What You Need To Know About Hiking Bushkill Falls

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Bushkill Falls is located on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware Water Gap in the Poconos and should definitely be on your list of stops when road tripping through PA.

Known as “The Niagra Falls of Pennsylvania” with 8 waterfalls and approximately 2 miles of trails, this is a highly sought-after hiking location.

As a kid, I hiked the trails many times with my family, but to be honest I didn’t really remember much of it. Maybe it was because as a chubby 8-year old I really just wanted to go home or as a shy hormonal 11-year old I was likely bickering with my brother, but the memories of the trails are pretty hazy.

So when I told Peter about the park and the numerous hiking trails there was one detail I left out…. Stairs!

Yes, Bushkill Falls has 1200+ stairs!

And I did every single one of them!

What can you expect when visiting Bushkill Falls?

I won’t lie there were a lot of people during our trip. We got there about 20 minutes after the park opened and there was already a line waiting at the ticket booth.

There is a lot of parking available, but just know that this will add to your steps if you get there late.

Once you are on the trails, the yellow trail seemed to have the most day hikers, this is probably because it is the trail that starts the whole hike for all the other trails!

That means you will definitely be hiking part of the yellow trail even if you don’t want to.

Check out these other hiking locations in Pennsylvania:

Ringing Rocks County Park in Bucks County PA

When are they open?

Bushkill Falls is open from April – November. There is no ideal time for hiking the trails as the weather in Pennsylvania can go from hot and humid one day to cold and rainy the next throughout most of this time.

Why can’t you hike during the winter?

Snow & ice, the bridges, and stairs throughout the trails are constantly wet. So to protect the safety of the public it’s just best that they close instead of having to search for someone who slides on ice into the falls.

How many trails are there?

There are 4 main trails

Main Falls (Green)
Popular Route (Yellow)
Pennell Falls Tail (Blue)
Bridal Veil Falls (Red)

The Main Falls (Green) Trail

The green trail which leads to the main falls is about a 15-minute loop. This is great if you are in a hurry or don’t have all day to spend in the park. However, it also gets crowded.

Ease: 5 out of 5

Melissa and Peter, the Portly Passengers, at Bushkill Falls

The Popular Route (Yellow) Trail

The yellow trail is about a 45-minute walk that gives you access to more of the waterfalls in the park. This loop takes you past the main waterfall, Laurel Glen, Lower Gorge, and Upper Canyon falls as well.

Also known for being the most popular trail, the yellow trail is usually the most crowded.

Ease: 4 out of 5 (lots of stairs)

Pennell Falls (Blue) Trail

The blue trail is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes long and takes you past Pennell Falls. This trail includes both the yellow and green trails so you will also get to experience the main waterfall, Laurel Glen, Lower Gorge, and Upper Canyon waterfalls.

Ease: 2.5 out of 5 (even more stairs)

If you take the blue trail, just know that there is one section of the trail that is only stairs. You can take these going in either direction. We chose to go down them instead of up them, this definitely helped since you still have to take about 50 stairs to get out of the gorge to leave the park.

Bridal Veil Falls (Red) Trail

The red trail is the longest of all the trails and is approximately 2 miles long and takes over 2 hours to hike. You do get to see all 8 of the waterfalls on this trail, but you also get to experience the 1200+ stairs as well.

Ease: 2 out of 5

What is there to do at Bushkill Falls?

If hiking isn’t your thing, but you love nature, the park offers you over 300 acres of nature.

They also offer you many fun activities such as:

Paddle boats
Playground
Fishing
Mini Golf
Small Wildlife Exhibit
Trading Post
Fudge Kitchen
Ice Cream Parlor
Bird watching
Mini Maze
Mining for Gemstones
The Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center

Is Bushkill Falls Free?

Bushkill Falls is free for the picnicking area, however, it does cost to get into the trails along with rentals like the paddleboats.

Weekday and Weekend tickets are slightly different in cost. Check out the pricing of Bushkill Falls and purchase your tickets in advance here.

As of 2022 Adults are $15 for weekdays (M-F) and $18 for weekends (Sat-Sun) & holidays. Children 4+ are $9 (children under 3 are free) for any day of the week or holiday and Seniors are $14 for weekdays (M-F) and $17 for weekends (Sat-Sun) & holidays.

Can you bring a dog to Bushkill Falls?

Yes!

We love hiking with Maggie so this was a must for us. Bushkill Falls is 100% dog friendly and you will find many dogs on the trails.

There are rules to follow such as leaving your dog on a leash & picking up after them, but otherwise, just enjoy the time with your pup.

Note: there are no trashcans throughout the trails, so I highly recommend getting them to poop before going in unless you want to carry it the rest of the hike.

How to prepare for your day at Bushkill Falls?

Beyond the hiking trails, Bushkill Falls offers you a variety of things to do. So you can definitely make it a full-day event!

If you are planning on taking the full day, definitely pack a picnic lunch. While there is a small cafeteria that serves pizza and hamburgers, for the cost it might be easier to just pack a sandwich and some of your favorite snacks. There are picnic benches in the front of the park and in many other designated locations under the trees.

Just be respectful and don’t feed the wildlife!

What do you wear to hike Bushkill Falls?

The weather isn’t always predictable, the day we hiked the trails it started off very cold. I mean we went from 75-degree temps down into the 50’s overnight (yeah PA weather). It was also raining as we left the house.

We packed raincoats and opted for jeans & sneakers. However, because the weather isn’t always predictable, by the end of our hike we were tying our jackets around our waists.

So for this, definitely check the weather and pack in layers.

While I don’t recommend a full winter coat like many people were wearing, you definitely want to have something that can keep you warm & dry at the beginning of your hike.

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