The Poconos
Promised Land State Park
The Poconos' Promised Land State Park has two lakes within just under three thousand acres. One of these lakes is Promised Lake, and it is rather big, with an island in the middle. The park itself is situated on the Pocono plateau, which means it's 1800 feet above sea level. There are diverse forests surrounding the lakes, making for a very scenic day if you happen to spend your weekend in this park. There are beech, oak, maple and hemlock trees within these forests. Both lakes- Promised Lake and Lower Lake, allow fishing, and ice fishing in winter. Fish you might encounter are of course typical of the Northeast part of the USA: pickerel, largemouth and smallmouth bass, yellow perch, muskellunge, catfish and sunfish. In addition, Lower Lake is stocked with rainbow, brown, and brook trout. Fishing is good in the Promised Land!
Promised Lake has an island and there is a bridge to that island. The Park has room for over 500 parties to camp, both tent and trailer camping. If you're not inclined to camp, even if it's in a trailer, you can opt for one of the rentable cabins they have, twelve in all, which have electricity and private bath.
The beach has a lifeguard from Memorial Day to Labor Day. There are lots of trails to hike...over fifty miles' worth. The park staff offers educational programs where you can learn about the flora and fauna of the Poconos region. There's even a museum at this state park! There are blueberries in the park, and black bears like blueberries so you might encounter one. Hunting is permitted in some parts of the park during the appropriate hunting season. In general, hunting isn't permitted in the areas of the park where you might have lots of people, such as near the lake or cross-country ski trails. You can ride horseback on some trails, and you might come across a waterfall or two. Cyclists can cycle the loop road around Promised Lake, it's six and a half miles long and it's paved. They can also go on some hiking trails, too. For camping there are four campgrounds:
- Lower Lake Campground
- The Pines
- Pickerel Point Campground
- Deerfield Campground
To get here, you go ten miles north of the town of Canadensis. The park is on PA Highway 390. It's accessible from I-84 and I-80.
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