Waterfalls on Glen Onoko Run

There are many beautiful places in the Poconos. The trail along Glen Onoko Run, in my opinion, is the most beautiful and impressive.

The waterfalls on this stream are majestic. The stream gorge is covered in thickets of rhododendrons in many places. When the rhododendrons are in bloom, this place transforms into a magical fairytale land.

Why did this place become off-limits instead of becoming a popular tourist destination? The waterfalls aren't marked on official maps. The trail along the stream is closed to hikers.

I think the reason is this: The parking lot and trailhead are located within Lehigh Gorge State Park. 

Immediately after the start of the hike, you enter State Game Lands 141. In the photo below, the green  is the state park area, while the gray  is the State Game Lands area. Therefore, the trail is not maintained by the State Park.

The trail's closure is attributed to occasional accidents. It's a common excuse. Accidents happen everywhere, especially in mountainous areas. No one wants to take responsibility and do the bare minimum of trail maintenance.

Overall, the trail is not difficult. There's a small area before Chameleon Falls where there's a risk of rockslides from hikers ahead. There's practically no trail at this point. And no one wants to build one.

It's sad, of course. Tourists, especially young people, can't be stopped by any ban. Loopholes will always be found. And official representatives haven't even tried to do anything since 2019.

And another interesting question. These are the names of the waterfalls. There are several of them along the stream. As I wrote above, the waterfalls aren't marked on official maps. Various unofficial maps are a complete mess of names.

Popular apps like alltrails and others offer different names from those found in older sources.

Due to the lack of an official interpretation, I use this map. I don't remember where I got it after all these years.

This is Chameleon Falls,

Immediately behind Chameleon Falls is Onoko Falls. Why are these two waterfalls separated, rather than being two cascades of a single waterfall? After all, no one would wonder why the upper and lower parts of Kaaterskill Falls are a single waterfall. But who should we ask these questions to?

 Hidden Sweet Falls. It is more often called Cave Falls.

Along the trail , there are smaller waterfalls. In spring and after rains, they can look impressive. But in the dry season, they might be hard to call waterfalls. One way or another. It seems the hiking community has given this small waterfall the name Terrace Falls.

The observation deck above Onoko Falls is one of my favorite places on Earth.

Lehigh Gorge State Park is very big. To travel to the falls, you have to stop at the parking lot, which is shown on the map. The place is located near the town of Jim Thorpe.

Просмотреть Pennsylvania State на карте большего размера