11 Most Underrated Towns In the Poconos

Most travelers in the Poconos stick to the resort corridor and the better-known waterfalls, which leaves a long list of working towns sitting just outside that traffic. The 11 below cover preserved Victorian downtowns, lakeshore villages, and Lehigh Canal river towns. None of them has the foot traffic of Bushkill Falls on a summer Saturday, and that is most of why they work. Each rewards a half-day stop for the same reasons the resorts get the bus tours: rivers, ridges, and a downtown that locals still actually use. The mix below ranges from a 19th-century arts town in the Lehigh Gorge to a Susquehanna River village at the western edge of the broader region.

Jim Thorpe

Named for the Olympic athlete buried here in 1954 (the town was previously known as Mauch Chunk), Jim Thorpe holds onto its 19th-century streetscape and a dramatic setting in the Lehigh Gorge. The town flanks Lehigh Gorge State Park and runs a compact main street lined with stores, eateries, and art galleries. The Old Jail Museum is the most popular stop. The Victorian-era jail once held the Molly Maguires labor activists awaiting execution and now opens for daytime tours. The restored Asa Packer Mansion preserves the home of the railroad magnate who founded the town. The Lehigh River and broader Pocono Mountains support whitewater rafting, hiking, and seasonal skiing. The town also runs a steady festival calendar including the Fall Foliage Festival, the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival, and the Pennsylvania Burlesque Festival.

Hawley

Hawley sits along Lake Wallenpaupack, the largest lake in Pennsylvania and a popular spot for boating, fishing, and swimming. Visitors can also work the Lackawaxen River through the village for canoeing, kayaking, and tubing. The Hawley Silk Mill anchors the downtown as the largest bluestone building in the country, restored as a multi-tenant arts and dining destination. The downtown blocks along Main Avenue and Keystone Street hold a strong concentration of independent restaurants, antique stores, and live-music venues. Hawley sits in a quieter corner of the Poconos that rewards travelers who veer off the main resort circuit.

Delaware Water Gap

The borough of Delaware Water Gap sits at the southern entrance to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, which covers more than 70,000 acres along the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border. The recreation area takes its name from the dramatic notch cut by the Delaware River through the Kittatinny Ridge, roughly 1,000 feet wide and 300 feet deep. Many miles of hiking trails run through the park's mountains, woodlands, and streams. The Delaware River carries a federal Wild and Scenic River designation through the recreation area, and stretches of it are popular for fishing, paddling, and canoeing. In the colder months, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing fill in the trail use.

Stroudsburg

Stroudsburg pairs a working downtown with easy access to surrounding outdoor terrain. Main Street is full of specialty stores, restaurants, and cafes, plus several art galleries and cultural sites. McMichaels Creek runs near town for fishing and tubing, and several public golf courses sit within a short drive. For history-minded visitors, the Stroud Mansion (the c. 1795 home of town founder Jacob Stroud) is now the Monroe County Historical Association headquarters. The town works as a base for exploring the broader Poconos and pairs reasonable lodging with a real downtown.

Bushkill

Bushkill is a quiet village on the western edge of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The location supports easy access to hiking, camping, fishing, and paddling. The privately owned Bushkill Falls is the local landmark and is known as the "Niagara of Pennsylvania" for its series of eight cascades, with a network of well-built trails and viewing bridges through the surrounding woodland. The Antoine Dutot Museum and Gallery covers the region's Indigenous and colonial history along with rotating local art exhibits. Bushkill works as a quieter base for travelers who want the recreation area's outdoor access without the resort-town foot traffic.

Honesdale

Honesdale sits in northeastern Pennsylvania at the head of what was once the Delaware and Hudson Canal. Its biggest historical claim is the 1829 demonstration of the Stourbridge Lion, the first locomotive to run on commercial rails in the United States, which took place here. The current Stourbridge Line excursion train operates seasonal scenic runs through the surrounding countryside in restored vintage passenger cars. Lakes and waterways nearby support fishing and canoeing, and the town gives access to the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. The Wayne County Historical Society Museum, housed in the original 1860s D&H Canal Company office, covers the region's industrial and cultural background. Honesdale pairs a steady working downtown with strong outdoor access on every side.

