A Day and Night in the Water Gap

Following a few days in Philadelphia, we decided to take the scenic route through Pennsylvania as we returned to Connecticut. With a bit of wanderlust, we found ourselves in the Delaware Water Gap traveling to popular sights we found in promising brochures. Our travels brought us to the wonderful Bushkill Falls which took a bit more time than we had expected. We decided to stay a night in the area, and it just so happened that the Pocmont Resort was right up the street. As we approached the facility, we were greeted with a majestic building that was surprisingly large. We entered the hotel to see if we could stay for the night and found ourselves in a beautifully decorated, spacious and well illuminated lobby area. We were given a room off of the main building in a small, two story building with about 10 other hotel rooms in it, approximately a 3 minute walk from the main building. (Unfortunately, we found that we had to walk all the way into this building to get ice which became a pain after a bit). The other room options included suites and rooms in the main building and cottages that were evidently rented out during the summer months in close proximity to the main building. After settling in, we began to look at the list of entertainment options and found a list crammed with options. They list included mini-golf, an indoor rec-room, hiking trails on the property, a baseball field, shuffle board, indoor/outdoor pools, a billiard room, 4 restaurants (from casual to shirt and tie) and swan boats for their small pond. Since we were only there for a day we made use of as much as we could and were generally satisfied. I would recommend the hiking trails which were surprisingly extensive (one trail was about 1 mile long) and beautifully done. We even spotted a deer fawn and a great blue heron. However, I would stay away from the indoor rec-room, which promised ping-pong, a rock wall, and a basketball court. Although it had all this, it was disappointingly pathetic. The ping-pong table had a broken net and no balls, the rock wall was 5 feet tall and the basketball court was small and had only one inflated ball. In addition, the room was sweltering hot, rather dingy, and poorly illuminated, as well as isolated from essentially everything. This is, however, the only negative attribute of the Pocmont. The rooms were spacious and well kept. There was plenty to do on the beautiful campus. Everyday they had special activities, such as a complimentary ice cream social, karaoke, and a scrabble tournament. This is an exquisite resort set between the beautiful Delaware Water Gap and Pocono Mountains. The prices are reasonable, running the same as any other hotel in the area with many more options. I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone who visits the area.

Bushkill Falls is a beautiful hike set in the isolated woods in Eastern Pennsylvania. There are a wide variety of hikes available, each color-coded with a set distance and difficulty. All of these hikes pass by Main Falls, the largest and by far the most majestic, roaring incredibly loud and offering a refreshing mist to observers on the catwalk which traverses through the gorge. Of the many variety of trails, we chose to take the Red trail, the longest and most strenuous, which took us around the entire property, exposing small waterfalls not available on the main hikes. Beyond just waterfalls, this hike also leads to the Delaware Valley Lookout, which provides a panoramic view of the rolling hills that are the Pocono’s. These facilities are a great place to spend the day. Along the hike, specifically the red/blue hike, there are snack stands and benches along the trail after an exhausting trek. After everyone is done exploring the trails, return to the "patio" which includes a taxidermy museum (free with admission to the trails), gift shop, food court, picnic pavilions, ice cream shops and an Indian exhibit. The only drawback to this great sight is the crowds. The trails can be packed beyond belief on weekends, so if at all possible, plan to go during the week. The only trails that suffer from crowds, however, are the ones near main falls. All around, though, this is not a sight to miss while spending a weekend in the Water Gap.