Poconos Cabin Rentals: Where to Stay, County by County

Interstate 80 enters the Poconos at the Delaware Water Gap, where the river has cut a notch through the Kittatinny ridge, and then climbs to the plateau. That upland of forest, lakes, and small rivers covers about 2,400 square miles of northeastern Pennsylvania, roughly the size of Delaware, across Carbon, Monroe, Pike, and Wayne counties. Most Poconos cabin rentals are up on the plateau or along the rivers that drain it. The county that suits a stay depends on the water you want, the trails you plan to walk, and how much winter you can take.

The Plateau

Height is what sets the plateau apart from the river towns. The state climatologist’s office places Mount Pocono at 1,500 to 2,000 feet, 1,000 to 1,500 feet above the lowlands around it. That climb makes it 5 to 10 degrees cooler, with 8 to 12 more inches of precipitation a year and 10 to 20 more inches of snow. A normal winter on the plateau brings 50 to 60 inches. Storms of more than a foot arrive several times a season, and snow covers the ground for half the winter or more.

Winter lasts from mid-November through March. The last frost of spring comes around May 18 and the first of fall by October 1. Summer is the mild season, with afternoons in the 70s and 80s and nights in the 50s and 60s. Ninety degrees comes on about one day in July and one in August.

Interstate 80 crosses the region from east to west, with exits for the larger parks. US 209 follows the Delaware River north from the gap through the national recreation area, and US 6 is the scenic route across the northern counties.

The Water Gap

The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area protects 40 miles of the river above the gap. There is no entrance fee. In season, a per-vehicle fee applies at the swimming beaches and river access points, among them Smithfield Beach, Bushkill Access, Dingmans Access, and Milford Beach, so check the park’s fee page before a summer swim. The Pennsylvania side carries about 25 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

The park owes its size to a dam that was never built. After the floods of August 1955, the Army Corps of Engineers proposed a dam at Tocks Island that would have backed up the river for about 37 miles. The government began buying land in 1960 and displaced about 15,000 people. Congress created the recreation area in 1965 to surround the planned reservoir. The dam was abandoned in 1978, and the land stayed public.

Stroudsburg, the Monroe County seat, and East Stroudsburg, home to East Stroudsburg University, are the towns at the foot of the climb. Stroudsburg’s Main Street has galleries, restaurants, and shops. Monroe is the most populous of the four counties, and tourism is its largest industry.

Mount Pocono and the High Plateau

From Stroudsburg, Interstate 80 continues west to Exit 299 at Tannersville and the turn for Big Pocono State Park. The park covers 1,306 acres on the summit and slopes of Camelback Mountain, with views into three states. Its access road is steep enough that the state warns drivers not to tow a trailer up it. The park closes in early December and reopens the first week of April.

Sullivan’s Trail, a drive from Tannersville to Pocono Pines, follows part of General John Sullivan’s 1778 march over Big Pocono Mountain. Monroe County’s ski areas are at Tannersville and East Stroudsburg. Pocono Raceway, near Blakeslee, holds NASCAR Cup Series racing in summer, so check its calendar before you book a quiet weekend near the track.

Carbon County

Farther west, Exit 274 leads about 6 miles east on PA 534 to Hickory Run State Park, 15,990 acres in the western foothills. Its Boulder Field, a National Natural Landmark of about 16 acres, is a spread of rock that repeated freezing and thawing split and moved. The park has more than 40 miles of trails. Visitation is heaviest from spring through fall, and the state notes that trailhead lots can fill early even on weekdays.

One exit on, at White Haven, the Lehigh Gorge Trail begins. It follows more than 20 miles of an abandoned railroad grade, closed to cars, down the Lehigh River through Lehigh Gorge State Park to Glen Onoko near Jim Thorpe. Whitewater boating is the river’s other use. Rafting depends on releases from the Francis E. Walter Dam upstream. The Army Corps of Engineers schedules them on chosen weekends when flood control allows.

Jim Thorpe is the county seat, a Victorian town founded as Mauch Chunk by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company and renamed in 1954. The Asa Packer Mansion belonged to the founder of Lehigh University. The town holds a Fall Foliage Festival in October and an Olde Time Christmas. The tourism bureau names the county’s parks among the region’s best places for fall color. Carbon County’s ski areas are at Palmerton, Lake Harmony, and White Haven.

The River Road North

US 209 leaves the Water Gap and follows the Delaware north through the recreation area into Pike County. Bushkill Falls, a privately owned attraction in Lehman Township that opened in 1904, has eight waterfalls, and the tallest drops more than 100 feet. The tourism bureau calls it the Niagara of Pennsylvania. It closes for the winter, so check its season before planning around it.

Farther north, Dingmans Falls and Silver Thread Falls share the Dingmans Creek Trail. As of the park’s 2026 notices, the access road, visitor center, and trail are closed to all traffic, walkers included, for a bridge replacement and trail repairs, with no reopening date posted. Raymondskill Falls, farther north, is open and is the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania, at about 150 feet. A trail of about a third of a mile drops into a hemlock ravine to two viewing platforms, over roots and rock. Pets are not allowed on the trail, and swimming is prohibited. The upper parking lot closes from January 2, or the first heavy snow, until April 15. The park’s advice is to come after a good rain.

