Heritage and Culture
Pike County Heritage Tours
Pike County remains one of Pennsylvania’s most intriguing locales, rich in history that is almost as old as the United States itself, yet wonderfully blessed with natural beauty unspoiled by centuries of settlement. Forestlands, streams, waterfalls and mountains are an inspiring complement to the villages, towns and homestead farms that sing the history of this beautiful part of the Keystone State. Yet, don’t let Pike County’s natural beauty overshadow the rich heritage of the area. Names in history, some familiar, some less so, have contributed significantly to our American heritage from right here in Pike County, PA. In the arts, sciences, popular culture, and in ecology Pike County has been a notable presence.
The writer Zane Grey made his home in Lackawaxen, and Grey Towers in Milford was home to Gifford Pinchot, early conservationist and philanthropist. Both of their homes, now national historic sites, are included in the self-guided tours inside. Charles Sanders Peirce, mathematician, logician and philosopher, a man whose ideas heavily influenced no less than Albert Einstein, and world-renown artist and women’s rights advocate, Miss Marie Zimmermann, were both Pike County residents. Their homes, too, are part of these tours.
Pike County was immortalized in celluloid when early filmmaker D.W. Griffith found the area the perfect setting for filming with his stars Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish.
John Kennedy visited Grey Towers in 1963 to dedicate the Pinchot Institute for Conservation Studies which today is an active leader in the area of forestry and conservation.
Pike County’s proximity to major metropolitan areas makes it the perfect destination for a day-trip or longer sojourn. It’s natural beauty, history, charm and amenities have beckoned travelers from around the world. Welcome to Pike County; enjoy your stay!
Four guided tours by automobile highlighting the historic sites and natural heritage of Pike County, PA
Explore Pike County's Heritage by taking one of our driving tours. You see history and take in scenic Pike County at its best!
Tour No. 1
Begins in Bushkill in the southernmost part of the county and works its way straight north through a scenically-beautiful part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on US Route 209 along the Delaware River to Historic Milford, a character-filled town with much for the visitor, and to Matamoras, a quiet river town across from Port Jervis, NY.
Tour No. 2
Begins just above Port Jervis on Rt. 97, goes over the dramatic Hawk's Nest overlook of the Delaware River, then descends and follows its course west to the Barryville Bridge entrance into Shohola, a small village with much history and the most interesting active saloon-bar almost anywhere. After a visit, continue on Rt. 434 west, then right on Rt. 590 to the town of Lackawaxen, historic home of Zane Grey (our country's greatest writer of westerns) and the Roebling Aqueduct. Heading west on Route 590, follow the Lackawaxen River (which traces the 175-year old path of the D&H Canal) to Rowland, then eventually out to Route 6W, and the next leg of your Pike County Tour.
Tour No. 3
Follows US Route 6W to Route 507. As you approach this intersection, you will see Tafton Dike on Lake Wallenpaupack, the third largest man-made lake in Pennsylvania. Take a left on Route 507. The next 15 miles is a blend of history, the old and the new tourism industry along the south side of the lake dating from 1926 with the lake’s formation.
Tour No. 4
Go to Greentown, a rural township area, just off I-84 on Route 507. You are now at the westernmost edge of Pike County. Our route will now take you through one of Pennsylvania's oldest, largest and most popular state parks, then to the Pecks Pond area (a center for fishing and boating), and back to Bushkill (start of Tour No. 1).
For More information and a Map, please call the Pike County Chamber of Commerce at (570) 296-8700.