By Tom Williams, Fall Foliage Leaf Spotter for PoconoOutdoors.com

The fall foliage hasn’t lost its lore but colors are on the downturn in the Poconos. For the adventure seeker the way to see the transition of past peak color to full bloom comes along the Lehigh Gorge Trail in reverse! If you want to see just how the mountains affect the fall foliage colors you can start in Glen Summit, PA at the Black Diamond Trailhead which has some good foliage left to see but mostly past peak. Watch as you make your way to Jim Thorpe how the colors change and become more vivid. With cooler temperatures and higher winds at the Black Diamond trailhead, there is a more than a 50% leaf drop en route to White Haven, PA. Going through the Mud Run Gorge, as you make your way down past Rockport and beyond the spectacular colors still maintain dominance and leaf drop is only around 35-40%. A bike ride down this world-famous rail trail would be the easiest way to see it in its entirety.

Overall Poconos Region: Recent breezy weather and rain caused many birch and red maple leaves to fall, but there is still some great color. Hickories and sugar maples are showing their yellows and are also adding a warm orange color to the landscape. Witch hazels are contributing bright yellow, while blueberry and huckleberry bushes are adding shades of red. Scarlet and white oaks have changed over to their last bits of color.  A hike at Mauch Chunk Lake in Jim Thorpe, PA or the game lands on Broad Mountain near Weatherly, PA would be a great place to see the last bursts of color.

For a more detailed report go to the www.PoconoOutdoors.com home page, where you can read all the 2020 Poconos Fall Foliage Reports and the unique fall foliage outdoor adventures to be enjoyed. Enjoy, Enjoy the great Pocono Outdoors!

Fall Foliage Report Information Resources:

DCNR Fall Foliage Reports

Penn Woods Fall Foliage Report

Pocono Mountains Fall Foliage Report

Peaking in the Poconos, Fall Foliage is on fire!

By Tom Williams, Fall Foliage Leaf Spotter for PoconoOutdoors.com

The vibrant colors abound, an explosion of sights and scents! The recent frosts and cool nights in the higher elevations of the Pocono Plateau are pushing the boundaries of the forest’s fall foliage color palette. Many species are revealing their inner self; black gums, birches, and maples are igniting reds, oranges and yellows throughout Penn’s Woods. Summer drought conditions throughout the Poconos as expected are shortening a vibrant peak season, however, with a relatively low occurrence of leaf spot diseases will help to keep the fall foliage season going into late October. As of last week’s rain event, some trees have dropped their leaves early, mostly affecting sugar maple.

The tentatively scheduled Dam Release for October 10, 11, 2020 has been officially announced so come Whitewater Rafting with us! **The Oct. 10-11 weekend release is on as scheduled and is intended to provide a means of releasing any excess water that may have accumulated during the recreation season. The releases are 2000 CFS on the 10th and 1200 CFS on the 11th and are super fun! 

Northern Poconos: (northern Wayne and Pike Counties): Bursting with color at tree tops, the underbrush is no longer a lush green. The warm yellows of goldenrods and sunflowers with the deep purple of wild asters are alongside the yellowing ferns, wilting fast. Red and sugar maples are well into their fall cycle. Cherry and birch have yellowed and have dropped some leaves due to rainy conditions and high winds last week. The beautiful striped maples, birch, and beech are turning yellow, along with black gums, they are adding some brighter red colors to the landscape. Sassafras and several understory plants like fern, blueberry, huckleberry, winterberry and poison ivy have been changing as well, contributing orange and red to the forest. If you see anything next to goldenrod and purple asters it will be a picture for the front cover of a magazine! The Fall Foliage peak color in the Northern Poconos Region will be around the weekend of October 9, 2020.

Central Poconos: (southern Wayne, Pike and northern Monroe Counties): A sudden onset of peak color this area of the Poconos is causing some of its best fall color in years. Red and sugar maples are peaking this weekend, but recent wind and rain have dropped many leaves. Remaining are cherry, ash, basswood, and aspen, they are showing awesome bright color. Birches, basswood, walnut, and aspen have been changing rapidly. Many trees are still green in this region like Oaks in lower altitudes, but they are dropping their acorns, so gather them up for crafts! Common along rivers in the Poconos, sycamores, are turning golden browns and yellows. Virginia creeper, a native vine wraps itself around stout trees, is showing shades of red. The Fall Foliage peak color in the Central Poconos Region will be mid-October, 2020.

