Welcome to Tobyhanna State Park. This is stop two on our eight-part series exploring state parks in the Poconos. With a lake—this beautiful lake that’s stocked with trout every season—and with camping, trails, boat rentals, and natural beauty, this lake and this state park have a long, rich history of keeping things cool.

No matter the season, no matter the reason, Tobyhanna State Park is a favorite for getting outdoors and into nature.

Whether pedaling on trails, paddling on the lake, snowshoeing in winter, or posing to capture those quintessential family moments, Tobyhanna welcomes visitors year-round—from near and far.

"Coming up especially from New York City, or I'm sure people come up maybe from other cities like Philly, whatever. It's definitely a respite to get away," said Douglas Bennet of Astoria, NY.
"I think it's just important for people’s spirit. To me personally, this is more like going to church in some ways—getting out here for myself."

 

 

 

 

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All 5,400 acres provide the perfect opportunity to spend hours, days—even weeks—within the woods and surrounded by wildlife. A bald eagle nest is within easy view of the shoreline. And whether from the eagle’s perch or from a boat, fishing is good here by all accounts. Tobyhanna Lake is stocked fresh with trout each spring.

"Not only can all ages fish, but people of any ability can fish here as well. We have an ADA-accessible fishing pier in the park, which is a place a lot of people love to visit for fishing," said Park Manager Justin Waid.

Waid welcomed us for a tour of Tobyhanna. He also oversees neighboring Gouldsboro State Park and Big Pocono. For him, Tobyhanna is often the first introduction visitors have to Pennsylvania’s state park system.

"There's a lot to do here at the park—anything from someone wanting to come for a day-use activity such as picnicking or swimming at our beach, weather permitting."

For longer stays, camping is a popular part of the Tobyhanna experience. There are 140 campsites with everything you need. Tonya Doney has watched families grow up here during her 30 years of service to the state park.

"There are a few really nice sites, and people want them all the time. Specifically, they might have a favorite site and will reserve it eleven months in advance—the limit each year. And they come back," said Doney.

And come back they do—whether to hit the trails, take in spectacular fall foliage views, or rent a boat for a voyage on this 170-acre lake. Today, the lake is a place for recreation. But about a century ago, a frozen Tobyhanna Lake provided ice for harvest—supplying city centers like Scranton and New York.

"A lot of these small lakes—including here, Mill Pond Number One in Tobyhanna, and Gouldsboro State Park—were used for ice harvesting. Ice harvesting only lasted from about 1900 to 1936, because refrigeration was invented. So it wasn’t needed anymore," added Waid.

Each year, local history buffs keep the tradition of the ice harvest alive just down the road from Tobyhanna State Park at Mill Pond Number One, using some of the same equipment from that time. These bodies of water are ideal for ice formation because of their location—high atop the Pocono Mountains.

"They are extremely shallow and higher in elevation, so it's colder up here. It's typically ten to twelve degrees colder here than in Stroudsburg, which is only about twenty miles away. The lake here is about 2,000 feet above sea level, with an average depth of only three feet and a maximum depth of about nine feet. Shallow water freezes quickly, which allowed them to harvest ice twice during the winter—the lake would freeze, they'd harvest it, it would freeze again, and they'd harvest again," said Waid.

A lesson in history—and how where this state park sits fits into the bigger picture of the changing seasons and the evolution of time. You can still find signs of a bygone era before this was a state park—when the military tested artillery shells here prior to 1950. Tobyhanna Army Depot now neighbors the state park, and some warnings remain about the slim possibility of finding relics from that time.

"It is extremely, extremely unlikely for anyone to find one of these unexploded ordnances. If you stay on the trail, in the day-use areas, or in the campground, your chances of finding one are almost zero," added Waid.

As we celebrate Earth Day in April, state parks like Tobyhanna remind us of our relationship to the natural world—and the good work being done to conserve everything within these shared waters, forests, and skies.

"That’s what we do at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, through the Bureau of State Parks. We’re also here to educate and teach people how to treat and respect the outdoors—so it’s here for their enjoyment and for their children’s children," he added.