Biking in The Lehigh Gorge Park, Poconos, PA

Although I have lived within 15 minutes of the Lehigh Gorge Park my whole life, I really appreciated its serenity and beauty for the first time today while biking from Rockport to Glen Onoko.                                                                                                                                                                                    

I have been planning this ride since May.  OK, not really “planning” per se.  But it’s been on my list. A busy summer kept getting in the way.  “Free” weekend?  I don’t even know what that is anymore.  Finally, this past weekend, I put my foot down.  We are biking the Gorge, period.                                                                                                                                                                        My husband “innocently” tried to tell me that a storm front was moving in faster than expected and we would probably get wet, but if I was Ok with that, then so was he.  My kids moaned about their various aches and pains.  The only other family member who was excited about our adventure was my 3 ½ year old because she loves to ride in the bike seat (no peddling).                                                                  

We dropped a car at Glen Onoko in Jim Thorpe.  From the Poconos take Route 903 South to Jim Thorpe.  As you come down the hill and into Jim Thorpe, you’ll pass a Sunoco station on your right and Annie’s Ice Cream on the left, go .8 miles further and turn right.  (It’s the right turn after 3^rd Street. Watch for the brown signs for Lehigh Gorge State Park.)  Travel .3 miles and turn left into the Park.  There are parking lots carved out on the right, but go all the way to the turn around first (1.7 miles).  You can get a glimpse of the Lehigh River as you cross the bridge and see a huge cave that used to be a railway tunnel.                                                                                                                                 

It takes 20-30 minutes by car to drive to Rockport.  Exit the park the way you came in, but after .3 miles, go straight at the stopsign (not right).  Cross the bridge and turn right. Turn right on Route 93 at Izio’s restaurant.  Travel 5.6 miles to a right turn on Route 4010.  Travel 2.2 miles and make a right turn across the railroad tracks in Weatherly.  The road snakes through the community.  So, make a right on Wilbur, pass the old train station, then left toward White Haven.  Continue on First St.  Again follow toward White Haven.  Make a right on East Main Street.  This road turns into S Lehigh Gorge Drive.  Turn right on Rockport Drive. Again there are well-marked brown signs for the Lehigh Gorge State Park.  (The total distance from when you crossed the railroad tracks to when you turn is 3.6 miles.)  Park at the bottom.  There is a restroom at the trailhead.  Bike downstream (right) to return to Glen Onoko.  The biking portion took us about 2 hours.  The trail is smooth, packed gray gravel.  My 10 year old is very picky about the riding surface. It can’t be too rocky or have too many roots or be too sandy.  She thought it was perfect.  There is a 1% downhill grade from Rockport back to Jim Thorpe.  Don’t get me wrong- that is flat, flat, flat.   You still have to pedal but at least it’s not uphill!  There are scenic overlooks and a few picnic tables scattered the length of the park.  There are no garbage cans.  Everything you take in you have to carry back out.                                                                                                                                                                

It was a perfect day.  Surrounded by the sights and sounds of the river on the left and occasional rock cliffs on the right, my family quickly forgot their gripes.  “This is so nice.  Why’d you make us wait so long to come here?” asks my husband.  Don’t worry, he’s still alive.  (He was out of my reach when he said it. )                                                                                                                                             

~Tina Dowd                                                                                                                                       

PS- Watching the rafters and kayaks maneuver the river gave us the itch to give it a try.  So, next we’re going rafting with Pocono Whitewater Adventures (1-800-whitewater).