New York & the Mid-Atlantic Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

3 Milford
Gifford Pinchot, the
first director of the
US Forest Service and
two-term governor of
Pennsylvania, has left
his mark on this small
town at the northern end
of the Delaware Water
Gap. Pinchot, who took
the position in 1905 with
the support of his friend
President Roosevelt
and was fired five years
later by President Taft,
oversaw spectacular
growth in the number
and size of federally
managed forests and
is widely considered a
pioneer of American
conservation. From May
to the end of October you
can take a guided tour
of Grey Towers (%570-
296-9630; http://www.greytowers.
org; Old Owego Turnpike; tours
adult/child $8/free; hgrounds
dawn-dusk), the gorgeous
French chateau-style
home built by Gifford’s
parents in the 1880s;
otherwise, much of the
1600-acre property is
open for wandering year-
round.
The gray, slate and
stone of Grey Towers
can be seen in other
buildings on Main St
in Milford, but there’s
also been something of
a resurgence in recent
years with a new library
and the refurbishing of
the old movie theater.
The latter hosts the
Black Bear Film Festival
every October, featuring

independent films with a

local focus.

54 p135

The Drive » It’s a simple

drive south on Rte 209 to the

entrance of the Delaware Water

Gap National Recreation Area on

the Pennsylvania side.

4 PA Side of the

Gap

River Rd, the 30-mile

stretch of good paved

road on the Pennsylvania

side of the Delaware

Water Gap National

Recreation Area (%570-

828-2253; http://www.npa.gov/

dewa) includes several

worthwhile stops.

Raymondskill Falls is

a stunningly beautiful

multilevel cascade and the

highest in Pennsylvania;

a steep mile-long trail

descends to the creek at

the bottom. If you want

a nearby shortcut over

to the Jersey side, the

Dingman’s Ferry bridge

($1 toll) is your chance.

Otherwise, the Swiss

chalet-style Dingman’s

Falls Visitor Center is the

place to begin a 0.25 mile

boardwalk trail to the

base of the eponymous

falls.

The Pocono

Environmental Education

Center (%570-828-2319;

http://www.peec.org; 538 Emery Rd,

Dingman’s Ferry; c) offers

workshops on fly fishing,

nature photography,

birding and other related

outdoor skills; five

self-guided hiking trails

begin from here as well.

Further south, the

privately owned and very

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

PA Side of the Gap Bushkill Falls

ALEX POTEMKIN/GETTY IMAGES ©