Near the New Jersey/Pennsylvania border you can find the Bushkill Falls. Located in the Poconos, the Bushkill Falls have been called "The Nigara of Pennsylvania", and is one of the best falls in eastern Pennsylvania. After viewing the falls at Ricketts Glen, I was interested in viewing other waterfalls in Pennsylvania. So I took some time off work in the middle of May and made the short drive from Central PA to view the Bushkill Falls.
| Trailhead: | N 41° 7.04' W 75° 0.48' |
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| Total Elevation: | 616' |
| Trail Length: | 2.0 miles |
| Hike Time: | 1 hour |
| Hike Type: | Loop |
| Difficulty Rating: | 32 |
| Near: | North of Bushkill, PA |
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Bushkill Falls is a tourist attraction, and as such, it is very easy to find. Once you get on route US209 you will see signs for Bushkill Falls. From the intersection of Interstate 80 and route US209, head north approximately 11.4 miles. Here you will be in the small village of Bushkill. Turn left at this intersection (there is a sign here) and begin a steady climb as you head up out of the Delaware River Valley. After one and three quarter miles you will be at the entrance to Bushkill Falls. Turn left here, drive past the boat rental and fishing ponds, and park in the parking area.
Bushkill Falls is found on private property and a small entrance fee is charged to walk these trails and view the breathtaking scenery. Since this is privately owned, Bushkill Falls does not receive any local, state, or federal money for upkeep. Once you see and experience the walkways that perch on the sides of cliffs and over top rushing water and splendid waterfalls, you will soon realize that it was money well spent. The trails at Bushkill Falls, along with the other activities found here, make this a great place to hike with kids and take them for a day of fun and "natural" entertainment.
There are four color coded trail routes within Bushkill Falls. The Green Trail is the shortest and does not require any climbing nor does it have any steps. It provides a view of the main falls. The Yellow Trail does require climbing, as do all but the Green Trail, and gives you views from the top and the bottom of the main falls. You also get a chance to view the Lower Gorge Falls, Laurel Glen and the Upper Canyon on this trail. The Blue Trail is a small loop and allows you to see the main falls plus it takes you north to view the Pennell Falls. Finally there is the Red Trail. At 2 miles in length, this trail allows you to view all eight of the falls, including the Bridal Veil Falls. The Red Trail was the one that Shari and I took.
Once we saw the main falls and the lattice work of steps and walk ways we were amazed. We spent quite a bit of time, well over 30 minutes, just hanging out near the main falls, taking in the views from the top and the bottom. After a bit it became a little crowded as more people filtered in, so we decide to start our hike on the Red Trail.
From the main falls we headed west, downstream, and viewed some additional falls in the Lower Gorge. At about 0.3 miles we reached the junction of Little Bushkill Creek and Pond Run Creek. Crossing over Pond Run we began a gradual ascent along its west bank. This section of the Red Trail was more natural as there weren't any boarded walkways.
Along this section of the trail we three waterfalls, including the Bridal Veil Falls. Our ascent ended at 0.7 miles where we once again crossed over Pond Run Creek. From here we had a flat and level hike on a well groomed trail through the woods and away from any of the streams. We were headed over to Little Bushkill Creek and the northern most waterfall located here, Pennell Falls.
A short of of 0.4 miles brought us to Pennell Falls. We took a little bit of a break here before moving on. We crossed Little Bushkill Creek and followed the east bank downstream. This was a nice stretch of trail as we hiked along the stream and through stands of pines. There weren't any falls on this section of the trail, but it was a nice hike none the less.
At 1.6 miles into the hike we reached the Upper Canyon. Here the trail ventures into the canyon on boarded walkways suspended above the creek and attached the canyon walls. This was an interesting experience as you had a chance to view the waters as they picked up speed and headed towards the main falls. At the top of the main falls there is a bridge where you can look down over the falls and into the glen below. Shari and I took the Yellow Trail at this point to head down the west side of the falls to get another view from the bottom of the falls. We continued following the Yellow Trail which gave us some nice full views of the falls that we missed the first time.
The entire hike was only 2 miles and if you wanted to you could easily hike the trail in an hour. But if you rushed through the hike you would miss all the beauty and scenery offered here. Shari and I spend 3 hours doing this 2 mile hike and I wouldn't suggest doing it much faster. If you've never experienced or viewed any falls within the borders of Pennsylvania, than I would definitely suggest you put this to the top of your list and visit Bushkill Falls. You won't be disappointed.
