With every morning smelling like spring in the lead-up to Earth Day on April 22, wouldn’t you like to get outside and play?

Brodhead Watershed Association has just the ticket: “Finding fun in the Brodhead Watershed,” a map of nature-based water activities, all but one of them public and free, right here in the Poconos – nature’s original waterpark.

Waterfalls. Fishing holes. Places to paddle and wade. Drivable views and hikeable views. Even two short kayak routes. You’ll find something here for people of most abilities.

One side of the map gives you an idea of where activities are, and the other lists corresponding addresses, GPS and descriptions, and indicates activities suitable for children and people who use wheelchairs.

We even tell you where your well-behaved, leashed dog can go with you.

Even with the arrival of artificial indoor playscapes trying to mimic the outdoors, our area’s most precious real attractions are unchanged. Pine-scented air. Icy, fast-running creeks and streams that provide safe drinking water for ourselves, visitors and neighbors.

Thousands of acres of deep forestland nourishing our atmosphere. Wetlands teeming with life. Places where the balance of nature rules.

Feeling inspired? Nature does that for people! Get your free copy of “Finding fun in the Brodhead Watershed” at libraries throughout the watershed.

Most of the locations on the map are free to visit — protected with public tax dollars by townships, boroughs, Monroe County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

These lands protect drinking water and native forests, provide healthful recreation, and support wild trout fisheries and wildlife habitat.

The map and the Get Outdoors Poconos series of public hikes are supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.

To get a copy of the map “Finding fun in the Brodhead Watershed,” check these locations.

Please call to confirm hours for browsing and curbside pickup--

-- Barrett Paradise Friendly Library, 6500 Route 191, Cresco, PA 18326; (570) 595-7171

-- Clymer Library, 115 Firehouse Road, Pocono Pines, PA 18350; (570) 646-0826

-- Hughes Library, 1002 North Ninth Street, Stroudsburg, PA 18360; (570) 421-0800

-- Library of the Smithfields, 5200 Milford Road, East Stroudsburg, PA 18302; (570) 223-1881

-- Pocono Mountain Public Library, 5500 Municipal Drive, Tobyhanna, PA 18466; (570) 894-8860

-- Western Pocono Community Library, 131 Pilgrim Way, Brodheadsville, PA 18322; (570) 992-7934

-- Steele’s Ace Hardware, 6626 Route 191, Cresco, PA 18326; (570) 595-2501

BWA will gladly mail a map to members only. Email your address to admin@brodheadwatershed.org  to request one. Not a member? You can join online and then email your map request to admin@brodheadwatershed.org.

For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the Brodhead Watershed Association website or Follow them on Facebook.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Association.  Click Here to become a member.

Related Article:

-- Brodhead Watershed Assn.: State Game Land Forests - Essential Services Courtesy Of Mother Nature, Game Commission In Monroe County

[Posted: March 30, 2021]

4/5/2021