Explore the Poconos with Your Pup: Top Dog-Friendly Hikes
The Pocono Mountains are a beautiful destination for hiking enthusiasts, and what better way to explore the scenic trails than with your furry companion by your side? Fortunately, the Poconos offer a wide range of dog-friendly hikes, making it easy to plan the perfect adventure with your four-legged friend. From peaceful woodland paths to scenic lakefront trails, there's no shortage of picturesque destinations to explore. In this article, we'll highlight some of the best dog-friendly hikes in the Poconos to help you plan your next outdoor adventure with your furry friend.
Wild Creek Falls
(Lehighton)
Wild Creek Falls is a scenic dog-friendly hiking trail located in Beltzville State Park in Carbon County. This picturesque trail takes you through a wide woodland path that is free of long grass, which means your furry companion can frolic freely without the risk of ticks.
The trail is marked by blue blazes that guide you to the falls, which is a short hike from the trailhead. The falls are a serene spot to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. If you want to extend your hike, you can follow the yellow blazes along the creek. This section of the trail takes you through a lush forest and offers stunning views of the creek. While the park doesn’t allow picnicking or swimming along the trail, there are plenty of scenic spots where your pup can trot into the water for a quick cool down.
Duration: If you stick to the blue blazes this can be done in less than half an hour, but we highly recommend extending your hike by incorporating some portion of the other trails, the forest here is almost jungle-like and is really worth spending some time looking up!
To get there: From route 209 head north on either Trachsville Hll Rd. or Harrity Rd. (depending on which direction you are headed) and turn onto Pohopoco Dr. and park in the well-marked Wild Creek Falls Trail Head parking lot on the south side of the road (toward the east end of Beltzville Lake).
Also visit: The nearby Slatington Marketplace is a must-visit if you have some time to shop while in the area.
Rail Gap Pocono Creek Nature Preserve
(Bartonsville)
Rail Gap Pocono Creek Nature Preserve is an easy and scenic creekside hike located in Bartonsville, PA (not too far from the Home Depot). This picturesque preserve offers a couple of trails for you and your four-legged friend to explore.
The preserve features two loops, one of which runs along the creek and offers ample access points for your furry companion to dip its feet. The other loop takes you on a longer hike with slight elevation changes, adding a little bit of length and difficulty for those who are so inclined.
We love to incorporate this into our errands to the big box stores along 611 and gives us an excuse to bring Hoffie along for the ride! He loves to race along the wide paths and is always really happy to be able to trot into a stream and hopefully fetch a stick.
Duration: Even incorporating both trails, this is a quick hike that takes probably around half an hour but can be prolonged by spending some time creekside taking in the scenery.
To get there: From route 611, take Shafers School House Rd. west, pass beneath the overpass for I-80, and keep on the lookout for a sudden right turn into a parking lot not far down the road.
Also visit: Check out the enormous antique mall at Pocono Peddler’s Village which made our list of The Best Antiquing in the Poconos. Just get back on 611 and head north, 8 minutes up the road.
Brady’s Lake
(Pocono Lake)
Brady's Lake in Pocono Lake is a scenic dog-friendly hiking destination that offers two trails that run the length of either side of the lake. While both trails begin from the same large, paved parking lot, we recommend taking the trail that passes along the lake's west side.
The trail that begins with the boardwalk and passes over the dam is a great option for dog owners. The trails here are clear and easy to navigate, although somewhat grassy along the edges of the path. Along the way, there are a couple of access points to the lake where your pooch can take a dip.
Duration: This can be treated as a pleasant and fairly short out and back trail along the lake or extended for those looking to make a longer adventure out of it. We usually spend 45m to an hour here.
To get there: From route 940 in Pocono Lake take Brady’s Lake Rd. where you’ll see both the road sign and quaint brown sign for the lake. From here it’s a one mile dirt road that should be taken slowly as it usually has it’s fair share of potholes. Along the road there are a number of turnoffs for state game lands, but the parking lot for the trails can’t be missed so keep going and the dirt road will dead end where you want to be.
Also visit: Come in and see us at Pocono Mountain Provisions in Pocono Lake! We are just west of Brady’s Lake Rd. on route 940. We also recommend a delicious breakfast at Moyer’s Country Kitchen where the German pancake is a must. We usually split a half order in addition to our breakfasts. Strongly recommend the raspberry syrup for this one!
