I was recently going through some of the archived trip movies I’ve stored up over the past year of… well, I think everybody understands what’s been going on this year. Anyway, last year this time, we had seen zero snow at home. (Fortunately this year has been a bit whiter!)

We finally got desperate enough to go hundreds of miles north and do some skiing in the Poconos. We made half the journey in fresh snow, and had snow falling pretty much all weekend. It was gorgeous, and exactly what we needed!

On the way out, we found this short excursion (really short, like 3/4 mile round-trip) to the lower cascade of Slateford Creek Falls. We were rewarded with a beautiful cathedral of ice and enormous icicles surrounding an almost 180-degree rock basin with a half-frozen cascade in the center. Absolutely gorgeous!

The trailhead isn’t obvious (GPS data here). It extends out of a hairpin turn on National Park Drive, just uphill from the Delaware in the Delaware Water Gap area. Park on the shoulder, and make your way on what appears to be an old, unmarked dirt road (there appear to be remnants of a bridge across the creek at one point). Given that we did it in the snow, I can’t really comment on trail grade – we just walked where the bushes weren’t. It seemed like a rather obvious route, despite the lack of markings.

This is not a trail to bust out miles on, or hit your target heartrate. It’s short, and flat, but with a gorgeous, accessible payoff. It was a perfect opportunity for us to stretch our legs and spend some time outside together!

(Speaking of recapping old journeys, I’m getting ready to start fulfilling an old promise and highlighting a 2019 trip to Iceland – almost all of it outdoors, mid-summer under an almost-midnight sun. Gorgeous! Stay tuned!)

Get Out There!

Troy

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