Palmerton

Palmerton sits at the base of Blue Mountain. Blue Mountain Resort runs skiing and snowboarding in winter and shifts to hiking and mountain biking in the warmer months. The town's industrial past is harder to ignore: the former zinc smelter complex on the slope above town was a Superfund site for decades, and the multi-decade remediation has restored much of the surrounding ridgeline as community open space and wildlife habitat. The Appalachian Trail crosses Lehigh Gap just east of town, and a long-running stewardship effort by the Lehigh Gap Nature Center has rehabilitated the formerly bare hillside as a working grassland. Palmerton offers an unusually direct view of how an industrial town has rebuilt itself around recreation and conservation.

Walnutport

Set in the foothills below the Pocono Mountains along the Lehigh River, Walnutport is a small town that travelers regularly pass on the way to bigger destinations. The Lehigh Canal Park preserves a section of the original 19th-century towpath canal, with walking access along the water and views across the surrounding country. The park also offers fishing, boating, and picnicking. The Appalachian Trail crosses the Lehigh River at Lehigh Gap just upstream from town. The Walnutport Canal Festival runs each fall and brings the historic canal section to life with reenactors, vendors, and music. The town works for travelers who want canal-towpath walking without the crowds of Easton or Bethlehem to the south.

Milford

Sitting on the Upper Delaware River at the northern gateway to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Milford is the seat of Pike County and one of the most architecturally intact small towns in the Poconos. Founded in 1796 by Judge John Biddis, the borough keeps a downtown lined with Victorian and Federal-style buildings that house independent shops, art galleries, and restaurants. Grey Towers National Historic Site, the Richard Morris Hunt-designed bluestone chateau that was the Pinchot family seat, is the must-see attraction; Gifford Pinchot, who became the first head of the US Forest Service and twice governor of Pennsylvania, was dedicated as the "Father of the Conservation Movement" by President Kennedy at the 1963 site dedication. The Columns Museum (the local Pike County Historical Society headquarters) holds the 36-star Lincoln Flag, the bunting that hung from the presidential box at Ford's Theatre and was used to cushion Lincoln's head after his assassination. Milford also gives access to Raymondskill Falls, the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania at 178 feet, a few miles south of town.

Mount Pocono

Mount Pocono sits on the Pocono Plateau in Monroe County and works as a central base for exploring the surrounding region. The borough is one of the higher-elevation towns in the area, which gives it a different feel from the river-valley towns that surround it. The Memorytown USA complex preserves a recreated 19th-century village with shops, an old gristmill pond, and a covered bridge. Nearby Mount Airy Casino Resort runs a year-round entertainment slate for those after busier evenings. The town is a short drive from Big Pocono State Park atop Camelback Mountain and from Promised Land State Park to the north for hiking, swimming, and camping. Mount Pocono works as a useful central stop with reasonable lodging and direct highway access.

Laceyville

Set in Wyoming County at the western edge of the broader Pocono region, Laceyville is a small village on the Susquehanna River. Wyalusing Rocks rise as a series of cliffs nearby and offer long views down the river valley. The river itself supports fishing, kayaking, and canoeing through this section. The surrounding Endless Mountains region opens up additional hiking, camping, and hunting access. The Laceyville Historic District preserves a handful of 19th-century commercial and residential buildings along the original main street. The town works as the quietest stop on this list and rewards travelers who want river access without any tourist infrastructure at all.

Conclusion

The 11 towns above sit outside the Pocono resort corridor and reward travelers who want a working downtown, a river or ridge nearby, and reasonable elbow room. Each one delivers a different version of the regional formula. The Federal-style streets of Milford, the Lehigh Gorge setting of Jim Thorpe, the lakeshore of Hawley, and the Susquehanna riverfront at Laceyville give a sense of the spread. Adding any of them to a Poconos itinerary is a way to see what the region looks like outside the resort weekend. Plan a stop in the Poconos and the towns above are good places to start.