The cabin is built for winter. Wood stove, full kitchen, three bedrooms, a deck with a fire pit that still works in February, and a frozen lake out the back door. Elk Mountain Ski Resort is thirty minutes away with night skiing four nights a week. If you're tired of paying Vermont prices for a weekend that takes six hours each way from NYC, the Northern Poconos is the much cheaper, much closer answer.
Skiing at Elk Mountain, the close one.
Elk Mountain Ski Resort is 30 minutes west of the cabin, in Susquehanna County. 1,000 feet of vertical drop. 27 trails. Six lifts including a high-speed quad. The mountain skis bigger than its size suggests, with real expert terrain off the top and a long enough beginner section to keep first-timers happy.
The night skiing is the secret weapon. Elk lights its trails until 10pm on Wednesday through Saturday. Fewer crowds, lower prices, and a thirty-minute drive home through a quiet country night. The full Elk Mountain page walks through trails, lift tickets, and après-ski.
What you do at the cabin, when it's snowing.
- Fire pit on the deck. It works in winter. The deck is covered, the wood is stored dry under the porch, and the lake view through the snow is one of the best things about being there in February.
- Snowshoeing on the trails around the lake. The cabin doesn't include snowshoes; rent them at the Ironwood Adventure Center in Hawley for about $15 a day.
- Cross-country skiing in the surrounding state forest land if there's enough snow. The terrain is rolling and the trails are unmarked but generally walkable.
- Ice fishing on Shehawken Lake when it freezes solid. Bring your own auger, jigging rods, and a license. The lake holds chain pickerel, largemouth, and panfish that bite through the ice.
- The Stourbridge Line Santa Train runs select weekends in December out of Honesdale, 50 minutes away. Worth the drive for kids.
The weather, honestly.
December through February in the Northern Poconos runs cold. Average daytime highs in January sit in the high 20s. Nighttime lows often dip below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The lake usually freezes solid by mid-January and stays frozen into March. Snow is reliable; the area averages 50 to 70 inches of seasonal snowfall depending on how the lake-effect bands set up.
Practical things to know: the driveway gets plowed, but the road into Starrucca can take time to clear after a big storm. Plan to arrive in daylight if a storm is forecast. The drive from NYC in good weather is the same 2.5 to 3 hours as any other season; in a snowstorm it can stretch to 5 or 6 hours.
Cell service at the cabin is fine year-round. The Wi-Fi works through winter. The water and the heat both come from local sources that have never failed in our experience, but it's a good idea to bring backup snacks and a flashlight just in case.
Eating in winter, with shorter hours.
Most restaurants in the area cut back hours in winter. The big thing to watch is Sunday and Monday closures. Plan your eating-out nights for Friday and Saturday, and stock the cabin kitchen for the rest. Peck's Market in Hancock stays open year-round and has everything you'd need.
Restaurants in the area that stay reliable through winter:
- Native in Honesdale (Friday and Saturday dinner most consistent in winter)
- The Settlers Inn in Hawley (open year-round, reservations required)
- Glass.wine.bar.kitchen at the Ledges Hotel in Hawley
- Hotel Wayne / KCPepper in Honesdale (the most reliable walk-in)
The full food guide covers more options.
When to book, for winter weekends.
Winter is the cabin's quietest season, which means it's also the easier season to book on short notice. The exceptions are MLK weekend, Presidents' Day weekend, and the Christmas-to-New-Year stretch, which all book up months ahead. Most other January and February weekends open up two to four weeks before the date if you're patient.
For broader context, the Elk Mountain page is the ski deep-dive. The ski weekend stay page covers the cabin-specific winter setup.
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.
