George W. Childs Park

I wouldn’t mind a waterfall that requires a hike. It is, for me, the price of admission that weeds out the disinterested who would otherwise only crowd the place. But how does not one, not two, but three waterfalls sound? On a hike that is not 3, not 2, but only just over 1 mile? Over terrain that is if not paved then riddled with wooden steps, stairs, bridges, and viewing decks? With not porta-johns but brick-and-mortar bathrooms and more than ample parking? All for free? This nirvana is known as George W Childs Recreation Park and is in the Poconos in northeastern Pennsylvania. George W Childs worked in a bookstore when he was 12. At age 14 he worked in a bookshop where his employer entrusted him with purchasing books for the bookshop. At 18, he started his own firm and at 21 was offered partnership in a publishing firm that eventually bore his name (along with his partner’s). The firm became prosperous. Prosperous enough to become a philanthropist, purchasing land in the Poconos (with several waterfalls) and creating a trail system that he opened to the public for free. He believed that not just the wealthy, but everyone should enjoy the outdoors. A few years after his death, his wife gifted the park to the state in 1911 and remains to this day open to the public for free. Books. Trails. Two peaceful pursuits. But I never thought that one could lead to the other. Nirvana, indeed.