If you are looking for a Hawley, PA travel guide, this small town in the northern Pocono Mountains packs a surprising amount into a relatively small area. Centered around Lake Wallenpaupack, one of the largest lakes in Pennsylvania, Hawley has gradually become one of the strongest weekend getaway destinations in the region, combining lake activities, golf, hiking, breweries, boutique hotels, and a genuinely strong restaurant scene.
The town has evolved well beyond just being a lake destination. The restored Hawley Silk Mill now houses galleries, shops, and local businesses inside one of the defining historic buildings in the area. A former glass factory perched above a waterfall has been transformed into Ledges Hotel, while places like The Settlers Inn and Ravyn & Robyn Food & Wine have helped build one of the stronger food scenes in the northern Poconos.
I have been visiting Hawley for more than a decade, originally for annual golf weekends with friends, but over time the trips expanded into hiking, breweries, lake days, and now family weekends with Janice and our daughter. This guide brings everything together, covering where to stay, where to eat, what to do, and how to plan a Hawley weekend without bouncing between a dozen separate searches.
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Where is Hawley, PA?
Hawley is a small borough in northeastern Pennsylvania, tucked into the northern Pocono Mountains along the Lackawaxen River in Wayne County. It sits about 2.5 hours from New York City and roughly 2 hours from Philadelphia, making it an easy long-weekend destination for travelers from NYC, northern New Jersey, and much of Pennsylvania.
Most visitors know Hawley as the gateway to Lake Wallenpaupack, one of the largest lakes in Pennsylvania and the anchor for boating, fishing, kayaking, and summer lake weekends in the region. Beyond the lake, the town has gradually built a well-rounded destination with golf courses, hiking trails, craft breweries, boutique hotels, scenic train rides, and a restaurant scene that consistently surprises first-time visitors.
The surrounding area adds even more to explore. Nearby Honesdale is home to Moka Origins and a handful of good restaurants, while Narrowsburg sits just across the Delaware River about 30 minutes away. Unlike many of the busier Pocono resort towns farther south, Hawley and the surrounding Wayne County area tend to feel quieter and less commercialized, which is part of the appeal for repeat visitors.
Best Things to Do in Hawley, PA
There is more to do in Hawley, PA than most first-time visitors expect, especially once you factor in the lake, the surrounding trails, golf courses, breweries, and seasonal attractions around Lake Wallenpaupack.
Most Hawley weekends naturally revolve around a mix of lake time, golf, breweries, hiking, and restaurants, with enough variety to fill a long weekend without overplanning every hour.
I put together a full guide covering the best things to do in Hawley, PA, including outdoor activities, family attractions, golf, breweries, wineries, and seasonal experiences throughout the northern Poconos.
Who Is Hawley Best For?
Hawley works well for a wide range of travelers:
- Couples seeking a romantic getaway, with boutique hotels like Ledges Hotel, spa weekends at The Lodge at Woodloch, and a strong restaurant and winery scene
- Families drawn to lake activities, rail biking, Woodloch Resort, hiking trails, and attractions like Claws N Paws Wild Animal Park
- Golf groups taking advantage of courses like Woodloch Springs alongside bars, breweries, and nearby resorts
- Bachelor and bachelorette weekends looking for a mix of outdoor activities, breweries, bars, and restaurants in a compact area
- Weekend getaway travelers from New York City and Philadelphia who want lake access, good food, and outdoor recreation without a long drive
A guide to the best things to do in Hawley, PA including Lake Wallenpaupack, breweries, hiking trails, golf, rail bikes, wineries, and family attractions.
Where to Eat in Hawley, PA
For a town this size, Hawley has a genuinely strong restaurant scene. The mix includes historic inn dining rooms, upscale Pocono farm-to-table menus, breweries with solid food programs, classic Italian restaurants, casual breakfast spots, and lakeside dining around Lake Wallenpaupack.
Some of the best-known options include The Ridge at Hotel Belvidere, The Settlers Inn, and Gresham’s Chop House, but there are plenty of local favorites mixed in at every price point. I put together a full guide covering the best restaurants in Hawley, PA, including Italian food, breweries, breakfast spots, and dining options worth seeking out around the lake.
The best restaurants in Hawley, PA including Italian food, breweries, steakhouses, breakfast spots, and some of the top dining destinations near Lake Wallenpaupack.
