Hickory Run is the state park on the doorstep of both our Pocono homes, about fifteen minutes from Lake Harmony and Arrowhead Lake, and it is the place we send everyone first. It is 16,000 acres of forest, streams and trails, and it has two things you will not find anywhere else.
The first is Boulder Field. It is a 16-acre expanse of bare rocks, some the size of cars, left by the last ice age and completely flat, with no trees and no soil, in the middle of a forest. It is a National Natural Landmark and it is genuinely strange. You can walk out across it, carefully. A short access road takes you almost to the edge, so it works for people who do not want a long hike.
The second is Hawk Falls, a 25-foot waterfall reached by an easy half-mile trail from a car park on Route 534. It is at its best after rain and in spring. Sand Spring Lake has a sandy swimming beach that is open in summer with lifeguards, and it is where our summer guests take the kids on a hot afternoon.
Entry is free. Go early on weekends in October, when the leaf-peepers arrive. In winter the trails are quiet and beautiful, but check conditions and bring proper boots.
