The Complete Guide to Hickory Run State Park: Boulder Field, Trails and Camping

A 16-acre field of boulders, a 25-foot waterfall, more than 40 miles of trails, a lake beach and a 300-site campground, all in one Carbon County park. What to see at Hickory Run, how to hike it, and how to stay safe.

Hickory Run State Park is a 15,990-acre park in Carbon County, best known for Boulder Field, a National Natural Landmark where a flat, treeless expanse of boulders runs 400 by 1,800 feet. It also has Hawk Falls, a 25-foot waterfall, more than 40 miles of hiking trails, a sand beach at Sand Spring Lake and a campground with more than 300 sites. According to DCNR, the park is about one hour from Allentown, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, so it works as a day trip or a weekend base.

Key Takeaways

• I.Boulder Field is a National Natural Landmark, designated in 1967. DCNR lists the Boulder Field Trail at 3.5 miles and rates it more difficult, and the last stretch is over uneven boulders.
• II.DCNR lists the Hawk Falls Trail at 0.6 mile. Swimming and picnicking are prohibited at the falls.
• III.The Sand Spring Lake beach is open from late May to mid-September, 8 AM to sunset, and DCNR's guide says to swim at your own risk.
• IV.The campground is open mid-April to mid-December, and three camping cottages and two deluxe cottages are available. Black bears live in the park, so store food in a locked vehicle.

Hickory Run State Park at a glance

The park's official recreational guide, published by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR, 2023 edition), is the source for the park-level facts here. Its visitor center and office also serve as the main point of contact for Lehigh Gorge State Park, next door.

Boulder Field: what it is and how to hike it

Boulder Field is a 16-acre landscape of boulders, 400 feet by 1,800 feet, and some of the boulders are 26 feet long. It looks striking because it's flat and has almost no vegetation over such a large area. DCNR classes it as both a National Natural Landmark and a state park natural area. The National Park Service lists the Hickory Run Boulder Field among its 1967 National Natural Landmark designations, and says there are currently 606 landmarks nationwide (NPS, National Natural Landmarks, retrieved October 6, 2026).

The Boulder Field Trail begins at the parking lot off Route 534 and ends at Boulder Field. DCNR lists it at 3.5 miles, calls it an out-and-back trail and rates it more difficult. Our AllTrails-based record gives 6.5 miles round trip with about 538 feet of elevation gain, which takes most hikers 2.5 to 3 hours. The two sources measure the route differently, so plan on 6.5 to 7 miles for the round trip. Along the trail, DCNR says you may see bears, white-tailed deer, turkeys, snowshoe hares, ruffed grouse and owls.

The forest gives way abruptly to a scree-like landscape with nothing growing among the stones, and the final stretch means picking across uneven boulders, so wear sturdy footwear. There's no shade on the rock, so bring water for the full distance and start early in summer. Because the field is open and exposed, the National Weather Service advises that there is no safe place outside when thunderstorms are in the area, and to wait 30 minutes after the last thunder or lightning before heading back outside (NWS, Lightning Safety, retrieved October 6, 2026).

How old is Boulder Field?

About 20,000 years ago, according to DCNR, a sheet of ice roughly one mile thick straddled Hickory Run. The western part of the park lay beneath the glacier, while the land to the east, where Boulder Field sits, was not covered but was greatly affected by the cold climate. Researchers who dated the boulder surfaces using cosmogenic nuclides found exposure ages of roughly 70,000 to 600,000 years, with the field about 2 kilometers south of the last glacial maximum ice boundary (Denn and others, GSA Today, 2018, retrieved October 6, 2026). In other words, the landscape was shaped by the cold climate near the ice, and the boulders themselves are older than the last ice sheet.

Hawk Falls and the park's waterfalls

The Hawk Falls Trail wanders through a tunnel of rhododendron and ends with a view of Hawk Falls, a natural 25-foot waterfall. DCNR lists the trail at 0.6 mile and rates it more difficult, and our AllTrails record gives 1.2 miles round trip, twice that, with about 134 feet of gain, usually half an hour to an hour. Swimming and picnicking are prohibited at Hawk Falls.

