Poconos Fall Foliage Report 2019 – #5 – October 16, 2019, White Haven, Poconos, PA – Get the kids together, call the grandparents and have the whole family join you at the last weekend of the Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival this weekend! The Poconos fall foliage season has peaked in the Northern and Central Tier of the Poconos, the temperature is brisk and the color carpet on the Lehigh Gorge Bike Trail in Jim Thorpe is EPIC! The autumn in the world famous Poconos of Pennsylvania has one of the largest color pallets in the world of reds, yellows, oranges and purples.
BREAKING NEWS: Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway to cease train operations November 25, 2019
October 16, 2019 – Port Clinton, PA – Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway (LGSR) announced today that it was closing up shop in Jim Thorpe in late November of this year. LGSR began offering passenger excursion rides out of Jim Thorpe 15 years ago. It immediately came in and cleaned out old equipment and brought a first-class operation to Jim Thorpe. Investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in facilities and equipment including its open air cars and its bike train, LGSR put Jim Thorpe on the map as a major tourist destination for rail fans. LGSR along with its sister railroad, Reading Blue Mountain and Northern (RBMN), brought over a million people to Jim Thorpe over the last decade. Recently the Jim Thorpe Borough Council sought to force LGSR to pay an amusement tax. Through its third party administrator the Borough Council brought a lawsuit seeking to recover close to $100,000 in alleged back taxes for the years 2016-2018. The best time to check out the Poconos Fall Foliage is a ride on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway in these next few weeks, since it won’t be operating in Jim Thorpe any longer, please give them your support. Needless to say us and ALL local Poconos and Jim Thorpe area business are not happy at all. You can read the rest of the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway Press Release here.
Enjoy, Enjoy the great outdoors of the NEPA Poconos, and the Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival!
Poconos Fall Foliage Report – Northern Tier: The recent drop to seasonable to below-average temperatures across the state has pushed the most substantial and widespread transition to fall forest colors seen so far this season. Notable changes have occurred throughout the Appalachians and the Allegheny Plateau. Northern hardwood species like maple, birch, and cherries are displaying fantastic color this week in widespread areas. Cool, rainy conditions in the current forecast foretell ending of the foliage color for majority of the Poconos this week. The best fall foliage viewing this week is in Northcentral, Northeastern and the higher elevations of Pocono Plateau of Pennsylvania.
Poconos Fall Foliage Report – Central Region: The district forester in Delaware State Forest (Pike and Monroe counties) reports fall colors at “just about prime” conditions. The cooler weather helped kick things into action with oaks the only holdout in some areas. Pinchot State Forest staff report peak conditions should last for about the next week in the northern range of the district. Sugar maples are rapidly dropping their leaves, but red maples and oaks have full color along with understory plants like fern and winterberry. This leaf change will become more rapid as the nights get colder. Viewing conditions are not as advanced in the southern part of the district (Luzerne County). Excellent color can be found at the Equinunk, Thornhurst, and Elmhurst tracts.
Poconos Fall Foliage Report – Southern Region: The northern range of the William Penn State Forest district (Berks, Lehigh, Northampton counties) is exhibiting nice fall color on sassafras, birch, and maples. A scenic drive up Texter Mountain Road through the Wertz Tract is recommended for fall foliage viewing west of Reading, Pennsylvania. The southern portion of the district is showing spotty signs of the season but is still essentially green.
VIP Pricing currently listed on our Fall Foliage Bike Tours page on our website is valid until October 25th.
The Pocono Mountains Fall Foliage 2019 season, otherwise known as Autumn, is the time of year when we have one last chance to use the great outdoors for a little more summer like fun before winter sets in so check out the Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival doing it in it’s truest form. The Poconos is but a 2 hour drive from both New York City and Philadelphia and most points in New Jersey are within that drive time as well.
Check out the latest Poconos Fall Foliage article from the Pocono Record featuring Pocono Bike Rental owner Tom Williams…
If you’re looking for a different way to take in the fall foliage — sans an automobile — trade in four wheels for two. Pocono Bike Rentals offers tours through picturesque Jim Thorpe and Whitehaven. “The fall foliage is the best time of year and our second busiest month,” Tom Williams, owner of the rental company said. “Folks want to enjoy the trails and the autumn splendor from an aesthetic perspective.” The tours last about 3 to 4 hours and follows along the Lehigh Valley Gorge trail. “The trail ride is mostly downhill so anyone can do it,” Williams said. “We rent mountain bikes and performance 29s.”
The Jim Thorpe Bike Rentals and VIP Jim Thorpe Bike Shuttle Services originate from the Glen Onoko VIP Jim Thorpe Bike Shuttle Pickup Location. We offer a more convenient, less traffic and no parking fee VIP Pickup Spot at the Glen Onoko Access Point of the Lehigh Gorge State Park. It’s just across the concrete bridge on the other side on the left about a half a mile. Our Brand New, State of the Art, VIP Bike Shuttle Vehicles are equipped with 9 air bags, satellite radio, cell phone charging stations, shoulder/lap belts and the latest safety standards.
You can now park with ease, not have to deal with the traffic nightmares of downtown Jim Thorpe, save on the ever increasing parking fees ($10-$15) at the overcrowded (and sometimes full) Carbon County Visitor’s Center Parking Lot and get up the trail safer, faster and in better comfort. Our VIP Jim Thorpe Bike Rentals and Jim Thorpe Bike Shuttle Service Locations are easy to find and safe to park at. Departure times are at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM. Call us now at: 570-899-0400 for pricing and availability then come book online here on the VIP page to save money!
The PA-DCNR states on their website: “Pennsylvania has a longer and more varied fall foliage season than any other state in the nation — or anywhere in the world.“
The PA-DCNR and Penn Woods has a great fall foliage interactive map! We use it as well as personal experiences as a resource as we travel throughout the Poconos providing our VIP Bike Rentals and Shuttle Services. We use a combination of resources we would like to cite in making this Poconos Fall Foliage Report 2019:
- Penn Woods Fall Foliage Interactive Map
- PA-DCNR 2019 Fall Foliage Reports Page
- September 26 – Oct. 2, 2019 DCNR PA Fall Foliage Report #1
- October 3 – October 9, 2019 DCNR PA Fall Foliage Report #2
- October 3 – October 9, 2019 DCNR PA Fall Foliage Report #3
- Why do Autumn leaves change color?
Lehigh Gorge State Park Fall Foliage Video – Presented by: PoconoBikeRental.com
The Lehigh Gorge Bike Trail is the most spectacular rail trail system in the world during the colorful fall season. The Pocono Mountains have over 134 deciduous tree varieties changing color for your viewing pleasure. The orange-red leaves are falling down along the Lehigh River with amazing beauty. Autumn is your last chance to get on the trail before the snow covers it and go biking with us. Fall Foliage bike tours starting at $44.95. Just follow the signs while near the White Haven, Lake Harmony and Hickory Run State Park areas! Stay tuned for more by subscribing to our YouTube channel! Check out our Lehigh Gorge Trail Biking Videos to see exciting Poconos biking footage of the Lehigh Gorge State Park.