Outdoor Ramblings April 2020
One of the more often overlooked network of trails in Northeastern Pennsylvania are those located at the Pocono Environmental Education Center, also known as PEEC. Open year-round for hiking between 9am-5pm daily, PEEC offers just over ten miles of easy to moderately pitched pathways for excursionists to explore.
Five trails all starting from the center’s parking lot await trekkers. Pick off one at a time over several visits if time and difficulty are an issue or do the whole circuit in one day. Either way, there’s plenty to discover.
- The 1.03 mile blue blazed Fossil Trail is of moderate difficulty and it takes about an hour to travel. There is ravine filled with local hardwoods and vernal pools, home to many amphibians. Along the way, at the namesake rock ledge hikers can see the fossil remains of pre-historic marine animals from the ancient sea that once covered this area.
- The 3.6 mile yellow blazed Ridgeline Trail offers a moderate grade through an oak-hickory forest and shady hemlock filled ravines. It can be hilly in places.
- At 1.5 miles long, the red blazed Scenic Gorge trail delivers an easy-to-moderate experience along Spackman’s Creek and runs concurrent with the Ridgline Trail at points.
- The orange blazed Tumbling Waters trail is relatively moderate and traverses 3.01 miles of the center’s grounds taking visitors to overlooks and waterfalls. It also is coterminous with the Two Ponds Trail.
- The 1.4 mile white blazed Two Ponds trail gives hikers an easy stroll along the shores and through an area largely populated with various conifers.
- The purple blazed Trail for Everyone is flat and just 0.3 miles in length. Numerous benches and resting spots serve as good places to observe wildlife.
An education partner with the National Park Service, PEEC has served the community for over 40 years and approximately 24,000 people visit PEEC annually. While the center offers many classes and programs, hiking tends to be one of the most popular activities. For more information visit www.peec.org