Bushkill Things to Do

Silver Thread Falls is located at the same location as Dingman's Falls. As you walk the boardwalk to Dingman's you come across Silver Thread Falls. The falls cascade 80 feet in a small thread, hence the name. One can't help but notice the cool breeze and mist coming from these beautiful falls. There is a bench for one to sit and enjoy the beauty.

The hike through Bushkill Falls was just the thing I needed to clear my thoughts and get back on track with my life. Granted the parking lot is terrible and crowded, but the trails are beautiful and peaceful. There are plenty of benches along the way for one to stop and take in the scenery. One of my favorite views here was the view of the Deleware River Valley. The various trails take you to up to eight different waterfalls. I decided to follow the red trail, the longest trail the have which goes to all eight waterfalls. Little did I know that I would go up and down 1267 steps before completing the trail, that 2/3 the height of the Empire State Building. Each waterfall was as beautiful as the one before and I rather enjoyed chit chatting with the many tourists hiking around me. You are not allowed to go off the trails or wade in the water here and they have trail guides who enforce this. Half way through the red trail there is a hut to purchase bottled water. I thought ahead and brought my own, remember to bring your's. There are no bathrooms along the trails so make sure you stop at the rest room before beginning your hike. I did see a four year old peeing on the side of the ledge, shame on his mother for allowing it. Admission Rates are adults $9, seniors $8 children 4 to 10 $4 and children 3 and under free. I also purchased the adventure map for $2, its a self guided nature tour where you collect stamps. At the end you submit your completed punch card. It was great. Outside of the falls area visitors and mine for genstones, rent paddle boats, play minature golf or go fishing. See the web site for rates for these activities. There is also a small nature exhibit for visitors to take advantage of.

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A really nice place to come for the entire day and have a picnic. This is from their website and it describes the place perfectly:

"The 'Niagara of Pennsylvania', Bushkill Falls is among the Keystone State's most famous scenic attractions. This unique series of eight waterfalls, nestled deep in the wooded Pocono Mountains, is accessible through an excellent network of hiking trails and bridges which afford fabulous views of the falls and the surrounding forest.

Hiking the trails and viewing the towering 100-foot Main Falls aren’t the only activities possible on the expansive grounds of Bushkill Falls. Check out the Pennsylvania Wildlife Exhibit, Native American Exhibit, fish Twin Lakes, visit our variety of gift shops, stop at the Fudge Kitchen for delectible sweets, take a paddle-boat ride, or enjoy a round of miniature golf. At Bushkill Falls there's plenty for the entire family to see and do! "

The trail is pretty long, actually you can make it really long or short, so make sure you wear comfy shoes because your feet WILL hurt. Take a lot of water with you because you cannot buy it once you are in the park and it can get really hot there because of the sun, temperature, and moisture from the waterfalls.

Admission
Seniors: - $7 / day
Adults: - $8 / day
Children 4 to 12: - $4 / day
Children 3 and under: Free

The Bridal Veil trail or red trail, is the most difficult trail at Bushkill. Still it's really not that hard. It's about 2 miles long. The handbook says it takes 2 1/2 hours to complete. But if you are a photographer (like Lou and I are ) it might take longer:) it took us about 5 hours, but we stopped....a lot! The most "difficult" part of the trail is the steep staircases. But there are plenty of benches and places to stop and rest if you need to. This trail will take you to see all of the 8 waterfalls in the park. The other trails will not bring you past the 3 Bridal Veil/Bridesmaids Falls. These are really worth seeing. They are probably the prettiest falls in the park.
There are 3 other trails with varying levels of difficulty and time it takes to hike them. The most popular is the aptly names "Popular Trail" or yellow trail. it takes you to see about half of the waterfalls and only takes 45 minutes according to the guidebook

Bushkill Landing on the Delaware River
This is a popular point to start canoeing down the Delaware. I did this once. It was definitely an enjoyable experience. The scenery is spectacular and the rapids were fun.