DCNR's explanation of the falls is geological: when the glacier melted, floodwaters eroded Mud Run faster than Hawk Run, creating the waterfall. The Orchard Trail, a 1.2-mile loop, has a spur that connects to Hawk Falls Trail, and it also gives access to the Mud Run Natural Area.

Hiking trails in Hickory Run State Park

DCNR describes more than 40 miles of trails through forests, bogs and stream valleys. Trails are blazed yellow, blue or orange, and the orange-blazed trails are also open to snowmobiles in winter. We have most of these trails, with lengths and ratings from DCNR's park guide. We sorted them by DCNR difficulty and length. Lengths are DCNR's published trail lengths, so an out-and-back route is longer once you walk back.

A few stand out. The Fireline Trail (2.4 miles, most difficult) was built as an access road for firefighting equipment and has a picturesque overlook of the Lehigh River and Lehigh Gorge State Park. The Fourth Run Trail is the longest trail in DCNR's guide at 4.8 miles, crosses Fourth Run several times and offers good fishing for native brook trout. Stage Trail was once the stagecoach road from Bethlehem to Wilkes-Barre and is surprisingly flat. And Shades of Death, despite the name, is one of the most picturesque trails in the park, with remains of logging mills and dams from the early 1800s. For a short, easy walk, try the 0.4-mile Nature Trail in the Sand Spring Day Use Area, which has self-guided brochures at the trailhead and visitor center.

Mountain laurel blooms mid to late June, and rhododendron blooms late June to early July, according to DCNR. Highbush blueberries fruit in mid-July, a feast for bears and birds.

Swimming, picnicking, disc golf and fishing

The Sand Spring Day Use Area is the park's main summer spot. A sand beach at Sand Spring Lake is open from late May to mid-September, 8 AM to sunset, with a snack bar for sandwiches, drinks and ice cream. DCNR's guidance is to swim at your own risk and follow the posted rules, and pets aren't allowed in swimming areas. The area also has a picnic pavilion that can be reserved up to 11 months in advance for a fee, a 19-hole, one-mile disc golf course that's flat and moderately wooded, and orienteering courses of 1.75, 3 and 2.75 miles maintained by the Delaware Valley Orienteering Association.

For anglers, some streams are stocked with brook and brown trout, and an ADA fishing pier is available at the CCC dam in the campground. Mud Run is a delayed-harvest, artificial-lures-only stream. The lower 2.9 miles of Hickory Run, from below the Saylorsville Dam to the Lehigh River, is catch-and-release only. Fishing is prohibited in swimming areas and discouraged in Sand Spring Lake. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission regulations apply.

Camping and cottages at Hickory Run

The campground has more than 300 modern sites (electric, non-electric, full-hookup, pet-friendly and walk-to), a sanitary dump station, playgrounds, modern restrooms with warm showers and a camp store. It's open from mid-April to mid-December, and shower facilities and the dump station aren't available after late October. Pets are allowed on designated sites.

The park also has three camping cottages that sleep five in bunk beds, and two deluxe cottages that sleep six. None has running water, and restrooms with warm showers are in the campground. Ruffed Grouse Cottage and the Eastern Hemlock deluxe cottage are ADA accessible. Non-profit groups can rent 13 organized group tent sites, and two group cabin camps (Camp Daddy Allen holds 124 people and Camp Shehaqua holds 149) are open to non-profit groups only. Make reservations through DCNR at 888-727-2757 or online.

Winter at Hickory Run State Park

In winter, Sand Spring Lake is open for ice skating when conditions permit. DCNR says ice thickness isn't monitored and advises at least 4 inches for one skater and 7 inches for a small group. The park has 14 miles of designated cross-country ski trails, marked with blue blazes, and 21 miles of designated snowmobile trails, marked with orange blazes.

Wildlife and safety

Black bears live in Hickory Run, and DCNR's guide advises keeping your campsite clean and storing all food and scented items in a locked vehicle. Feeding bears is illegal. If you meet one, BearWise, a black bear safety program, says never run from a bear or climb a tree, and to make noise frequently (BearWise, bear safety tips, retrieved October 6, 2026).

