Review of Bushkill Falls and Grey Towers National Historic Site: Our travel notes

 

Grey Towers, Milford, Pennsylvania 

Welcome back!

In this post, we’d like to share with you our recent trip to the Poconos area of Pennsylvania, more specifically, Bushkill Falls, in Bushkill, Pennsylvania, and Grey Towers National Historic Site, in the town of Milford, Pennsylvania.

My wife and I (and our Pomeranian) took my parents on a 3 nights/4 days mini vacation.  We rented via AirBNB for this trip.  We paid about $150 per night to rent the whole house.  It had 3 bedrooms and 3 baths with a deck overlooking the wooded / mountainous backyard.  

The drive from New York City to the Poconos is simply beautiful.  I have two favorite drives to mention:  first is crossing over on interstate I-80 New Jersey into Pennsylvania and the second is PA Route 209 which is a road that hugs the Delaware River.  

The Delaware Water Gap and its surrounding hills are simply majestic.  Even during November, the fall foliage still had some life.  Colors were still mesmerizing!  The oranges, reds, greens, pumpkins,  etc...Wow!!!

On our way to the AirBNB house, we stopped over at Bushkill Falls.  

Bushkill Falls is also known as the ‘Niagara of Pennsylvania’.  It comprises of 8 privately owned waterfalls, and is one of the most popular attractions in the state of Pennsylvania.  Nestled within the deep woods of the Poconos mountains, the waterfalls are accessible through an extensive network of hiking trails and bridges.  It affords fantastic views of the falls from different angles.


Bushkill Falls, Pennsylvania 

Soon as you park in the lot, look for series of wooden buildings.  ***Parking lot tends to fill up fast during weekends and holidays.  Expect to walk a bit if visiting there during those times.  There are restaurants, restrooms, gift shop, and a ticketing center.  Buy tickets from there then walk through the building to start your hike.  Please keep in mind some of the trails will require ascending and descending several floors of wooden stairs.  The Main Falls is only few steps away from the ticketing center, but to view other falls, you’ll need to do some extra walking.  Please plan ahead!

There are four trails at Bushkill Falls.

  1. Green trail:  only a 15 minute walk from ticketing center; view of the Main Falls; there are some steps 
  2. Yellow trail:  view Main Falls, as well as Lower Gorge Falls, Laurel Glen, and Upper Canyon; takes about 45 minutes
  3. Blue trail:  view Pennell Falls; takes about an hour and 15 minutes 
  4. Red trail:  Bridal Veil Falls; spans almost 2 miles and is the most difficult trail; takes over 2 hours to complete 

Tip:  Dogs are permitted on Bushkill Falls.  Don’t forget to bring your furry friends with you!

After our stop at Bushkill Falls, we headed to our AirBNB rental.

House’s location from Bushkill Falls was fantastic!  It was about 3 miles away from it.  It took us about 10 minutes traversing curvy roads up the mountains to get there.  We didn’t mind the drive to our temporary home, as the views were awesome.

The very first thing we noticed as we checked into the house was how quite the surrounding area was.  Neighbors were there, but they were over 200-300 yards away.  We located a running stream at the bottom of the ravine which made a very soothing burbling sound.  It was a perfect setting to celebrate my mom’s 80th birthday!  

Our Pomeranian was absolutely thrilled with this house.  He was so happy.  He started to run around the entire house, going from room to room, upstairs, then downstairs, until he’s had enough.  Usually our dog running around like that is a sign he’s truly happy...We were happy that he was happy!

We gave my parents the best room in the house, which was the master bedroom on the first floor.  They were thrilled.  We immediately used the deck to take in the surroundings.  It was a beautiful day.  Birds were chirping away, the stream was burbling, and there was laughter in the house.  What more could you want?

That evening we went out to the deck to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the hills.  It was a perfect way to end the day!

For our next attraction, we chose Grey Towers in the town of Milford.  

Grey Towers National Historic Site, built in 1886, was originally the summer residence of James Pinchot family, and later the primary home of Gifford Pinchot, who would be America’s first forester (Chief of the US Forest Service) and founder of USDA Forest Service.

Grey Towers is nestled deep into the Poconos mountains and it sits on top of a hill, affording beautiful views of the mountains below.  There are house tours offered as well as self guided tours of the site.  Grey Towers is beautifully maintained.  The view of the mountains from the front porch of the Grey Towers is simply breathtaking and not to be missed!

This was the third trip for my wife and I, but first for our parents.  My mom, who is usually a very reticent person, mentioned how wonderful the site was.  She still mentions this place from time to time.  We were glad she enjoyed the place.


Grey Towers National Historic Site, Milford, Pennsylvania 

We hope you enjoyed our trip notes.  Both attractions can be visited on one day if you arrive early.  The distance from Bushkill Falls to Grey Towers is about 23 miles or about 35 minute drive.  

Thank you all for reading!


Jake

Wandering Money Pig 


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Please check out our YouTube channel ‘Wandering Money Pig’ showcasing our travels and our Pomeranian dog! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kl9f4W9sfNG5h1l-x6nHw


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