Much of the fame of the Poconos as a resort is tied to the arrival of the railroads from New York and Philadelphia. They advertised the area heavily in the big cites, and brought trainloads of passengers seeking the refreshment of the countryside and the scenic marvels of the Water Gap.

With the arrival of the automobile, this more leisurely type of summer vacation became less popular, and the old resorts closed down. New types of tourism arose, however. Summer camps for scouts and for religious groups sprang up along the river and its tributaries. New attractions -- downhill skiing, music festivals, historic sites -- have come in, and the Poconos remain a destination today.

This brief alternate route follows the route of the DL&W Railroad when it opened this area to development in 1856. The newsletter stories at the bottom of this page will also make it a a good "armchair route."

Alternate Routes

From Interstate 80 east, where it reaches the PA Turnpike Northeastern Extension (Route 476) at Blakeslee PA, signs to 476 will lead onto Route 940 east. Stay on 940 east and follow it to Mt. Pocono PA. Turn right onto Route 191 and follow it to Analomink—a small village with a big story. Here in 1955, back-to-back hurricanes cause the waters of Broadhead Creek to wipe out a summer camp, leaving 37 dead. The deaths -- and devastation all through the Delaware Valley -- added to the cry for flood control in the valley, though, as opponents pointed out, damming the Delaware would not have saved lives on Broadhead Creek. The approval of the Tocks Island Dam Project brought about the formation of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

Route 191 will lead into Stroudsburg PA, a good shopping area. A left turn off 191 onto 209 business route (Main Street Stroudsburg) will take one over levees where the Broadhead separates Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg (the previous bridge here was another flood victim, as were people on the lowlands on the far side of the old bridge.) At the 3rd traffic light after the bridge, turn right one block, then left onto Crystal Street, East Stroudsburg to see a landscape that has changed very little from the heyday of railroading to the Poconos.

From Crystal Street, follow signs to Interstate 80 East and directions to the park.

Information Sources
Pocono Mountains Vacation Bureau, Stroudsburg PA
National Parks and Historic Sites in this Area

Related Feature Stories from the Park Newsletter, Spanning the Gap
The Coming of the DL&W Railroad
Map of DL&W route
Delaware Water Gap Station
The resort era at the Water Gap
An anti-dam activist remembers...
Views of the 1955 flood