Bushkill Falls

I thought I'd take a quick trip to the Poconos. I wanted to visit the Marshall's Creek/Bushkill area. The plan was to see Bushkill Falls, visit the Marshall's Creek Flea Market, and kayak on the Delaware, all while enjoying the fall colors. I had a great time, although I was unable to make time for kayaking-- maybe next time.

Quick Tips:

I know most people work during the week, and so the only time you get for travel is the weekends. Thus, obviously, most tourist destinations are crowded during the weekends. Since most of the Bushkill/Marshall's Creek area is located on Route 209 (a small two-lane road), traveling during peak hours to peak locations can be a headache. There are two remedies:

(1) Visit during the week. From what I gathered, there are much fewer visitors during the week. Unfortunately, the flea market is only open during the weekends, so you'd miss a quaint and novel experience.

(2) Don't travel during peak hours. The traffic on 209 in front of the flea market is a nightmare at 4pm to 6pm (closing time) on Saturday and Sunday (worse on Saturday). Also, since so many people are heading home Sunday morning, the two traffic lights at the intersection of 447 and 209 are packed with traffic between 8am and 12pm. I suggest either heading out much earlier, or do what I did and plan to visit the falls on Sunday. Spend the day at the falls and then take a scenic drive back on the river road to I-80.

Best Way To Get Around:

After spending a couple of hours at the flea market, I began looking for a place to stay before dinner. The place next the flea market looked kind of scary, so I headed north on 209 towards the falls. The Fernwood Resort was charging an outrageous amount.

Luckily, I found the Value Inn. The Inn is located only about 3 miles from the Falls, and the outside looked newly renovated. The price was reasonable and my room was very nice - most importantly, the mattress was very comfortable.

The manager is very friendly, and seems to know and care a lot about the area.

A final note: if you are planning on visiting the area on a Saturday, try to make reservations before you leave. Or try to book your room early on Saturday. I went to the lobby to get coffee at like 8pm, and the hotel was already booked. I was glad that I had listened to my wife and booked before dinner and not afterwards.

I spent Saturday afternoon at the flea market. We had scheduled an hour for the market, but it's quite a novel attraction, so we ended up spending four hours. I'm used to big-box-store shopping, and when I tend to associate flea markets with yard sales and garage cleanouts. This flea market is quite large (there were more vendors than I had expected) and has a large variety of items. Apparently, the best to time visit the market is in the summer, but visiting in October, I was still impressed. I picked up come neat mocassins, and a hand-made wooden picture frame with along the borders. My wife got an "adorable" scarf and cap (her words) and a "weird"-looking purse (my words). I really do suggest spending a couple of hours here. It's on the way to the falls (right on Rt 209), so it's not at all out-of-the-way.

Referring to the Bushkill Falls as a "natural wonder" may seem odd, as it is man-made, but I still suggest it as a great destination for nature lovers. The trails are extensive and the falls are very nice and big (perhaps not Niagara big, but still impressive). Apparently I visited at a good time. Late fall and early spring are the best times to visit--that's when the falls have the most water (during the summer, the heat lowers water levels, and during the winter, some of the feeder streams frost over, plus the trails become treacherous). The handrails and the steps for the trails are made from roughly hewn lumber (much of which comes from trees that have fallen down during winter storms, so the whole place has a conservationist vibe). Although the admission price is $8, if you visit when the weather's nice, you can end up spending the entire day wandering the trails. There is small pond and paddle boats out front for kids.