Pocono Mountains


The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos, are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to the north, the Wyoming Valley and the Coal Region to the west and the Lehigh Valley to the south. The name Pocono is derived from the Munsee word Pokawachne, which means "Creek Between Two Hills".
Much of the Poconos region lies within the Greater New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT–PA Combined Statistical Area. The wooded hills and valleys have long been a popular recreation area, accessible within a two-hour drive to millions of metropolitan area residents, with many Pocono communities having resort hotels with fishing, hunting, skiing, and other sports facilities.
Although referred to usually as a mountain range, the area is actually an approximately plateau. It is considered a sub-section of the larger Allegheny Plateau, and like most plateaus, is bordered by a notable escarpment. Despite these technicalities, it is considered a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains.

Population

The Pocono Mountains are a popular recreational destination. While the area has long been a popular tourist destination, many communities have seen a rise in population, especially communities within Monroe County and Pike County. The region has a population of about 340,300, which is growing at a rapid pace. The Poconos now serve as a commuter community for New York City and North Jersey. The commute to workplaces often takes as much as two hours each way due to traffic.
The region includes three major municipalities: Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg, and Mount Pocono, all located in Monroe County, Pennsylvania.

Municipalities and communities

The Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania are divided into six regions: the Mountain Region, the Lake Region, the Delaware River Region, the Upper Delaware River Region, the Wyoming Valley, and the Lehigh River Gorge Region.

Transportation

Roads

The Poconos are served by many state highways. The most used of these highways include PA 115, PA 715, PA 903, Pennsylvania Route 33, Pennsylvania Route 940, and PA 611. PA 309, a major north-south route connecting Northeastern Pennsylvania with the Delaware Valley Region, passes through the western end of the region.
There are two U.S. highways in the Pocono Mountains Region. The more used is US 209, which goes from Ulster, New York, to Millersburg, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg. The route's midpoint is in the region north of Stroudsburg. The other main U.S. Highway in the region is US 6, which is a transcontinental highway that starts near Bishop, California, and runs for over to its eastern terminus in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It is designated a scenic route in Pennsylvania. US 11, US 22, and US 46 are also not far from the region and serve it indirectly.
The main east-west interstate highway in the region is I-80, off which branches I-380, which connects the Poconos to Scranton. The other interstate highways in the region in I-476, the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Northeast Extension, which has interchanges near Lehighton, Albrightsville, and White Haven, and I-81, which serves as an alternate route for the much busier I-87 and I-95, particularly for travelers from Toronto, Syracuse, Binghamton and Montreal to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Other interstates that serve the region are I-84, which begins in Scranton and goes east to New England, and I-78, by way of Route 33 or Route 309.

Restoration of passenger rail service

is rebuilding trackage on the Lackawanna Cut-Off route from Scranton through the Poconos to Hoboken, New Jersey. There is no estimated target year when the Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project will be completed for the Poconos. The service would consist of nine trains per day in each direction. In April 2022, the NJ Transit board approved a $32.5 million contract for improving a tunnel and restoring track to part of the line between Blairstown, New Jersey and Port Morris Junction, New Jersey, a segment in which trackage had been removed in the 1980s.
Until 1970, the Erie Lackawanna Railway operated long-distance trains through the Poconos to Buffalo and Chicago to the west, and Hoboken to the east; the last Erie Lackawanna train to run this route was Lake Cities, which operated from 1939 to 1970.

Air travel

Two airports are located just outside the region: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport and Lehigh Valley International Airport.

Geography

The Pocono Mountains is a defined area encompassing portions of Carbon, Monroe, Pike, and southern Wayne counties in Pennsylvania. In total, the Poconos encompasses over. Some definitions also extend the Poconos to Lackawanna, Luzerne, eastern Schuylkill, and Susquehanna counties. The Poconos are geologically part of the Allegheny Plateau, like the nearby Catskills. The Poconos' highest summit, Big Pine Hill, reaches, while its lowest elevation is in Pike County.
The Delaware River flows through the Pocono Mountains and gives the region its name, from a Native American term roughly translating to "stream between two mountains". The Lehigh and Lackawaxen Rivers also flow through the region, totaling about 170 miles of waterways.

Climate

Glaciated Low Plateau region

According to the Trewartha climate classification system, the Glaciated Low Plateau region of the northern and eastern Poconos has a Temperate Continental climate with warm summers, cold winters and year-around precipitation. Dcbo climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤, four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥, all months with an average mean temperature < and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are comfortably humid on the Low Plateau, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values >. Since 1981, the highest air temperature was on 08/06/2001, and the highest daily average mean dew point was on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was on 09/17/2004. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of. Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was on 01/21/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values less than. The average snowiest month is January which correlates with the average coldest month of the year. Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ of snow occur nearly every year, particularly during nor’easters from December through March.

Glaciated Pocono Plateau region

According to the Trewartha climate classification system, the Glaciated Pocono Plateau region of the central and western Poconos has a Temperate Continental climate with warm summers, cold winters and year-around precipitation. Dcbo climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤, four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥, all months with an average mean temperature < and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are comfortably humid on the Pocono Plateau, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values >. Since 1981, the highest air temperature was on 07/22/2011, and the highest daily average mean dew point was on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was on 09/30/2010. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of. Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was on 01/21/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values <. The average snowiest month is January which correlates with the average coldest month of the year. Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ of snow occur nearly every year, particularly during nor’easters from December through March.

Ridge and Valley region

According to the Trewartha climate classification system, the Ridge and Valley section of the southern Poconos has a Temperate Continental climate with hot summers, cold winters and year-round precipitation. Dcao climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤, four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥, at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are slightly humid in the Ridge and Valley, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values >. Since 1981, the highest air temperature was on 07/22/2011, and the highest daily average mean dew point was on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. The average wettest month is September which correlates with tropical storm remnants during the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was on 10/08/2005. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 6a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of. Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was on 01/21/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values <. The average snowiest month is January which correlates with the average coldest month of the year. Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ of snow occur once every couple of years, particularly during nor’easters from December through March.

Temperate rainforest

The Pocono Mountains and the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania also is an island of temperate rainforest with some areas averaging just over 55 inches of precipitation annually. A temperate rainforest is defined as a forest that has an average of at least 55 inches of precipitation annually and an average annual temperature between 4 and 12 degrees Celsius. Some sources however claim even at least 50 inches of average annual precipitation qualifies an area to be a rainforest. Alaback also adds some additional criteria to the definition of a temperate rainforest as having at least 10% of its average annual precipitation during the summer months, cool and frequently overcast summers with an average July temperature of less than 16 degrees Celsius, and forest fires or wildfires are rare and do not play an important role in the forest ecosystem. It must also be dense and lush with a rich understory and epiphytes.