Southern Poconos: (southern Monroe and Carbon County): In following step with the Northern and Central Regions, the Southern has changed quickly over the last week and is progressing toward an early peak. Most maples, birches and aspens are showing flaming scarlet, orange, and yellow leaves. Vivid colors of cherries stand out like fire against the deep greens of mixed oaks and beech. Huckleberry and blueberry are reddish. This explosion of sumac, sassafras, cherry, poplar and aspen are painting a wide color palette in the region. The Fall Foliage peak color in the Southern Poconos Region will be around the weekend of October 24, 2020.

2020 - FALL FOLIAGE WHITEWATER RAFTING TOUR
     -12:00 PM Dam Release FALL FOLIAGE TOUR Oct. 10, 11, 2020
     -Adult/Youth(5+) $59.95  
     (4 person min.) 
     -12:00 PM Daily FALL FOLIAGE TOUR 
     -Adult/Youth(5+) $54.95  
     (Family style - September thru October, 4 person min.)
 2020 - FALL FOLIAGE Bike TOUR
     -9:00 AM Daily FALL FOLIAGE TOUR - Lehigh Gorge Trail
     -Adult @ $45
     -Youth @ $40  
     (4 person min.) 

Poconos Fall Foliage 2020 Peak Season Calendar

• September 25 – The Pocono Plateau Bright and Beautiful Now
• October 2 – Northern Region Peaking with Autumn Splendor
• October 9 – Central Poconos Peak Display of Nature
• October 16 – Southern Region 134 Colors of Fall Foliage Fire
• October 23 – Leaves Dancing, Dancing on the Trail
• October 30 – Big Views and Low Altitude Color Last Stand

For a more detailed report go to the www.PoconoOutdoors.com home page, where you can read all the 2020 Poconos Fall Foliage Reports and the unique fall foliage outdoor adventures to be enjoyed. Enjoy Enjoy the great Pocono Outdoors!

Lehigh Gorge State Park Fall Foliage Video – Presented by: PoconoBikeRental.com

Fall Foliage Report Information Resources:

DCNR Fall Foliage Reports

Penn Woods Fall Foliage Report

Pocono Mountains Fall Foliage Report

By Tom Williams, Fall Foliage Leaf Spotter for PoconoOutdoors.com

White Haven, Poconos, PA September 22, 2020 – Welcome fellow leaf peepers to our favorite time of the year, the autumnal equinox! This formal beginning of Fall in 2020 is on September 23 at 3:50 a.m. We are so excited to report that from the reaches of the northern Poconos to our area here in the epicenter of the Poconos, White Haven, PA we are seeing lots of color emerging. The Poconos fall foliage splendor and all it’s glory is getting an early start due to having consistently cold evening temperatures since early September. This year the oaks will usually be their brilliant selves but the sugar maples are being affected in some ways by this early start.

These cooler temperatures and shorter days signal deciduous trees to stop producing chlorophyll, the green pigment responsible for photosynthesis, it breaks down and exposes other brilliant leaf pigments. They create the yellows and oranges seen in the leaves of yellow poplar, hickory, sycamore, honey locust, birch, beech and certain maples. Trees also produce pigments in their leaves called anthocyanin, which creates the brilliant reds and purples seen in maple, sassafras, sumac, black-gum and scarlet oak.

Pennsylvania’s varied topography from sea level to over 2,000 feet on the Pocono Plateau, supports 134 varieties of trees that change color. Add in shrubs and vines that also contribute their color palettes, you get to be a part one of the top 3 places in the world to witness the awesome display of autumn color. 

Poconos Fall Foliage Report 9/22/2020

Northern Poconos: (northern Wayne and Pike Counties) We took a ride through this area last week and there is lots of change in color but it’s muted. This is due to the summer drought we have had. 90% of the leaves are still on the trees but high winds and colder nights can bring some downfall so check the weather forecast this region could turn quickly. The Fall Foliage peak color in the Northern Poconos Region will be around the weekend of October 9, 2020.

Central Poconos: (southern Wayne, Pike and northern Monroe Counties) If you go for a mountain bike ride like we did this past weekend you will see a lot of color change and 95% of the trees still have leaves on them which makes for an amazing spectacle of light. Some species like Sassafras have exhibited colors of red, yellow, orange and Black Gum are showing shades of red. The Red Maples are varied in color depending on their altitude and nearby water. The Hickory and Ash are briefly displaying some yellowing but quickly become a dull brown.  The Fall Foliage peak color in the Central Poconos Region will be around the weekend of October 18, 2020.

