Shohola Falls is a 40-foot steep cascade on Shohola Creek in Pike County, Pennsylvania, where the creek leaves Shohola Lake and drops through a hemlock gorge on State Game Lands 180. A short loop trail with wooden steps and viewing platforms follows the cascades, a few minutes from US Route 6 near Hawley.
The falls
Below the lake's dam, Shohola Creek steps down a series of rock ledges, and the mist keeps the surrounding rocks, mosses and ferns wet. Lidar gives the drop as about 40 feet; earlier surveys list 30 feet as the tallest single drop. The Pennsylvania Game Commission describes a longer stretch, with the water falling 80 feet over nine ledges.
Getting there
The falls are on State Game Lands 180, managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Directions to Shohola Lake: from Interstate 84 Exit 9, take Route 739 north 0.7 mile to Well Road, go east 3.8 miles to US Route 6, then 2 miles east on Route 6. Free parking is off Brooks Cabin Road; the loop is 0.6 mile and rated easy, with about 62 feet of gain. The game lands are open sunrise to sunset, with seasonal restrooms.
When to go
State Game Lands rules require anyone not hunting, trapping or fishing to wear at least 250 square inches of fluorescent orange on head, chest and back, or an orange hat, from October 1 through January 31 and from April 20 through May 31. Spring through fall is the season for watching the bald eagles that nest at the lake.
On site
The loop has wooden steps, rocky sections and wet, slippery rock. Swimming is prohibited in streams and lakes on State Game Lands. Leashed dogs are welcome. From the Willis Hill Trail, an observation tower looks over the lake and its wetlands.
History and name
Shohola is a Lenni Lenape word meaning "place of peace." In the 1980s Shohola Lake was one of two release sites in Pennsylvania's bald eagle restoration program, where young eagles brought from Canada were raised to fledging.
Nearby
Upper Falls and Lower Falls on Walker Lake Creek are about 4.7 and 4.8 miles away, and Sawkill Falls on Sawkill Creek about 5.7 miles.
Distances are straight-line.