POTTSTOWN PA – Up in the Pocono Mountains, tree leaves generally start turning to their fall colors during mid-September, the region’s Visitors Bureau says. But for travelers who want to be visually stunned by the broad scope of the area’s autumn palette, its online guide suggests the best viewing occurs in mid-October.
So Saturday (Oct. 19, 2024) seemed a great day for a foliage drive from Pottstown into the mountains’ southern foothills. The sun was warm. The skies were abundantly blue. The day was within the bureau’s peak-season predicted range and, in Carbon County, Beltzville State Park beckoned.
It’s just an hour north of the borough.
Beltzville, which encompasses 3,002 acres, is highly popular among Pennsylvania’s 62 state parks. It attracts more than 650,000 visitors annually. Depending on the season, it offers swimming, water skiing, boating, fishing, hunting, picnicking, 16 miles of hiking and multi-use trails, and cross-country skiing.
Its small but swift waterfall, Wild Creek Falls, brings out photography buffs in nearly any weather. The sound of camera shutters clicking, however, may be loudest during the peak of autumn colors.
The park’s biggest draw is its lengthy centerpiece, Beltzville Lake. The lake was created with construction of a flood control dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1970 and 1972.
The corps still owns the lake and surrounding property, and leases it to the state. In addition to all the activities the water provides, it also serves as a mirror to reflect fall’s splendid colors.
The multitude of uses for the lake and its shoreline have create an unanticipated problem for the state. The park is increasingly busy; so much so that in 2022 it occasionally began temporarily closing its gates for crowd control, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Things To Know If You Go
Like all other state parks in Pennsylvania, Beltzville State Park charges “no entrance fees or day use fees,” the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources reports.
Because it is both free and located near the tourist-favored Pocono Mountains, it occasionally can be very busy. The park is relatively close to travelers from the greater Philadelphia area. News media outlets often label it as a “one-tank trip”.
Traveling to the park from Pottstown involves an only 53-mile drive by car. Despite a few slower country roads in between, the trip takes just one hour and three minutes.
Reach the park from the borough by following PA Route 663 north to Quakertown, then hop on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension (Interstate 476) to U.S. Route 209 south. From there the park is only 5 miles away, at 2950 Pohopoco Rd., Lehighton PA.
Wear comfortable shoes (terrain, especially for those hiking, can be rocky), and weather-appropriate clothing. The park is open daily, Mondays through Sundays, from sunrise to sunset. Day use areas, however, close at dusk. Bring a picnic lunch, too; there are plenty of tables and pavilions, and facilities comply with Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.
Among the Few Places Open During COVID
Saturday’s leaf-peeping excursion by two adults to the park represented a return visit for Travels With The Post. Its last trip there was during mid-May 2020.
At the time, COVID-19 virus was raging across Pennsylvania. Almost all indoor entertainment spaces were closed. The park was open then, however, for limited hours. Additionally, only a few of its facilities – specifically the shore and beach on Beltzville Lake (no swimming was allowed and bathrooms were locked), and hiking trails – were accessible.
All photos by Travels With The Post
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