Southern Poconos: (southern Monroe and Carbon County) Very little color change if any at all has been witnessed in the forest from our southern Poconos leaf spotter, but be on the lookout for bright yellows of Black Walnut and Goldenrod around farmlands. Black Gum and Sassafras are showing some color. Black Gum will display a deep red and orange while Sassafras will show orange and yellow colors. 99% of the leaves are still on the trees. The Fall Foliage peak color in the Southern Poconos Region will be around the weekend of October 24, 2020.

This weekly Poconos Fall Foliage Reports will act as a source for the most up to date Fall Foliage viewing information across the entire NEPA Poconos Region. We will be offering tips and resources to help residents and visitors experience a colorful autumn in a variety of outdoor adventures. Enjoy Enjoy the great Pocono Outdoors!

Fall Foliage Information Resources:

DCNR Fall Foliage Reports

Penn Woods Fall Foliage Report

Pocono Mountains Fall Foliage Report

September 11, 12 and 13, 2020 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA, the Billy Strings Drive-In Concert Series kicks off and we have secured Platinum Parking for all 3 nights! We are hosting Customers, Employees, Partners, Friends and Family to a weekend of FREE tickets, food and refreshments.

Join us any night for a fun time, great music with Billy Strings, awesome view, wear your mask and keep your distance and we are all good! We have extra ticket purchasing ability so let us know if you need a ticket and on a first come first serve basis we will try to hook you up for FREE (COVID-19 restrictions apply).

Share this post on Facebook, Instagram and wherever else you would like to! We appreciate it and it increases your odds of getting a dance spot up front! We can’t wait to see one of our favorite bands/artists at the Billy Strings Drive-in Concert Series and at such a great arena in our hometown! I worked security at this place for over 3 years and saw hundreds of concerts, events and hockey games, it will be fun to see it from the outside in so to speak!

We want to thank the tens of thousands of our customers, partners, friends and family for all your support throughout our now 7 history! We couldn’t have done it without you! So to celebrate we have invited some key people in our lives and have a few dance spaces left each night. If we don’t hear back from some of you we have already invited, they will be up for grabs so watch your phone, text, email or instant message from us to get an invite. Feel free to message us with the best reason(s) to invite you! You can also purchase your own tickets for Friday and Sunday night only here: Billy Strings Drive-in Concert Series.

For Immediate Release

Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen feeds over a thousand meals a week with the help of Pocono Bike Rental

August 31, 2020 White Haven, PA – This past week from August 24^th thru August 28^th 2020 Pocono Bike Rental a local outdoor adventure company in the Poconos sponsored over 1,000 meals to help feed the less fortunate in these extremely hard times. Owner of Pocono Bike Rental, Tom Williams states “It is with great pleasure and honor that I usually get to serve the meals on the day I sponsor each month but this year due to COVID-19 Restrictions I cannot volunteer on-site so for the months that I have missed this is the least I can do.”

The “Soup Kitchen” operates every day of the year and is staffed almost entirely by volunteers. It has a free food pantry and clothing bank. Donations of money from businesses like Pocono Bike Rental go to fund their nearly $500,000 annual cost of operations.  

Mike Cianciotta, Program Director of the Kitchen states, “We calculated we are still serving an average of 220 meals a day as to-go meals during this covid-19 pandemic so we thank businesses like Tom’s to now help offset our higher costs such as to-go containers and other safety measures.”

About Pocono Bike Rental, Pocono Bike Rentals and Outdoor Adventures, Pocono Bike Rentals is centrally located at the heart of the Poconos, in the historic timber and coal industry town of White Haven, PA. Nestled between the newly minted D&L Black Diamond Rail Trail (10 miles) and what’s nationally recognized as a must see while in PA, is the Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail (26 miles). Pocono Bike Rentals is at the epicenter of Poconos Biking and has the lowest price and best bike rentals in the Poconos.

About the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen, located in Wilkes-Barre, is a safe place for people in need to get a hot meal to keep them healthy, clothes to keep them warm, and love and companionship to nourish their souls.

Pocono Bike Rental, Owner, Tom Williams, 570-899-5025 tom@poconobikerental.com

St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen, Program Director, Mike Cianciotta (570) 829-7796, ex. 301