31 hiking trails within 100 miles of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, from New Jersey's Kittatinny Ridge to New York's Catskill high peaks
The Pocono Plateau around Scranton and Wilkes-Barre itself is full of well-loved state parks — Ricketts Glen's waterfalls, Hickory Run's boulder field — but short on the kind of named-summit trails this site tracks. Head just a little farther, though, and two distinct real-elevation regions open up in opposite directions. East on I-80, New Jersey's Kittatinny Ridge rises fast, with Mount Tammany overlooking the Delaware Water Gap under an hour out and High Point, New Jersey's own state high point, not far behind. North and east, New York's Catskills reach their two tallest summits — Slide and Wittenberg mountains — plus the Hudson Highlands' Bear Mountain and Breakneck Ridge, all still inside a two-hour drive.
Wilkes-Barre sits a touch closer to the Poconos' own lower terrain; Scranton reaches slightly more directly toward the Catskills to the north. This guide scores every trail against whichever of the two cities it's actually closer to, rather than picking one center point.
This guide covers all 31 trails within 100 miles of Scranton or Wilkes-Barre, sorted by actual distance from real trailhead coordinates — not either city's center — with the nearer of the two cities named for every trail. Each trail includes:
New Jersey's Kittatinny Ridge, about an hour out
Gentle routes, great for beginners and families
More climbing, still a manageable day trip
Worth the extra drive — the Catskill high peaks and the Hudson Highlands
Sorted by distance from whichever city is closer