For ticks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises showering within two hours of coming indoors, doing a full-body check and treating boots and clothing with permethrin (CDC, Preventing Tick Bites, retrieved October 6, 2026).

More than 13,000 acres are open to hunting, trapping and dog training during established seasons, and DCNR asks everyone to use extreme caution around firearms. Pets must be on a leash, caged or crated, and alcoholic beverages are prohibited.

History: "Shades of Death" to state park

Early colonists called the area "Shades of Death" for its dark forests, swamps and rocky, unfarmable soil. By 1839, there were six mills on Hickory Run, and a town grew up with one of the earliest post offices in the county. Loggers clear-cut the forests, and in 1849 several dams broke on Hickory Run and flooded the towns of Saylorsville and Hickory Run, killing at least seven people. In 1875, the Great Fire swept north from Mud Run and destroyed timber, mills and houses.

In 1918, Allentown businessman General Harry C. Trexler began buying land, saying he'd like to see Hickory Run developed "into a state park where families can come and enjoy wholesome recreation." The National Park Service bought the land in 1935 to create a National Recreation Demonstration Area, and Works Progress Administration workers built roads, trails and group camps. The Civilian Conservation Corps set up Camp NP-6 in 1939. The land became Hickory Run State Park in 1945.

Getting to Hickory Run State Park

From I-80, take exit 274 and drive east on PA 534 for about six miles. From the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, take exit 95, drive west on PA 940 for 2.5 miles, then east on PA 534 for about seven miles. The park is two to three hours from Harrisburg, Philadelphia and New York City, and one hour from Allentown, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, according to DCNR. Three electric vehicle charging plugs are outside the visitor center.

The nearest hospital is Lehigh Valley Hospital–Hazleton, 700 East Broad Street, Hazleton. In an emergency, call 911 and contact a park employee.

Dining in the Lake Harmony area

Restaurants here are listed under their nearest destination guide by drive time, which for these is Big Boulder Lake and Lake Harmony. Drive times from the park aren't given, so check the distance before you plan around one. A reserve score is Pocono Reserve's own rating. In Lake Harmony, Louie's Prime Steakhouse is a $$$ steakhouse with a reserve score of 79, Gagliano's Restaurant is a casual Italian spot ($$, reserve score 69), and Piggy's serves breakfast and American fare ($, reserve score 70). Boulder View Tavern is a $$ American restaurant with a reserve score of 63.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the hike to Boulder Field?

DCNR lists the Boulder Field Trail at 3.5 miles, and our AllTrails-based record gives 6.5 miles round trip, which takes most hikers 2.5 to 3 hours. Plan on 6.5 to 7 miles round trip.

Can you swim at Hawk Falls?

No. Swimming and picnicking are prohibited at Hawk Falls.

Is there a lifeguard at Sand Spring Lake?

Not confirmed. DCNR says to swim at your own risk and doesn't mention lifeguards, so treat the beach as unguarded. Call the park office at 272-808-6192 to confirm.

Can you camp at Hickory Run State Park?

Yes. The campground has more than 300 sites and is open mid-April to mid-December. Reserve through DCNR at 888-727-2757 or online.

Are dogs allowed at Hickory Run State Park?

Yes, on a leash, caged or crated, and attended at all times. They're prohibited in swimming areas, and pets are allowed only on designated campsites.

Keep planning

Hickory Run sits next to Lehigh Gorge State Park, and we group nearby trails and restaurants under Big Boulder Lake.

Last updated October 6, 2026. Park details come from Pocono Reserve research and the Pennsylvania DCNR recreational guide for Hickory Run State Park (2023 edition). Hours, seasons and rates change, so confirm with the park office at 272-808-6192 before you go. Cover photo: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

• Pennsylvania DCNR, Hickory Run State Park recreational guide (2023 edition, map rev. 7/14/23). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
• National Park Service, National Natural Landmarks and the 1967-1969 designations. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
• Denn, Bierman, Zimmerman, Caffee, Corbett and Kirby, GSA Today, March/April 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
• National Weather Service, Lightning Safety; BearWise, bear safety tips; CDC, Preventing Tick Bites. Retrieved October 6, 2026.