Lake Wallenpaupack

Lake Wallenpaupack is the largest lake in the Pocono Mountains and one of the largest in Pennsylvania — a sprawling, island-dotted reservoir about 13 miles long with some 52 miles of forested, deeply indented shoreline in the northeastern part of the state. A beloved hub of summer recreation, it sparkles among the wooded hills of the Poconos.

Created in the 1920s by damming Wallenpaupack Creek for hydroelectric power, the lake has become a premier destination for boating, sailing, fishing, swimming and lakeside vacationing, ringed by marinas, beaches, campgrounds, cottages and the resort towns of the Poconos. Bald eagles soar over its waters, and the surrounding forests blaze in autumn. With its clear water and mountain setting, Lake Wallenpaupack is a treasured recreational icon of Pennsylvania.

Summer (June through August) is the prime season, when the water warms for swimming and boating, the marinas and resorts are in full swing, and the Poconos are lively (and busiest), while fall brings spectacular foliage around the lake and quieter shores, and spring offers good fishing. Winter brings ice fishing and quiet. The fishing is excellent spring and fall. Summer for boating and swimming, and fall for the foliage, are the highlights — come in summer for the full lake experience, or autumn for color and calm on the water.

Lake Wallenpaupack and its forested shores host bald eagles and ospreys (which nest and fish the lake), loons and waterfowl, with white-tailed deer, black bears, beavers and a variety of birds in the surrounding Pocono forests, while the lake holds bass, walleye, muskellunge, trout and panfish. The lake, its shoreline and the surrounding forest support varied wildlife. Lake Wallenpaupack offers fine wildlife watching, with the bald eagles and ospreys over the water among the highlights on this Pocono lake.

Lake Wallenpaupack is large and can get busy and choppy — wear life jackets, check the forecast (winds raise waves), watch for heavy summer boat traffic, and follow boating rules and speed/no-wake zones. The water is cold outside high summer. Watch children at beaches and swim in designated areas. As a managed reservoir, water levels can change. In winter, ice conditions vary and can be dangerous. Respect the lake’s size, the boat traffic, the sudden winds and waves, the cold water and changing levels.

Lake Wallenpaupack is a premier recreation destination — boating, sailing, water-skiing, jet-skiing, kayaking and paddleboarding across its 13 miles, fishing for bass, walleye, muskie, trout and panfish, swimming at beaches, and lakeside camping and vacationing, with marinas, boat launches, and shoreline recreation areas. The surrounding Poconos add hiking, more lakes and resorts. Boating, fishing and lakeside summers are the signature draws. The combination of a large, scenic lake, abundant boating and the Pocono Mountains setting makes Lake Wallenpaupack a beloved destination.

The Wallenpaupack Creek valley (the name comes from a Lenape word) was farmland and forest until the 1920s, when the Pennsylvania Power & Light Company dammed the creek to create the lake and a hydroelectric station — one of the larger such projects of its day — flooding the valley and creating the reservoir. The lake quickly became a recreational magnet for the Poconos, ringed by camps, cottages and resorts. Lake Wallenpaupack remains both a working hydroelectric reservoir and a beloved recreation lake, a treasured icon of northeastern Pennsylvania.

Lake Wallenpaupack is a human-made reservoir, created by damming Wallenpaupack Creek where it dropped off the Pocono Plateau, flooding the valley to form the long, irregular lake among the forested hills. The Poconos themselves are a dissected plateau of layered sedimentary rock shaped by ancient uplift, erosion and the Ice Age glaciers, which left the rolling, lake-dotted landscape. The dam, the flooded valley and the surrounding glaciated plateau created this large lake and its deeply indented, wooded shoreline.

Lake Wallenpaupack is a large reservoir set in the forested Pocono Plateau, with its waters, shoreline, coves and the surrounding hardwood and hemlock forest supporting fish, bald eagles, and abundant wildlife. As a managed hydroelectric reservoir, its levels fluctuate, and its water quality and the surrounding forest are the focus of stewardship, with invasive species a concern. Protecting the water quality, the shoreline habitats, the eagles and the surrounding forest sustains both the ecology and the recreational beauty of Lake Wallenpaupack.

Lake Wallenpaupack holds a treasured place among the icons of northeastern Pennsylvania — the great lake of the Pocono Mountains, a beloved hub of boating, fishing and lakeside summers for generations, created in the 1920s and ringed by resorts and forests. Its sparkling water and Pocono setting embody the recreational appeal of the Poconos. Lake Wallenpaupack is a cherished recreational icon of Pennsylvania.

Lake Wallenpaupack is in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, in Pike and Wayne counties, ringed by U.S. Route 6 and Route 507 near the towns of Hawley and Lake Ariel, about a half-hour from Scranton and within two and a half hours of New York City and Philadelphia. There is no single entrance fee; public access is via shoreline recreation areas (managed by the power company and others), marinas, beaches, boat launches and campgrounds (some charge fees). Check the lakeside towns, the power company’s recreation areas and local marinas for access, launches, fees and conditions before visiting.

The power company (which manages the reservoir) and local and state partners protect Lake Wallenpaupack’s water and shores. Visitors help by cleaning, draining and drying watercraft to prevent aquatic invasive species, preventing pollution and fuel spills, respecting eagles and wildlife (keeping distance from nests), protecting the shoreline, packing out everything, and following boating rules. The water quality, the eagles and the shoreline are sensitive. Protecting the water, the shoreline habitats and the wildlife sustains both the ecology and the recreational beauty of the lake.

Clean, drain and dry watercraft to prevent aquatic invasive species. Follow Pennsylvania boating laws, life-jacket requirements, and the lake’s speed/no-wake zones. Access is via public recreation areas, marinas and launches (some charge fees); respect private shoreline property. Camp only in designated campgrounds. Fishing requires a Pennsylvania license. Pets must be leashed at public areas. Pack out all trash. Check the lakeside towns, the managing power company and PA Fish & Boat Commission for access, fees and boating rules before visiting.

The towns of Hawley and Honesdale, the Pocono Mountains resorts and attractions, the Delaware River and the Delaware Water Gap to the southeast, the city of Scranton, and the lakes and forests of the Poconos lie near Lake Wallenpaupack. The Pocono Mountains define the region. Lake Wallenpaupack is the great lake of the Poconos, a centerpiece of a northeastern Pennsylvania getaway, easily combined with the Pocono resorts, the town of Hawley, and the Delaware River region.

Get out on the water — rent a boat, kayak or jet ski from a marina to explore the lake’s 13 miles and many coves, or come for the excellent fishing (bass, walleye and muskie) — and enjoy the beaches and lakeside recreation areas. Come in summer for boating and swimming (it’s busy; go early or midweek) or fall for foliage and calm water. Clean your boat to protect the lake, wear life jackets and watch the wind on the open water, look for bald eagles, and base in Hawley or the Pocono resorts.