The cabin sits just inside Wayne County, but the line with Susquehanna County is five minutes up the road. Susquehanna is the next county west, larger and emptier than Wayne, with a handful of small towns spread out across rolling farm country and forested hills. Elk Mountain is in this county. So is Forest City, Montrose, and Salt Springs State Park. None of it is a destination on its own. All of it is worth driving when you have a free afternoon.
The county, in 90 seconds.
Susquehanna County covers about 830 square miles and has roughly 38,000 people, which makes it one of the more lightly populated counties in Pennsylvania. It's bordered to the north by New York, to the east by Wayne County (where the cabin sits), and to the south and west by Lackawanna and Wyoming Counties. The Susquehanna River doesn't actually run through the county that bears its name; the county was named for it but drains to it through tributary streams instead.
The county seat is Montrose, population about 1,500. The other towns you'll see on a map: Susquehanna Depot, Forest City, Hop Bottom, New Milford. All of them are small. Most have a post office, a gas station, and a diner. None have a chain restaurant.
Elk Mountain, and the ski draw.
The biggest single draw in Susquehanna County is Elk Mountain Ski Resort, about 40 minutes from the cabin. Real vertical drop (1,000 feet), 27 trails, six lifts. The closest skiing to NYC that locals consider real. The night skiing operation is what cabin guests actually use the most: trails lit until 10pm most nights, fewer crowds than weekend daylight, and a thirty-minute drive each way.
We have a full Elk Mountain page for the ski-trip details. The short version: it's the right answer for a one-night ski weekend or a day from the cabin in winter.
Montrose, Forest City, and the small towns.
Montrose, the county seat, is about 45 minutes from the cabin. Population 1,500. It has a historic downtown with a courthouse on a green, a few cafes, an independent bookstore, and the Susquehanna County Historical Society. The annual Blueberry Festival in early August is the calendar event. Otherwise it's a quiet town that's pleasant to walk for an hour and grab a coffee.
Forest City is closer, about 25 minutes from the cabin. Old anthracite-coal town. The downtown has shrunk over the decades but the Forest City Diner on Main Street is reliable, and the neighboring borough of Vandling has a pizza spot that locals defend with force. Not destinations, but useful to know if you're driving the back roads and hungry.
Susquehanna Depot, in the north of the county on the Susquehanna River, is a stop on the historic Erie Railroad line and worth a brief look if you're driving north past the cabin.
Salt Springs State Park, and the back-country.
Salt Springs State Park, about 50 minutes from the cabin near Montrose, is a small (842 acres) state park with a real attraction: a stretch of old-growth hemlock and white pine forest, including some trees over 300 years old. The trails are short and easy and the old-growth section feels genuinely different from the regenerated forest you see most places in the region.
The park is named for natural salt springs that the early settlers used to make salt. The salt is still there. The visitor center has interpretive material. Worth a stop if you're already in Montrose for something else.
The other thing about Susquehanna County: some of the best untrafficked country roads in the region. If you have an afternoon and a full tank, drive west on Route 247 from Starrucca toward Forest City. Twenty minutes of empty pavement through hardwood forest, working farms, and almost no other cars.
Drive times, from the cabin.
- To Forest City: 25 minutes
- To Elk Mountain: 40 minutes
- To Montrose: 45 minutes
- To Salt Springs State Park: 50 minutes
- To Susquehanna Depot: 30 minutes
For specific destinations in the county, the Elk Mountain page covers the ski resort in detail.
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.
