Here's 5 Things!...To Get You Outside
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
5 excuses to hit the road and check out the best natural wonders PA has to offer.
Now that you've finished binge-watching Netflix (House of Cards. So good. Right?!) and spring is right around the corner, it's about time to start thinking about some fun daycations to get you out and about. So trade in your winter boots for sneakers (or just, like, non-winter boots), gas up the car and get going to these 5 (ok, 6) picturesque locations:
Hickory Run Boulder Field: OK. Yes, this is exactly what it sounds like. And yes, it is a field filled with boulders. But don't be fooled by the unassuming description. This 20,000-year-old National Natural Landmark lies in the foothills of the Poconos and has boulders as much as 26-feet long. That's some big rocks, amiright?!
Centralia, PA: A coal mining town 114 miles from Philly in Columbia County Pennsylvania, Centralia was practically wiped off the map in 1962 when an underground mine fire forced most of the towns population to relocate (or, in many cases, face eviction). Fifty-two years later, in what is essentially an eerie ghost town with an estimated population of 10, the fire still burns. If you have ever wanted to pretend you're in a post-apocalyptic video game, here's your chance. Just, ya' know, try not to fall through the unstable ground or inhale too much noxious gases.
Rickett's Glen State Park: You have to be a real asshole to not love waterfalls. Well, this park has 22, the tallest of which — Ganoga Falls — is 94-feet high. You can hike and picnic and pretend you're Pocahontas (the Disney one, not the real life, Stockholm Syndrom-ed one).
Penn's Cave: This all-water cavern/wildlife park has tours that wind through limestone caverns via flat-bottom motorboats. If you like rocks, water and not expending your own energy to explore this is right up your alley! Plus the temperature hovers right around 52-degrees, so at $17.50/adult it's not a bad summertime alternative to spending $11 at the movies for the "free" air conditioning.
The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon (Pine Creek Gorge): I mean, I'm sure The Grand Canyon is great and all, but it doesn't even have a forest (I think)! The PA Grand Canyon does though. And also, bald eagles and river otters and deer and bears and...probably lots more stuff. It's 45-miles long and 15,000-feet deep with lost of potential for trails and outdoor adventures.
**BONUS** Devil's Pool: For those who either can't or won't leave the city, you're in luck! Philly is home to one of the largest city parks in the country. NO! The world. NO! The universe. Probably. The Fairmount Park System has lots of hidden gems. It's great for hiking, biking or (as I've witnessed first-hand) unicycling? But one of the most beloved local favorites is Devil's Pool. Located a little more than 10-miles from center city, this popular urban swimming hole has been something of a landmark for generations. Granted, it's really dirty and dangerous and I would NOT recommend setting a toe in that water. But it's still fun to get to (it's best reached from Valley Green) and I would recommend finding the Fingerspan bridge while you're over there because who hasn't wondered what it's like to walk through a steel bridge fashioned after a human finger?
