Go Leaf-Peeping (and More!) This Fall in the Poconos
A hotel-meets-water park, scenic hikes, and the freshest autumn food in Honesdale
A modern guest room at Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos / Photograph courtesy of Great Wolf Lodge
The Lodgings
We’ll admit it: We were skeptical of Great Wolf Lodge (rooms from $199) in Scotrun. Something about it always seemed a little off to us. A hotel that was also a water park? Seemed a bit hokey.
But then we took our kids there last October, and, well, consider us converted. For families it’s a no-brainer. (Tip: Great Wolf Lodge lets its guests use the water park before you check in and after you check out, meaning that even if you pay for just one night you get almost two days of entertainment. It’s perfect for when a school half-day falls on a Friday.)
If you’re bringing a big pack, book one of the Lodge’s brand-new villas, with pitched ceilings to mimic a tucked-away cabin. The deluxe villa sleeps up to 20, and includes a terrace, ping-pong table, and firepit. (And the four bathrooms are key for post-water park rinses.)
There are plenty of other options for lodging if a water park doesn’t quite suit your fancy. Nestled next to the falls of Wallenpaupack Creek, the circa-1890 Ledges Hotel (rooms from $317) in Hawley is a leaf peeper’s — and shutterbug’s — paradise. Take in views of the gorge from your room: It makes for many photo ops.
And hikers who don’t quite want to sleep out under the stars can drop their packs at the cabins at Elements Resort (rooms from $105), the Canadensis respite that’s close to both Promised Land State Park and Delaware State Forest.
The Fun
Fall in the Poconos / Photograph via Getty Images
The good news is that one of the best things to do in the Poconos during autumn is absolutely free and positively awe-inspiring. The bad news is that it’s fleeting. We are, of course, talking about the practice that has come to be known as leaf peeping — taking in the changing colors of the leaves.
In the Poconos, this tends to happen in early to mid-October, but the timing isn’t certain and can even fluctuate within the region depending on elevation and just how far north you are. So don’t run to book a hotel now for the second week of October 2025. Flexibility is key, and you can keep an eye on the leaf-peeping updates published weekly during the fall by the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.
You can spend the day driving around through the tree-covered mountains. You can also hike to Milford Knob, a lookout point north of Bushkill Falls that offers one of the most majestic views in all of the commonwealth, a perfect place from which to take in all those orange and red hues. A thrilling — but not demanding — hours-long downhill bike ride awaits you at the Lehigh River Gorge, where you can also enjoy whitewater rafting during the first few weeks of fall.
Dam release dates for September and October will be available later in the year, and this is when you should plan a trip if you want more serious rapids. Want to combine biking with rafting? Pocono Whitewater has two-day trips available, but they book up early. Too much for you? Camelback’s new mini golf course might be more what you’re looking for.
The Food
Dining at Native / Photograph by Brianna Clifford
Dining out is particularly delicious in the autumn, when farm stands are fully stocked with the fresh harvest. Find the best of the season at Native, the stylish and understated Honesdale restaurant where the fall menu reads like a love letter to the season. The house lasagna — made with Parmesan sauce, sage pesto, and roasted butternut squash from Lato Sud Farm in nearby Beach Lake — has a cult following. But fall is all over the menu, from the nonalcoholic autumnal shrub with flavors of pumpkin and ginger, and fried rings of delicata squash with preserved lemon aioli to start, to the handmade pumpkin gnocchi with kale, rich brown butter, and walnut-sage pesto. And since pawpaw season is in full swing, look out for the indigenous, tropical-tasting fruit infused into desserts like the pawpaw panna cotta. At Here & Now Brewing Company, also in Honesdale, pair a pint of saison or stout with snacks and comfort foods like brown butter popcorn, buffalo chicken dip, and house-made pasta and pizzas. (And there’s live jazz on Thursdays.) And whether you stop for a hearty breakfast or lunch at Stourbridge Bistro also in Honesdale (hey, it’s a popular culinary spot!), save room for the homemade baked goods that range from pumpkin streusel muffins and sugar-dusted apple cider doughnuts to chocolate banana cake with a thick layer of peanut butter frosting.
Crush It!
Three Hammers Winery / Photograph courtesy of Three Hammers Winery
Savor a splash of fall harvest at these wineries and tasting rooms.
1. Three Hammers Winery has two spots to sample its wines — its picturesque vineyard and its Milford Wine & Cheese Co. — which are made using grapes sourced mainly from renowned wine regions in Washington state. Hawley and Milford.
2. Mountain View Vineyard is a winery, brewery, and distillery in one, so you can get dry white wine (made from vidal blanc grapes grown on property), Bite Me Billy IPA, and new for 2024 maple bourbon whiskey. Stroudsburg.
3. R.A.W. Urban Winery is a passion project for the owners, who started making wine in their root cellar in 1999 and today run a micro-winery. Drop into the tasting bar to try bottles like the Misty Love, with cabernet sauvignon, malbec, and carménère. Stroudsburg.
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