Tobyhanna State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on mostly in Coolbaugh Township,

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

, with a small portion of the park in Dreher and Lehigh townships in Wayne County, all in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in the United States. The park includes the Tobyhanna Lake and a portion of

Tobyhanna Creek Tobyhanna Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Lehigh River in the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania in the United States.Gertle ...

. It is located north of the town of Tobyhanna, with the main park entrance on

Pennsylvania Route 423 Pennsylvania Route 423 (PA 423) is a state route in Monroe and Wayne Counties in Pennsylvania. It runs for , crossing through the Pocono Mountains from PA 940 in Pocono Pines to PA 191 in South Sterling. The route runs so ...

, and a portion (Yellow hiking trail) that borders on Pennsylvania Route 196. The park lies immediately adjacent to

Gouldsboro State Park Gouldsboro State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County and Lehigh Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park includes the Gouldsboro Lake. Gouldsboro State Park is located very close ...

Pennsylvania State Game Lands The Pennsylvania State Game Lands (SGL) are lands managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) for hunting, trapping, and fishing. These lands, often not usable for farming or development, are donated to the PGC or purchased by the PGC with hun ...

312, and State Game Land 127.

History

Former Artillery Range

Tobyhanna State Park is one of the state lands carved from a large artillery training range that preceded

Tobyhanna Army Depot Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) (previously known as Tobyhanna Signal Depot), is a 'full-service electronics maintenance facility' tasked to provide logistical support for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance ...

. According to the Pennsylvania DCNR, ''Note: Histories of both state parks''

Rail line

The western boundary of Tobyhanna State Park is formed by a rail line once owned by

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made hi ...

. Gould, a native of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, acquired an immense fortune during the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, part of which included ownership of ten percent of all the

rail tracks A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, ...

in the United States at the time of his death. One of his

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s passed by what is now the western boundary of the park. Gould was also the co-owner of a

tannery Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

in nearby Thornhurst. Raw hides were shipped from the western United States and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

on the railroads owned by Gould to the village of Gouldsboro (just west of the park in Wayne County). The hides were then sent to Thornhurst by way of wagons traversing a

plank road A plank road is a road composed of wooden planks or puncheon logs. Plank roads were commonly found in the Canadian province of Ontario as well as the Northeast and Midwest of the United States in the first half of the 19th century. They were oft ...

. As of 2018, this rail line forms the dividing line between Tobyhanna State Park and

in Monroe County. It is owned by the

Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority The Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PNRRA) is a bi-county creation of both Lackawanna and Monroe counties to oversee the use of common rail freight lines in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The designated freight operator of the Pe ...

and operated by the

Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in Northeastern Pennsylvania, especially the Scranton area. DL began service in August 1993 and is the designated operator for of trackage in Lackawanna, Wayne, Northampton, ...

Co. Inc. Tourist excursions on this line are operated by Steamtown National Historic Site, and run from Steamtown's yard in

Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

to Tobyhanna, as well as other nearby destinations including Gouldsboro, Cresco, East Stroudsburg, and

Delaware Water Gap Delaware Water Gap is a water gap on the border of the U.S. states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania where the Delaware River cuts through a large ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. The gap makes up the southern portion of the Delaware Water Gap ...

. This rail line is part of the plan to resume passenger rail service between

Scranton, PA Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming Vall ...

and

Hoboken, NJ Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...

via the Lackawanna Cutoff, with trains operated as part of the NJ Transit Rail System.

Facilities

Rowboats and

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

s can be rented at Tobyhanna Lake daily from

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

Weekend to

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

, except in inclement weather. 60 overnight mooring spaces are available under permit. Boats must be registered and can only use electric motors. A sand beach (un guarded) is open from 8 am to sunset from late May to mid-September. 300 picnic tables and a reservable picnic pavilion are available throughout the year.

Hiking trails

The trails in the park are well-marked; often half a dozen bright blazes of paint are visible at once. A blue-blazed trail circles the lake; it is level, well-cleared and generally gravelled; ''"Although not recommended for persons with disabilities, wheelchair users have completed the trail"'' A yellow-blazed trail extending northeast to Pennsylvania Route 196 and a red-blazed trail linking the park to Gouldsboro State Park to the northwest are more difficult to pass due to tree roots and stones.

