Pike County, Pennsylvania is often referred to as the birthplace of modern conservation because its native son Gifford Pinchot pioneered our nation’s sustainable forestry practices and served as first Chief of the U.S. Forest Service. Pinchot’s ancestral home — now known as Grey Towers National Historic Site — is located in Milford, the county seat, and is open to the public.

A tour of the Richard Morris Hunt-designed Grey Towers mansion and its lush gardens is a great way to start or end a tour of Pike County’s scenic rural landscape.

The town of Milford is the north gateway to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, which offers miles of hiking and biking trails, and access to the Delaware River for boating, swimming and fishing.

Several dramatic waterfalls accent the area’s woodlands and rocky terrain, and are accessible to the public. Just a few miles south of Milford, along Route 209, is Raymondskill Falls, a spectacular 105-foot torrent. The parking area is clearly marked.

If you continue along Route 209 South from Milford, through the blinking traffic light, you’ll find the Dingmans Falls Visitors Center. Follow signs to the visitors center where you can park and hike to the 75-foot Dingmans Falls and 70-foot Silver Thread Falls.

Backtracking a bit to the blinking traffic light, turn left onto Route 739 and left again onto Silver Lake Road where you’ll find Childs Park, an excellent picnic spot with views of three spectacular waterfalls—Factory, Fulmer and Deer Leap—along a 1.5-mile loop among a dense hemlock ravine straddling Dingmans Creek.

Not far from here is the Delaware Township Community Garden, where friends and neighbors gather to work their plots and share the harvest!

It’s easy to customize this tour or create your own tour!

Just click "Add to Tour" within any Farm or Forest Provider Profile on the Shop Local Save Land website!