We started out the year with a hike to Tobyhanna Falls in the Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area. Pennsylvania has so many waterfalls, I haven’t even scratched the surface of what there is to discover. The weather reports were calling for freezing rain later in the day, so we got up and out early so as not to risk it.

The Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area was once home to Harrison Amusement Park which entertained the community along the Tobyhanna Creek. What was then known as Toby Park had a carousel, skating rink, swimming pool, dining hall, penny arcade, sporting fields and a creekside beach. It was destroyed in a flood in 1955.

Today the area is open to hikers with a small network of trails that take the hiker along Tobyhanna Creek to the scenic Tobyhanna Falls.

We started at the trailhead off the 115 heading west along the Creek Trail. The first section of the hike takes you through a beautiful stand of tall spruce trees. A short half a mile walk then leads to the waterfall. The falls aren’t very tall, but they are mighty. It’s quite a spectacle to see. The fast moving water was tinted with an amber color which is caused by the tannic acid produced by hemlock and spruce along the banks of the creek. It was a beautiful site to start off the new year. After taking it all in, we continued west. At about .9 miles Tunkhannock Creek flows into Tobyhanna. We looped around north heading away from the creek on the Highland Trail and into a beautiful coniferous forest.

It was a wonderful morning and this is a beautiful area to explore in just a few short miles. We got back in plenty of time to beat the weather.

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