Where to Stay in Hawley, PA
Hotels and resorts are a major part of the Hawley experience, and the area offers some of the most distinctive Pocono Mountains hotels available, ranging from boutique inns and historic properties to full-service family resorts and lakefront stays.
The area mixes historic inns, boutique hotels, luxury wellness resorts, and large family-focused properties that feel much more destination-oriented than a standard Pocono hotel stay. Some visitors come specifically for resorts like Woodloch Resort or The Lodge at Woodloch, while others prefer smaller properties like Ledges Hotel or The Settlers Inn closer to downtown. There are also many Lake Wallenpaupack hotels scattered along the shoreline for visitors looking to stay directly on or near the water.
Below are a few of the top places to stay in Hawley, PA, but I also put together a full guide covering the best hotels, resorts, inns, and lakefront stays throughout the area.
A complete guide to the best hotels in Hawley, PA including boutique inns, historic properties, lakeside resorts on Lake Wallenpaupack, and full-service family resorts in the northern Poconos.
Best Time to Visit Hawley, PA
Hawley is one of the better four-season destinations in the Pocono Mountains, with each part of the year offering a noticeably different experience around Lake Wallenpaupack and the surrounding area.
Summer (June–August)
Summer is the busiest and most popular time to visit Hawley. Warm weather brings boating, kayaking, fishing, hiking, brewery patios, live music, and full activity around Lake Wallenpaupack. Restaurants and resorts are at their liveliest during this stretch, especially on weekends, and family travel peaks once schools let out for summer.
Fall (September–November)
Fall is arguably the most scenic time to visit the area. The forests around Hawley and the northern Poconos turn shades of red, orange, and yellow, making it a great season for scenic drives, hiking, golf, wineries, and train rides on The Stourbridge Line. Crowds also begin to thin out compared to peak summer lake season.
Winter (December–March)
Winter is quieter but still has its appeal, especially for couples getaways and spa weekends. Nearby ski areas like Ski Big Bear at Masthope Mountain become active, bald eagle watching along the Delaware River picks up, and boutique hotels like Ledges Hotel and The Settlers Inn take on a cozy winter atmosphere.
Spring (April–May)
Spring tends to be one of the quieter seasons in Hawley, but it is also one of the better times for hiking, golf, and avoiding crowds before summer begins. Restaurants, breweries, and resorts are noticeably less busy, and the surrounding forests begin turning green again after winter. Late spring is especially good for golf weekends around the area.
How to Get to Hawley, PA
Hawley is located in northeastern Pennsylvania near Lake Wallenpaupack and is most easily reached by car. The town sits in Wayne County in the northern Pocono Mountains, making it a manageable weekend drive from several major cities in the Northeast.
Driving is by far the easiest way to visit Hawley, especially if you plan to explore Lake Wallenpaupack, hiking trails, golf courses, breweries, and nearby towns around the region.
Approximate driving times:
- New York City: about 2.5 hours
- Philadelphia: about 2 hours
- Newark, NJ: about 2 hours
- Scranton: about 45 minutes
Most visitors arrive via Interstate 84 before connecting to smaller Pocono roads leading into Hawley and the lake region.
Getting Around Hawley
A car is essential for getting the most out of a Hawley trip. Downtown Hawley itself is compact and walkable, with the main restaurants, bars, shops, and a few of the hotels all within easy walking distance of each other. But most of what makes the area worth visiting, including Lake Wallenpaupack, the golf courses, hiking trails, breweries, and resorts like Woodloch, are spread out across several miles of Pocono countryside and require driving between them.
There is no public transit serving the area and rideshare availability is limited outside of downtown, so planning around a car from the start is the right move. If you are staying at one of the downtown hotels like Ledges Hotel or The Settlers Inn, you can walk to dinner and a few bars in the evening, but you will still need a car for day trips to the lake, trails, and surrounding towns.
Nearby Towns Worth a Day Trip
Hawley makes a good base for exploring the surrounding region, and several nearby towns are worth building into your itinerary or saving for a separate trip entirely.
Honesdale is the closest and most practical day trip, sitting about 15 minutes from downtown Hawley. As the Wayne County seat, it has a compact walkable downtown, the Stourbridge Line scenic train rides along the Lackawaxen River, and Moka Origins, the Pocono-based coffee roaster and chocolate maker whose beans you will recognize from Cocoon Coffee House in Hawley.
