Big Pocono State park sits atop the summit of Camelback Mountain at about 2,100’. You can drive your car up to the top and enjoy a day of picnicking with views below of Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. There are hiking trails that start at the summit and traverse down the mountain and then back up. Today we hiked the North Trail to its lower loop and then circled back up the south face on the South Trail. The trail was surprisingly steep with about a 600’ change in elevation in under a mile. I haven’t needed to use my hiking poles since I left California, but I could have used them today. At the bottom, the trail flattens out and is paved with gravel. It passes through an old railroad grade and through a rock cut in the mountain. I saw a lot of rhododendron along the way so I’m sure this is a beautiful place to be in the spring when the flowers are blooming. The loop is just a short 4.6 miles, but there was enough of a challenge to get the heart pumping.
