Take a hike into the prehistoric time capsule called Long Swamp, at YMCA’s Camp Speers, near Dingmans Ferry in Pike County.
Carol Hillestad will lead a hike from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, exploring some of the 458 acres formed 10,000 years ago after the area’s most recent glacier retreated.
A plank boardwalk, built inches over the swamp, leads into this cool, dark, damp and otherworldly place. Interrupted ferns – 180-million-year-old contemporaries of the dinosaurs – reach as high as an adult’s shoulders, carnivorous pitcher plants and black spruce flourish, and acres of brilliant green sphagnum moss create a natural carpet.
What: Hike to Long Swamp, part of the Get Outdoors Poconos hike series administered by Brodhead Watershed Association
When: 10 to approximately 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26
Where: Meet at Camp Speers YMCA on Nichecronk Road, off Route 739 North, 5.4 miles past the Route 209 light in Dingmans Ferry.
Details: Easy-to-moderate footing, mostly on narrow, single-track trails. Rocky in places and wet off the boardwalk (where you may not stray). You must check in and check out at the Camp Speers office and wear a wristband.
Cost: Free, but registration is required.
Contact: For information or to register, call 570-839-1120 or 570-629-2727, email info@brodheadwatershed.org (subject line: “Long Swamp”), or see brodheadwatershed.org/gopoconos (information on other hikes in the series is also on this site).
The Brodhead Watershed Association is a non-profit environmental organization formed in 1989. BWA is dedicated to protecting and preserving water resources and the environment of the Brodhead watershed and the water quality of the Brodhead, Cherry, Marshalls, McMichael, Paradise and Pocono creeks and their tributaries. The BWA assists municipalities, residents, businesses and groups with protecting natural resources through education, workshops, seminars, public programs and stream monitoring.
For More Information Contact: The Brodhead Watershed Office
Email: info@brodheadwatershed.org Phone: 570 839 1120
Photo credit Nancy J. Hopping
