks and the Department of Conservation and Natrual Resources offer a wide range of civil service and non-civil service jobs, from foresters, to rangers, to engineers, to educators, to botanists and so much more. Learn what is currently available.

Tell us What You Think

Contact this park with compliments, concerns and issues about the park.

Big Pocono State Park

Nearby Attractions

Information on nearby attractions is available from the Pocono Mountains Vacation Bureau, 800-POCONOS www.800poconos.com

Big Pocono State Park is 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. www.nps.gov/dewa/

Maps and Downloadables

Below are many of the maps and publications for this park. You can read them or download them and might need special software (all free) to view the publications.

You must have the free Adobe Reader to view the maps and brochures that are in pdf format (.pdf).

Alternate versions of the text of the brochures are in rich text and text formats. Click on the files to view them. To download (.rtf) files:
For Windows users, right click on the link then left click on "Save target as" to download the file to your computer. For Mac users, hold down the "Options" button and click on the link, then select "Save" to download the file to your computer.

Recreational Guide

Big Pocono State Park Map (.pdf)  (498 kb, 3/11)
Big Pocono State Park Recreational Guide (.pdf)  (247 kb, 3/11)
    large print version of the guide text (.rtf)

Interactive GIS Map

The Interactive GIS Map uses Geographic Information Systems to create a map that does not need to be downloaded and features driving directions, searchable park amenities and customizable maps. Please note that the background maps are maintained by a variety of public sources and driving directions usually go to the nearest large road.