Pennsylvania's Quiet Mountain Borough Is A Wholesome Hidden Gem With A Friendly Community And Outdoor Fun

Located in northeastern Pennsylvania, almost 100 miles from Philadelphia and a 25-minute drive from Pennsylvania's underrated state park with lakeside trails and quiet cabins, is the friendly little town of Weatherly. Fans of the outdoors will love it here: just three miles from Round Head Mountain and standing at 1,100 feet above sea level, Weatherly is in the ridge and valley region of the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachians, incidentally, are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. Not only are they older than the rings of Saturn, but they were also once connected to the Scottish Highlands before the supercontinent Pangea broke apart.

Founded in 1825 and originally known as Black Creek, Weatherly got its current name because David Weatherly, the director of the local railroad who also happened to be a clockmaker, promised to give the town a clock if they renamed the area after him. The townspeople agreed to the change, but David Weatherly vanished and didn't deliver on the clock. Today, Weatherly has a population of around 2,600 people.

Weatherly is accessible by car, or you can take the number 21 bus from Philadelphia. The bus leaves Philadelphia bus station every day at 3pm and takes about three hours. There are a few hotels located in the nearby towns of Hazelton and Jim Thorpe. RoundStone camping resort, where you can rent cabins and tents, is under three miles away if you fancy something more outdoorsy.

Weatherly is a scenic small town that offers both history and community vibes. If you're visiting Weatherly in August, try to attend the town's annual summer festival. This two-day event features live music, bouncy castles, food from local vendors, and creative handicraft stalls where you can find everything from wreaths to handmade fishing nets.

History buffs should pay a visit to the Weatherly Area Museum, which houses photographs, artefacts, and various objects that tell the story of how Weatherly was formed and the various industries that made it what it is today. The museum is open on the weekend between May and October. 

If that leaves you with a taste for yesteryear, take a seven-mile drive to America's largest and best-preserved anthracite mining town. Eckley Miners' Village is a restored traditional coal miner's town that was used as the location for the historical movie The Molly Maguires (1970). The village was revamped to look like it would have in the 1870s, and today you can visit this historic site, go inside the buildings, and get a sense of what life was like back then.

Weatherly is an outdoor lover's paradise, with several scenic hikes right on its doorstep. Lehigh Gorge State Park is just 4.5 miles away, and here you can take various walks by the river. Brave hikers can try the 'extremely dangerous' Glen Onoko trail. While it's pretty short at under two miles, this hike is listed as hard on AllTrails because it is unmaintained, steep, and can be slippery, but it also boasts leafy woods and refreshing waterfalls. For an easier, flatter, but still scenic adventure, try the one-mile Buttermilk and Luke's Falls trail.

The Lehigh Gorge Trail, which takes you past serene river valley views towards an abandoned tunnel, and the moderate 8.5-mile trail up Bald Mountain, which is known as one of the Adirondacks' most popular trails, are also accessible from Weatherly. As you hike Bald Mountain, you will explore a lively forest full of butterflies, wild mushrooms, cheeky lizards, and wild flowers. You can also drive 25 minutes to Hickory Run State Park and try your luck at the ominous-sounding yet surprisingly tranquil Shades of Death trail. 

These hikes are part of the Appalachian Mountain range. They offer miles of scenic beauty, but this area is also associated with legends warning people not to go into the woods at night because of the ancient creatures that are meant to live there. Whether or not you believe these stories, it's probably best not to stay in the woods after dark.