Holiday Itinerary for the Poconos Mountains

The Poconos Mountains region of Pennsylvania is a charming and lovely area to visit at any time, but is especially during the holiday season in this itinerary. These are a few stops in the region that are lovely for a Christmas Getaway

Poconos Mountains Holiday Itinerary Stop #1: Jim Thorpe

This town, known as “the Gateway to the Poconos” is charming in any season, but adds a lot of festive flair during the holidays. One of the most charming attractions is the Santa train ride. For about $22 per adult and $9 per child, you can take an 80 minute scenic train ride through the mountains, visit with Santa, see a few other festive characters, and enjoy a treat. Our kids loved this mountain train ride, as did Mom and Dad!

The town has a lot to offer beyond just the train as well. Walk the cobblestone streets to shops, pubs, and cafes located within old Victorian Mansions. Or, step into history at the Asa Packer Mansion, lavishly decorated and opened for docent-led tours during weekends in December. Tickets are around $12, with discounts for kids, seniors, and veterans.

Add some winter sports to your Poconos Itinerary

The Poconos offer abundant winter sports, most notably skiing and snowboarding, as well as snow tubing, ice skating, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, and even winter paintball. Some of the most popular resorts are Camelback, Shawnee Mountain, and Blue Mountain, which boasts the country’s largest snowtubing park. Typically, any of these resorts will open for skiing in December. We have gone skiing/tubing a few times, but are not experienced enough to recommend one resort over another. That being said, Shawnee Mountain is known to have more reasonable prices and fewer crowds, while Camelback and Blue are known to have more interesting terrain.

Add a Light Show to your Poconos Christmas Itinerary

The most well-known drive-through light show in this area is probably the one in Poconos Park. It is about $25 per vehicle to ride through or $200 for a carriage ride through the lightshow. For a more budget-friendly option, you can ride through the old-fashioned light show at Nay Aug park in Scranton for free, which is what we did recently. Donations are appreciated, and we love the park (more to come on that in the hiking section).

Add an Indoor Water Park to your Poconos trip

If you are looking to escape the weather and have a little bit more to spend, there are several great options in the Poconos for indoor water parks. Great Wolf Lodge or Kalahari are perhaps the most well-known. Both are resorts, but can also be visited with a day pass if you’re not interested in staying. Day passes tend to start around $50 to $60 per person, but you can save money by visiting late in the day, on a weekday, or during off season.

We stayed at Great Wolf Lodge some years ago and had a great time exploring the various pools, waterslides, and wave pools. The wolf-themed rooms are very cool and there are other fun, memorable activities such as story time with characters and “snowland” (a festive indoor atmosphere full of fake snow and snowballs). Our kids really enjoyed the whole experience.

Winter Hikes for your Poconos Mountain Christmas Itinerary

There are many beautiful hikes in this area. If you enjoy snow and frozen waterfalls, this is definitely a gorgeous region to enjoy the great outdoors. Nay Aug, mentioned above, can be visited during daylight hours. It includes a short hike down to a lovely waterfall overlook. Just be aware that it is icy, but there are handrails. There is also a pretty cool tree house, but it was closed at the time of our visit. I unfortunately couldn’t find information on whether it opens at all in the winter.

Delaware Water Gap is another beautiful area that is free to visit, with many gorgeous hikes. The hike to Dingman’s Falls is family friendly, includes boardwalks and platforms for viewing the falls from below and above. It also passes Silver Thread Falls, which is right beside the Visitor’s Center. So, those who can’t walk the mile or so to Dingman’s can still enjoy a beautiful waterfall.

Jim Thorpe, mentioned above, is located beside Lehigh Gorge State Park. So, if you do make that one of your stops and you like to hike, cross the bridge to access the Lehigh Gorge Trail. This 26 mile trail is made of crushed gravel and very family-friendly. It was formerly a rail bed, and makes for easy walking, cycling, and even pushing a stroller if the tires are decent.

Weather you choose to hike, ride, ski, or swim, there’s something for everyone in the Poconos Mountain region of Pennsylvania. And during the holidays, it’s easy to find plenty of Christmas magic as well.

Visit our page on seasonal fun in the Mid-Atlantic for more ideas for Christmas getaways in this region. Visit this post for family fun throughout the year in Pennsylvania.