The newest thing at the Pocono Environmental Education Center is a hand-carved topographic trail map. It hangs on the front porch of the main education building next to a weatherproof case for updates and PEEC program information. About 40 people came to its dedication on Saturday, Sept. 19, and the morning ended with a short hike around Thoma Pond.
The money came from the community. The Pike County Courier reported that Girl Scouts Camp Hidden Falls alumnae, Babbling Book Cottages and the Thoma family paid for the upgrade, and PEEC Chief Executive Officer Amanda Subjin thanked them at the ceremony.
A carved map and a case for updates are made for people who come back often. Most of us know PEEC for its fall festival, but the campus at 538 Emery Road in Dingmans Ferry is built for repeat visits. The trails are open every day, and the fall calendar has a cheap program almost every other weekend through mid-December. For Pocono Ranch Lands households, the Harvest Festival works best as the first visit of the season.
The map shows trails that are open every day
PEEC's own trail page says its hiking trails are "Open Daily Year-Round – Dawn to Dusk," and every trail is a loop that starts and ends on campus. You don't need an event to come. Paper maps are at the front desk or outside the main building to the right of the front door. The carved version is now on the porch of the main education building.
The six loops vary a lot, so one visit doesn't cover them all:
| Trail | Blaze | Distance | Time | Difficulty | What you'll find |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail for Everyone | Violet | 0.2 mi | 20 min | Easy | Flattest route, benches, interactive stops, stroller-friendly |
| Fossil Trail | Blue | 1.03 mi | 1 hr | Moderate | Wetland, hardwood ravine, small stream crossing, fossil outcrop |
| Two Ponds Trail | White | 1.4 mi | 1 hr | Easy | Pine plantations, two ponds, birds and wildlife |
| Scenic Gorge Trail | Red | 1.5 mi | 1 hr | Moderate/Easy | Hemlock canopy along Spackman's Creek |
| Tumbling Waters Trail | Orange | 3.01 mi | 2 hr | Moderate | Delaware Valley and Kittatinny overlook, switchbacks to waterfalls, Killer Hill |
| Ridgeline Trail | Yellow | 3.63 mi | 3 hr | Moderate | Oak-hickory forest, hemlock ravines, steep rocky ledges; recommended for experienced hikers |
Some practical points from PEEC's guidelines: dogs must be leashed the whole time, bikes and motorized vehicles aren't allowed on the trails, and you shouldn't drink from the ponds or streams. Fossil Trail has one extra rule. Leave the fossils where they are.
A quick note on mileage. The National Park Service's trail directory gives slightly different distances for these loops. For example, it lists Tumbling Waters at 2.8 miles. The figures above come from PEEC's own page, which was updated in September 2026. The Thoma Pond loop from the dedication morning isn't one of the six named trails, so ask at the front desk if you want to walk the same route.
Tumbling Waters is the waterfall hike you can do this fall
Tumbling Waters stands out this season. When we checked, the National Park Service's conditions page still listed the Dingmans Falls access road, visitor center and trail as closed for bridge replacement and trail work. That page was last updated May 21, 2026, so check it again before planning any visit there.
PEEC's trail has its own falls. Tumbling Waters starts with an overlook of the Delaware Valley and the Kittatinny Mountains in New Jersey, then switchbacks down to the waterfalls. You climb back up the same switchbacks, and right after that the main trail heads up Killer Hill. PEEC estimates two hours for the full 3.01 miles. Since the trails close at dusk, a late-afternoon start gets riskier as the days get shorter.
Harvest Festival: Saturday, Oct. 10
The busiest day of PEEC's fall is six days away. The Harvest Festival runs Saturday, Oct. 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 per car, and PEEC says cash is preferred. The listing promises hands-on activities, conservation exhibits, vendors, crafts, food and music.
This year's page doesn't list specific activities. For a sense of the format, the Courier's preview of the 2023 festival described a pumpkin patch, trick-or-treating, face painting, a scarecrow contest, an animal presenter, live music, a hay wagon and canoeing when the weather allowed. Vendors were spread across the upper and lower campus, with a hayride shuttle between them. Those were 2023 features and may not return in 2026. The two-level campus layout is probably the more useful takeaway.
Use the festival to look ahead, too. Find the new map on the porch, pick a loop for a quieter day, and check the display case for upcoming programs. The rest of the season is in that case.
After the festival: a fall calendar priced for families
At $5 a car, a full household can attend the festival for the price of one ticket. The programs that follow are priced per person but stay cheap. Most cost $3 to $10, and the higher-priced items are clearly special occasions. Here is the public calendar after Oct. 10, in order:
- Star Party, Friday, Oct. 16, 7:30 to 10 p.m., $10 per person. A planetarium lesson, then telescope viewing outdoors. Bring warm clothes and something to sit on. If it rains, it moves to Oct. 17, same time.
- Signs of Fall Hike, Sunday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. to noon, $5 per person. A hike focused on seasonal changes in plants and wildlife.
- EcoZone Discovery Room, Saturday, Nov. 7, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., $3 per person. Hands-on exhibits, including an eagle nest kids can climb into, a beaver lodge and a bat cave. No registration needed.
- Game Dinner, Saturday, Nov. 14, 6 to 8 p.m., $50. A seasonal wild-game meal. BYOB.
- Holiday Bows & Boughs, Saturday, Dec. 5, 1 to 3:30 p.m., $25 per wreath. Make decorations from natural materials, with supplies provided. Confirm registration details with PEEC before you go.
- EcoZone Discovery Room, Sunday, Dec. 6, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., $3 per person. Same drop-in format as November, again with no registration.
- Geminid Meteor & Star Party, Saturday, Dec. 12, 7:30 to 10 p.m., $10 per person. A planetarium lesson and outdoor telescope viewing timed for the Geminids. Dress for a December night and bring your own seat.
The two star parties bookend the season. One comes less than a week after the festival, and the other is the last public event on the fall calendar. For small kids, the EcoZone afternoons are the easiest option because they're $3 and you can just show up. There's also a Girl Scout Badge Festival on Oct. 24 for Brownies through Seniors, at $25 per scout. The fall family-camp weekend is already listed as full.
The deadline to put on your calendar now
One date matters before most of the events above. PEEC's Thanksgiving pie sale opened Oct. 1, pies are listed at $15, and orders must be in by Nov. 16. Pickup is Monday, Nov. 23 or Tuesday, Nov. 24, a few days before Thanksgiving. That cutoff is two days after the Game Dinner, so if you go to the dinner, you could place your order then.
The same weekend in Milford
If you want to make Oct. 10 a two-stop day, Milford has events that weekend too. The Black Bear Film Festival runs Oct. 9 through 11, with an opening reception Friday and film screenings Saturday at the Columns Museum, according to the Pike County Courier. Toast to Milford is also on Oct. 10, with free nibbles and drinks from local shops and eateries. Milford Presents and the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau list different start times, so check before you head over. Two weeks later, on Oct. 24 at noon, Milford Presents holds its Halloween Pooch Parade.
For more on PEEC's programs, call 570-828-2319 or email [email protected].
Trails like Tumbling Waters, a short drive from home, are part of daily life around Bushkill. If friends or family are thinking about a place near PEEC's loops and the Delaware Water Gap, Steve Smaracko and the Saw Creek Real Estate team will walk you through it. Explore Saw Creek listings or call our office for a personal tour.