Soundscape

The park is close to Interstate 380 to the west-southwest, and the western portion of the park suffers frequent vehicular noise. Some vehicle noise is also present to the south of the lake from

. (Light plane traffic emanates from the Mount Pocono Municipal Airport, approximately to the south. Other noise from park maintenance, constant restroom fans, vending machines, and residential neighbors affect the southern margin of the lake. The quietest portion of the park on marked trails is partway along the yellow trail north of its crossing of the Tobyhanna Creek, where natural sounds prevail a majority of the time.

Winter facilities

ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...

area and a one-way

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

trail are designated during the winter.

Ice fishing Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities. Shelters Longe ...

is popular, but ice thickness must be monitored by the user.

Hunting

Hunting is permitted on the park land and adjacent game lands except on Tobyhanna Lake and a small crescent of land to the east of Tobyhanna Lake. Signs demarcate the regions of the park where hunting is permitted, and admonish visitors to wear orange to be seen.

Accommodations

Five sites are available for organized group tenting of 20-40 people each. A 140-site camping area is available with hand-operated water pumps, flush toilets, and a dump station for trailers. There are several pet friendly sites. There is a pavilion and a separate picnic area, sandbeach, volleyball net as well as swimming in the Tobyhanna Lake.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within of Tobyhanna State Park: *

Archbald Pothole State Park Archbald Pothole State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Archbald, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. The focal point of the park is Archbald Pothole. The pothole is a remnant of the Wisconsin Glacial Period, deep with a largest diameter o ...

(

Lackawanna County Lackawanna County (; unm, Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,896 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat and largest city is Scranton. The county ...

) *

Beltzville State Park Beltzville State Park is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park in Franklin Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, Franklin and Towamensing Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, Towamensing townships, Carbon County, Pennsyl ...

( Carbon County) *

Big Pocono State Park Big Pocono State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Jackson and Pocono townships in Monroe County, Pennsylvania in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The park is located on Camelback Mountain and is maintained jointly by the Pennsylvania Department ...

(Monroe County) *

Frances Slocum State Park Frances Slocum State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Frances Slocum Lake is a man-made, horseshoe-shaped lake that is a popular fishing and boating destination. The par ...

(

Luzerne County Luzerne County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of ...

) *

(Monroe and Wayne Counties) *

Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center is a Pennsylvania state park near Wind Gap, in Bushkill Township, Northampton County in Pennsylvania. The Jacobsburg National Historic District is almost entirely surrounded by the park. Jacobsburg En ...

( Northampton County) *

Hickory Run State Park Hickory Run State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Kidder and Penn Forest Townships in Carbon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is spread across the Pocono Mountains. The park is easily accessible from Interstate 476 and ...

(Carbon County) *

Lackawanna State Park Lackawanna State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Benton and North Abington Townships, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Lake Lackawanna, a man-made lake, is the central focus of recreation at the park. Lackawanna Sta ...

(Lackawanna County) *

Lehigh Gorge State Park Lehigh Gorge State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Luzerne and Carbon Counties, Pennsylvania. The park encompasses a gorge, which stretches along the Lehigh River from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control dam in Luzerne County to J ...

(Carbon and Luzerne Counties) *

Nescopeck State Park Nescopeck State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Butler and Dennison Townships, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania (in the United States). The park is one of the newest state parks in Pennsylvania. In the early 1970s, the state acquired 164 p ...

(Luzerne County) *

Promised Land State Park Promised Land State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Blooming Grove, Greene and Palmyra Townships, Pike County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The approximately park is mostly surrounded by Delaware State Forest. It is in the Poconos ...

( Pike County) *

Prompton State Park Prompton State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Clinton and Dyberry Townships, Wayne County, Pennsylvania in the United States. This park, which was established in 1962, is officially listed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservati ...

(Wayne County) *

Varden Conservation Area Varden Conservation Area is a Pennsylvania state park on in Lake and South Canaan Townships, Wayne County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The conservation area is currently under development. The land was donated to the Commonwealth of Pen ...

(Wayne County)

References

External links

* {{authority control Protected areas established in 1949 State parks of Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains Parks in Monroe County, Pennsylvania Parks in Wayne County, Pennsylvania Campgrounds in Pennsylvania Protected areas of Monroe County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Wayne County, Pennsylvania 1949 establishments in Pennsylvania