Milford, on the river, is one of the state’s “Prettiest Painted Places” and was the home of Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service. His estate, Grey Towers, is a National Historic Site. Pike County also has the Zane Grey Museum, beside the Roebling Aqueduct. The bureau describes the aqueduct as the oldest existing wire suspension bridge in the country. Inland on PA 390, 10 miles north of Canadensis, Promised Land State Park covers about 3,000 acres at 1,800 feet, with two lakes and 12,464 acres of Delaware State Forest around it.

Lake Wallenpaupack and Wayne County

Lake Wallenpaupack, on the line between Pike and Wayne counties, covers about 5,700 acres. It is about 13 miles long and about 60 feet deep at its deepest, with 52 miles of shoreline. A power company built it in 1926, and Brookfield Renewable owns and operates it. The lake has no horsepower limit. From the Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day, the limit is 45 miles an hour from sunrise to sunset on weekends and holidays. The limit after dark is 25 miles an hour. Launching is free at the state’s Mangan Cove access. Brookfield charges a fee at its own launches.

North of the lake, Wayne County has more lakes than any other county in Pennsylvania. Hawley is a restored Victorian town on the Lackawaxen River. Honesdale, the county seat, is where the Stourbridge Lion made its trial run on rails in 1829, and the walk up Irving Cliff gives a view over the town. The Upper Delaware forms the state line with New York here. The bureau calls the Upper Delaware and the Lackawaxen the largest wintering areas for bald and golden eagles east of the Mississippi. Winter is when to look for them.

Seasons

October is the month to come, mild and dry by the climatologist’s account. In 2026 the color moved from north to south. The bureau’s northern and central zones were past peak by the last week of October, while Carbon County’s oaks held color into early November. Plan the northern lakes for earlier in the month and Jim Thorpe and the Lehigh for later.

January and February suit a snow trip on the plateau, an eagle drive along the Upper Delaware, or a weekend at the ski areas. In summer, go for the lakes and the river. The thin weeks are late March and early April. Big Pocono stays closed until the first week of April, the upper lot at Raymondskill opens on April 15, and the last frost comes around mid-May.

Local Rules

Townships set their own rules for vacation rentals. Homeowner associations can add more. Tobyhanna Township in Monroe County, for example, requires an owner’s permit for any stay under 30 days. Its published guidance requires the main renter to be at least 25, sets a two-night minimum, and allows parking only on the property, never on the grass, the street, or the right of way. It also limits the number of guests by bedroom, and a loft does not count as a bedroom. The township published those rules in 2022 and has drafted changes since, so ask the host which township the house is in and whether it holds a current permit.

Some Pocono lakes are ringed by private communities with their own beaches, pools, and boat launches. A listing photo of a lake does not say whether guests may use it. Ask the host in writing whether the stay includes the beach, the pools, and boat launching, and whether guests need a pass at the gate. On Wallenpaupack, ask about the water level too. In 2026 a partial drawdown brought the state’s Mangan Cove docks out in late September, earlier than usual, with reinstallation expected in late March 2027.

For a winter stay, ask who plows the drive and how soon after a storm. With several foot-deep storms in a normal season, a cabin up a steep private road can be hard to leave.

Poconos Cabin Rentals by Area

• Stroudsburg and the Water Gap, for the river, the Appalachian Trail, and the first exits from the east.
• Mount Pocono and Tannersville, for snow, skiing, and Big Pocono.
• Carbon County, for Hickory Run, the Lehigh Gorge Trail, rafting, and Jim Thorpe.
• Milford and the river road, for Raymondskill Falls, Grey Towers, and Promised Land.
• Hawley and Wayne County, for Lake Wallenpaupack, smaller lakes, and winter eagles.

The questions to ask a host cover access, heating, and winter driving. A group splitting a large house can start with the large group guide. Tents and domes in the same state are in the guide to glamping in Pennsylvania.

Across the state line in New York, the guides to Catskills cabin rentals and Adirondack cabin rentals cover two more mountain regions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much snow do the Poconos get?

About 50 to 60 inches in a normal winter on the plateau, by the state climatologist’s figures for Mount Pocono. That is 10 to 20 inches more than the lowlands around it. Storms of more than a foot arrive several times a season.

Is there an entrance fee for the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area?

No. In season, a per-vehicle fee applies at the swimming beaches and river access points, among them Smithfield Beach, Bushkill Access, Dingmans Access, and Milford Beach.

Is Dingmans Falls open?

No. As of the park’s 2026 notices, the access road, visitor center, and trail are closed to all traffic, walkers included, with no reopening date posted. Raymondskill Falls, farther north, is open.

When is the best time to visit the Poconos?

October, mild and dry by the climatologist’s account. In 2026 the northern and central zones were past peak by the last week of October, while Carbon County’s oaks held color into early November.

How old do you have to be to rent a house in Tobyhanna Township?

At least 25. The township’s published guidance from 2022 also sets a two-night minimum. The township has drafted changes since then, so ask the host whether the house holds a current permit.