Philly has plenty of weekend options to the south (the Jersey Shore, Cape May, the Chesapeake) and almost no obvious ones to the north. The honest reason most Philadelphians don't think about the Northern Poconos is that it gets folded into 'New York country' on every map. But the drive from Center City to the cabin is about 2.5 hours, mostly on I-476 and I-84, and once you're out of the Philadelphia traffic the route is easy. If you want a lakefront cabin weekend without driving into Connecticut, this is the move.
The drive, from Philadelphia.
From Center City: take I-676 east to I-95 north to PA-309 north, or (simpler) take the Vine Street Expressway to I-476 north, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension. Stay on 476 for about 90 minutes through Allentown and Wilkes-Barre. Exit at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and pick up I-81 north for 25 minutes, then I-84 east for another 20 minutes to exit 17 (PA-191). Take 191 north through Honesdale and continue for about 45 minutes to Starrucca. Total: about 2 hours 30 minutes in good traffic.
Friday afternoon traffic out of Philadelphia is the slow part. The Northeast Extension stays busy until about 6:30pm. Leaving Friday after 7pm or before 11am is the safe call. Saturday morning departures are also clean.
The drive home is the part Philadelphia weekenders appreciate: almost no Sunday-night traffic. The Shore-bound jams that make South Jersey weekends rough don't exist on this route. Sunday evenings you can leave the cabin at 5pm and be back in Philadelphia by 8pm.
Why this direction, instead of the Shore.
The Shore is great. It's also expensive, crowded, and an hour-plus from Philly even before you hit traffic. What the Northern Poconos offer instead is space and silence. A 200-acre lake with maybe a dozen private cabins on it, no public boat launch, and a back deck looking at water that's still at sunrise. The cost is much less than Cape May for the same weekend. The trade-off is salt water versus fresh water and beach town energy versus complete quiet.
The other practical thing: weekends here are still bookable weeks out, where the Shore is essentially locked in by Memorial Day for the rest of the summer. If you're trying to plan a last-minute weekend in June or July, the cabin is much more available than any comparable Shore rental.
What to do when you're up here.
The full set of options is in the area-guide pages. The short version for a 2-day weekend from Philly:
- Saturday morning: lake time. Paddle boards, kayak, row boat. All included.
- Saturday afternoon: drive to Honesdale (50 min) or Hawley (45 min) for lunch and shopping. Honesdale guide or Hawley and Lake Wallenpaupack guide.
- Saturday evening: dinner at one of the real local restaurants (Native in Honesdale, Settlers Inn in Hawley) or grill at the cabin.
- Sunday morning: more lake time. Sunday is the best morning on Shehawken Lake.
- Sunday afternoon: pack up and start the drive home by 3pm.
Drive times from Philadelphia.
- To the cabin: 2 hours 30 minutes (clean traffic)
- To Hawley and Lake Wallenpaupack: 2 hours 15 minutes
- To Honesdale: 2 hours
- To Scranton: 2 hours
- To Bethel Woods: 2 hours 30 minutes
- To Cape May (for comparison): 2 hours 15 minutes in good traffic, 4+ in Friday weekend traffic
For broader trip planning, the Starrucca guide is the master document on the area immediately around the cabin.
Where to stay.
If you're reading this and not yet booked, here's the quick pitch: the better stay for couples and small groups is a private cabin on a quiet lake within an hour of here. Three bedrooms, private dock, paddle boards, a kayak, a row boat, and a fire pit. About 3 hours from NYC. 4.86 stars on Airbnb, Guest Favorite. See it on Airbnb, or check availability and ask a question first.