Narrowsburg, NY sits just across the Delaware River about 30 minutes from Hawley and has quietly developed a small but interesting arts and dining scene. It is worth a half day if you are looking to cross the state line and explore the Upper Delaware River region. Blue Fox, one of the better restaurants in the greater Hawley area, is located here.
Lackawaxen is a small community along the Delaware River about 20 minutes from Hawley, best known for the Zane Grey Museum, dedicated to the author of Riders of the Purple Sage, who lived and wrote here for much of his life. Worth a quick stop if history and literature are your thing.
Jim Thorpe deserves its own trip rather than a quick day visit. Located about an hour south of Hawley in Carbon County, it is one of the most visually striking small towns in Pennsylvania, with Victorian architecture built into the side of a mountain above the Lehigh River gorge. The town has excellent hiking on the surrounding trails, white water rafting, a strong restaurant and bar scene, boutique shops, and a historic train station that anchors the downtown. If you are based in New York City, Jim Thorpe is one of the more rewarding weekend getaway destinations in the entire mid-Atlantic region and worth a dedicated post of its own.
FAQ About Hawley, PA
Is Hawley, PA worth visiting?
Yes. Hawley is one of the more underrated small-town destinations in the northern Poconos, especially for long weekends built around Lake Wallenpaupack, golf, breweries, hiking, and restaurants. The area combines outdoor activities with boutique hotels, wineries, and a surprisingly strong food scene for a town of its size.
What is Hawley, PA known for?
Hawley is best known as the gateway to Lake Wallenpaupack, one of the largest lakes in Pennsylvania. The town is also known for Woodloch Resort, boutique Pocono hotels, golf courses, breweries, scenic train rides, and outdoor recreation in the northern Pocono Mountains.
How far is Hawley, PA from New York City?
Hawley is about 2.5 hours from New York City by car depending on traffic. It is a popular weekend getaway destination for travelers from NYC, northern New Jersey, and Philadelphia.
Do you need a car in Hawley?
Yes. While downtown Hawley itself is walkable, most of the area’s hotels, golf courses, hiking trails, breweries, and lake activities are spread out around the surrounding Pocono countryside and Lake Wallenpaupack region.
Is Hawley good for families?
Yes. Hawley is a fantastic area for families because of all the lake activities, resorts like Woodloch Resort, rail biking, hiking trails, mini golf, water parks, and attractions like Claws ‘N’ Paws Wild Animal Park.
Is Hawley good for couples getaways?
Hawley works especially well for couples weekends thanks to its boutique hotels, wineries, breweries, scenic drives, and hiking. Plus, The Lodge at Woodloch is a top spa resort, Ledges Hotel gives a romantic view with your stay, and Cove Haven is a couples only resort that encourages you to be a bit spicy.
What is the best time to visit Hawley, PA?
Summer is the busiest season because of Lake Wallenpaupack, boating, and outdoor activities, while fall is popular for foliage, hiking, golf, and scenic drives. Winter is quieter but works well for spa weekends, skiing nearby, and cozy Pocono getaways.
Is Hawley only a summer destination?
No. While summer is the busiest season, Hawley works well year-round. Fall brings foliage and golf weekends, winter offers skiing and spa getaways, and spring is a quieter time for hiking and outdoor activities before lake season begins.
Hawley has gradually become one of my favorite long-weekend destinations in the northern Poconos because it manages to balance so many different types of trips in one small area. Over the years I have come here for golf weekends with friends, brewery trips, hiking, lake days, and now family weekends with Janice and our daughter. The combination of outdoor activities, good restaurants, scenic drives, breweries, boutique hotels, and the relaxed atmosphere around Lake Wallenpaupack keeps bringing us back.
What makes Hawley stand out is that it never feels overly crowded or commercialized despite how much there is to do nearby. Whether you are planning a couples getaway, a golf trip, a family vacation, or just a quiet few days away from the city, the area works surprisingly well across all four seasons.
If you are still planning your trip, check out my guide to the best things to do in Hawley, PA for hiking trails, breweries, golf, rail bikes, and family attractions around the lake region.
You can also read my guide to the best restaurants in Hawley, PA for everything from Italian restaurants and breweries to upscale Pocono dining and casual local favorites.
And if you are deciding where to stay, my guide to the best hotels in Hawley, PA covers boutique hotels, family resorts, lakefront stays, and some of the best couples getaway options in the northern Poconos.