Gouldsboro State Park

Gouldsboro State Park, in Monroe and Wayne counties in northeastern Pennsylvania, contains 2,800 acres of land. The 250-acre Gouldsboro Lake is popular for fishing and boating.

Hiking at Gouldsboro State Park

10 miles of trails

The rugged terrain of Gouldsboro State Park makes for challenging but rewarding hiking. All trails are blazed. Double blazes indicate a change of direction or a junction of two trails. Follow these rules for a safe hike:

An adult should accompany children
Be sure to wear hiking boots
Motor vehicles are prohibited on the trails
Prospect Rock Trail
5.8 miles, more difficult hiking

This large, loop trail begins in the day use area. Some sections follow the old entrance road and Old Route 611, which are suitable for bicycling and cross-country skiing. But, there are several very rocky sections.

Old Route 611
1.25 miles, easiest hiking

This flat, wide trail runs along the western side of Gouldsboro State Park, paralleling I-380. Part of the trail is Prospect Rock Trail. This trail is excellent for hiking, bicycling and cross-country skiing.

Frank Gantz Trail
3.2 miles, most difficult hiking

Frank Gantz Trail connects to Tobyhanna at Lakeside Trail and to Gouldsboro in the south day use parking lot. Children should not hike this trail without adult supervision. Special care is needed to cross PA 4013 (Tobyhanna Road). This is a very demanding trail with many areas where ‘rock hopping’ is necessary. Good hiking boots are essential for a pleasant and safe hike. Allow at least three hours for a round trip.

Picnicking at Gouldsboro State Park

Gouldsboro State Park provides five wooded picnic areas with picnic tables and charcoal grills. Picnicking is permitted year round.

This activity or structure is ADA accessible. The ADA accessible picnic pavilion near Lot #3 has electricity.
Picnic pavilions can be reserved up to 11 months in advance for a fee. If unreserved the picnic pavilion is free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Swimming at Gouldsboro State Park

The sand beach with rustic restrooms at Gouldsboro State Park is open from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend to mid-September, 8:00 A.M. to sunset.

Swim at your own risk. Please follow posted rules.

Smoke-Free Beach
Smoking is prohibited on the beach and in the swimming area. For visitors who smoke and still want to use the beach, designated areas adjacent to the beach are provided. The restriction includes:

Cigarettes
Pipes
Cigars
E-cigarettes
Other handheld, lighted smoking devices

Wildlife Watching at Gouldsboro State Park

Gouldsboro State Park is in the Pocono Plateau, a rugged highland with:

Rocky soil
Nutrient-poor bogs
Dark evergreen forests
Diversity of animals and plants
About 20,000 years ago, a giant sheet of ice at least one mile thick covered the area. Evidence of the glacier is the very rocky soil that is called glacial till and the abundance of bogs.

Much of the park is characterized by sphagnum moss bogs, evergreen trees, and thin, moist, rocky soil. Common to this habitat are:

Blackburnian warbler
Red-breasted nuthatch
Northern waterthrush
During the spring, spotted and Jefferson salamanders and wood frogs flock to the bogs to breed.

Interesting plants like the carnivorous pitcher plant, cotton grass, and many sedges inhabit the bogs. The carnivorous plant yellow bladderwort lives in some of the bogs and in Tobyhanna Lake. In the underwater portion of the plant, small sacks trap tiny aquatic animals.

Due to the logging of the forests, large portions have regrown with a mix of deciduous trees like American beech, many species of oak, and red maple trees. Common birds in this forest are:

American redstart
Red-eyed vireo
Louisiana waterthrush
During early May, before any trees have leaves, serviceberry trees flower.

During mid-June, the plentiful mountain laurel blooms, followed in late-June to early-July by rhododendron.

During mid-July, highbush blueberries bear fruit, providing a feast for bears and birds.

Boating at Gouldsboro State Park

Electric motors only

The 250-acre Gouldsboro Lake has 50 overnight mooring spaces. A state park mooring permit is required for overnight mooring and is available at the Tobyhanna State Park office.

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission regulations and laws apply.

Fishing at Gouldsboro State Park

The 250-acre Gouldsboro Lake is a warmwater fishery. The common fish are:

Bass
Pickerel
Yellow perch
Catfish
Sunfish
Walleye
Crappie

This activity or structure is ADA accessible. An ADA accessible fishing pier is near Parking Lot 4.

Ice Fishing
Ice fishing is permitted on the natural ice of the lake. Ice thickness is not monitored

Hunting at Gouldsboro State Park

During established seasons, most of Gouldsboro State Park is open to:

Hunting
Trapping
Training of dogs
Common game species are:

White-tailed deer
Black bear
Squirrel
Turkey
Furbearers are:

Beaver
Muskrat
Mink
Fox
Coyote
Raccoon

Hunting woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day following Labor Day through March 31 in designated hunting areas.

Mountain Biking at Gouldsboro State Park
8 miles of trails

Old Route 611 and Prospect Rock trails begin in the day use area.

Cross-Country Skiing at Gouldsboro State Park

Hiking trails can be cross-country skied with adequate snow. Old Route 611 Trail is recommended.

Ice Skating at Gouldsboro State Park

Ice skating is available as natural conditions permit. Gouldsboro State Park has a one-acre area near Parking Lot #4.

Ice thickness is not monitored.