Tobyhanna State Park is in scenic Monroe and Wayne counties in northeastern Pennsylvania.
The 5,440-acre park includes the 170-acre Tobyhanna Lake. Tobyhanna is derived from an American Indian word meaning “a stream whose banks are fringed with alder.” Gouldsboro State Park is nearby.
Hiking at Tobyhanna State Park
10 miles of trails
The rugged terrain of Tobyhanna State Park makes for challenging but rewarding hiking. All trails are blazed. Double blazes indicates a change of direction or a junction of two trails.
Follow these rules for a safe hike:
An adult should accompany children
Be sure to wear hiking boots
Motor vehicles are not permitted on the trails, except snowmobiles are permitted on designated trails
Lakeside Trail
5.1 miles, easiest hiking
This improved trail has a hardened base for hiking and bicycling in summer and cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in winter. Although not recommended for people with disabilities, wheelchair users have completed the trail. Part of the trail is on the paved road. Allow at least 2.5 hours to complete the entire trail around Tobyhanna Lake.
Range Trail
3.3 miles, more difficult hiking
It is a 6.6-mile walk from the trailhead on Lakeside Trail to PA 196 and back. Allow three hours for this trip. Range Trail is a very demanding hike and should not be attempted without the proper hiking footwear. An adult should accompany children and no one should hike the trail alone.
Be prepared to ‘rock hop’ and cross a few minor wet areas. This trail follows the border of the Black Bear and Bender Swamps Natural Area and passes through several other wetlands and boulder fields created by the last glacial period.
Frank Gantz Trail
3.2 miles, most difficult hiking
Frank Gantz Trail connects to Tobyhanna State Park at Lakeside Trail to Gouldsboro State Park in the south day use parking lot. Children should not hike this trail without adult supervision. Special care is needed to cross PA Route 4013 (Tobyhanna Road). This is a very demanding trail with many areas where ‘rock hopping’ is necessary. Good hiking boots are essential to a pleasant and safe hike. Allow at least three hours for a round trip.
Picnicking at Tobyhanna State Park
This activity or structure is ADA accessible.
Picnicking is permitted throughout the year. Tobyhanna State Park provides four picnic areas with picnic tables and charcoal grills.
Three of the areas are wooded and one is in an open, grassy area.
A small playfield is near Lot #4, and a playground is near the swimming beach.
Near Lot #1, an ADA accessible picnic pavilion with electricity can be reserved up to 11 months in advance for a fee. If unreserved, the picnic pavilion is free on a first-come, first-served basis.
Stay the Night at Tobyhanna State Park
Camping
flush toilets and warm showers
This activity or structure is ADA accessible.
A 140-site camping area is open from the first weekend of trout season in April to mid-October.
Flush toilets, showers, and water spigots are provided in a central location.
A playground is provided for children.
Trailers and motor homes may use a sanitary dump station located between the park office and the campground entrance.
Pets are permitted at selected campsites for a fee.
Due to the high elevation of nearly 2,000 feet above sea level, campers should be prepared for cool nighttime temperatures, even during the summer months.
Swimming at Tobyhanna State Park
The sand beach at Tobyhanna State Park is open from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend to mid-September, 8:00 A.M. until sunset.
The bathhouse has flush toilets and changing areas. Showers are available for a fee.
Swim at your own risk. Please follow posted rules.
Smoke-Free Beach
Smoking is prohibited on the beach and in the swimming area. For visitors who smoke and still want to use the beach, designated areas adjacent to the beach are provided. The restriction includes:
Cigarettes
Pipes
Cigars
E-cigarettes
Other handheld, lighted smoking devices
Wildlife Watching at Tobyhanna State Park
Tobyhanna State Park is in the Pocono Plateau, a rugged highland with:
Rocky soil
Nutrient-poor bogs
Dark evergreen forests
Diversity of animals and plants
About 20,000 years ago, a giant sheet of ice at least one mile thick covered the area. Evidence of the glacier is the very rocky soil that is called glacial till and the abundance of bogs.
Much of the park is characterized by sphagnum moss bogs, evergreen trees, and thin, moist, rocky soil. During the spring, spotted and Jefferson salamanders and wood frogs flock to the bogs to breed. Common birds in this habitat are:
Blackburnian warbler
Red-breasted nuthatch
Northern waterthrush
Interesting plants like the carnivorous pitcher plant, cotton grass, and many sedges inhabit the bogs. The carnivorous plant yellow bladderwort lives in some of the bogs and in Tobyhanna Lake. In the underwater portion of the plant, small sacks trap tiny aquatic animals.
Due to the logging of the forests, large portions have regrown with a mix of deciduous trees like American beech, many species of oak, and red maple trees. Common birds in this forest are:
American redstart
Red-eyed vireo
Louisiana waterthrush
During early May, before any trees have leaves, serviceberry trees flower.
During mid-June, the plentiful mountain laurel blooms, followed in late-June to early-July by rhododendron.
During mid-July, highbush blueberries bear fruit, providing a feast for bears and birds.
Boating at Tobyhanna State Park
electric motors only
The 170-acre Tobyhanna Lake has 60 overnight mooring spaces. A state park mooring permit is required for overnight mooring and is available at the Tobyhanna State Park office.
Fishing at Tobyhanna State Park
The 170-acre Tobyhanna Lake is a warmwater fishery.
Common species are:
Bass
Pickerel
Yellow perch
Catfish
Sunfish
Brook and brown trout are stocked
This activity or structure is ADA accessible. An ADA accessible fishing pier is in the day use area.
Ice Fishing
Ice fishing is permitted on the natural ice of the lake.
Ice thickness is not monitored.
Hunting at Tobyhanna State Park
During established seasons, most of Tobyhanna State Park is open to:
Hunting
Trapping
Training of dogs
Common game species are:
White-tailed deer
Black bear
Squirrel
Turkey
Furbearers include:
Beaver
Muskrat
Mink
Fox
Coyote
Raccoon
Hunting woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day following Labor Day through March 31 in designated hunting areas.
Mountain Biking at Tobyhanna State Park
5.1 miles
Lakeside Trail is an improved surface trail that circles the lake and borders the Black Bear and Bender Swamps Natural Area.
Ice Skating at Tobyhanna State Park
Ice skating is available as natural conditions permit. Tobyhanna State Park has a 1.2-acre area near Parking Area #3.
Ice thickness is not monitored.
Snowmobiling at Tobyhanna State Park
Tobyhanna State Park provides a one-way snowmobile trail 5.1 miles in length that runs counterclockwise on Lakeside Trail. The trail begins at Lot #1, which has restrooms, parking, and unloading space.
Conditions permitting, snowmobiles may be operated only on the designated, one-way trail from the day after the last deer season in December until April 1.
