The fog rolls off the Delaware Water Gap and hits the skeleton of a mid-century honeymoon suite like a scene from a low-budget horror flick. It’s quiet. Real quiet. If you grew up in the Tri-state area during the 70s or 80s, the Poconos weren’t just a mountain range; they were a cultural phenomenon defined by champagne glass bathtubs and round beds. Now? Those same spots are magnets for "urban explorers" with GoPro cameras and a penchant for trespassing. But here is the thing: finding a truly abandoned resort in the Poconos PA that hasn't been burned down, demolished, or turned into a high-end glamping site is becoming increasingly difficult.
People think these places are just sitting there waiting for a photoshoot. Some are. Others are death traps or legal nightmares.
The Ghost of Penn Hills and the Reality of Decay
Take Penn Hills Resort. For decades, it was the "Honeymoon Capital of the World." It finally breathed its last breath in 2009 after the co-founder, Frances Paolillo, passed away. What’s left is basically a graveyard of 1960s kitsch. You’ve probably seen the photos online—the iconic villas with their flared roofs and the "ice palace" skating rink that looks like something out of a nuclear winter.
It's fascinating. It's also dangerous.
The Monroe County officials haven't just left these places to rot in peace. There’s a constant tug-of-war between preservationists, developers, and the local fire departments. Penn Hills has seen multiple "suspicious" fires over the last decade. When a building sits empty and unheated in the Pennsylvania humidity, the black mold moves in faster than you’d believe. The floorboards turn into soggy cardboard. Honestly, if you’re stepping into one of these places, you’re betting your ankles against thirty years of dry rot.
Why the Poconos Went From "Love Nest" to Ghost Town
It wasn't just one thing that killed the classic Poconos resort. It was a perfect storm of changing tastes and cheap airfare. Back in the day, a couple from Brooklyn would drive two hours to sit in a heart-shaped tub because, well, where else were they going to go? Then came the 90s. Suddenly, a flight to Cancun or Orlando was cheaper than a weekend in Analomink.
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The "Borscht Belt" style of entertainment—all-inclusive meals and cheesy lounge singers—didn't age well. Millennials and Gen Z don't want a carpeted bathroom. They want hiking trails and craft breweries.
The Buck Hill Falls Situation
Not every abandoned resort in the Poconos PA looks like a set from The Last of Us. Some are much more dignified in their demise. The Buck Hill Inn was a massive stone monolith that stood for over a century. It was grand. It was imposing. And it was incredibly expensive to maintain. Unlike the neon-soaked honeymoon spots, Buck Hill was old-school Quaker luxury. It sat abandoned for years, a dark shadow over the community, until it was finally demolished around 2017.
This is the cycle.
- Financial struggle.
- Abrupt closure (sometimes with guests still there).
- Decades of looting and vandalism.
- Fire or wrecking ball.
The "urban exploration" community often laments the loss of these structures, but for locals, an abandoned resort is usually just a tax-revenue black hole and a massive fire hazard.
The Legal Side of Exploring
Don't get it twisted: most of these "abandoned" properties are still owned by someone. Whether it's a holding company in Delaware or a local developer waiting for a tax break, someone owns the dirt.
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Police in places like Stroud Township and Middle Smithfield don't play around. They know these spots are hotspots for YouTubers. If you're caught at a place like the old Unity House or the remnants of Birches Resort, you're looking at a defiant trespass charge. It's not just a slap on the wrist. They're trying to prevent the next kid from falling through a collapsed staircase or getting trapped in a basement flood.
Is There Anything Left to See?
If you're looking for that specific "decaying 70s vibe," your options are shrinking.
- The Birches: Mostly a memory at this point.
- Loma Linda: What was once a serene retreat is basically reclaimed by the forest now.
- Split Rock (The Old Parts): While Split Rock is still a functioning resort, parts of its older infrastructure have historically sat in various states of "waiting for a renovation" that never quite comes.
The reality of an abandoned resort in the Poconos PA is that nature is incredibly aggressive in Pennsylvania. Between the heavy snow in the winter and the humidity in the summer, wood-frame buildings don't stand a chance. Within five years of the heat being turned off, the ceilings start to sag. Within ten, trees are growing through the ballroom floor.
It’s a strange, melancholic beauty. You see a rusted-out stove in a kitchen that once fed five hundred people a night. You see a stray high-heel shoe in a hallway where people used to dance to big band music. It’s visceral.
The Future: From Ruins to Renovations
Believe it or not, some of these "ghosts" are actually coming back to life, just not in the way you’d expect. The trend now is "adaptive reuse." Developers are buying up old mountain properties and turning them into "boutique mountain escapes." They keep the stone fireplaces but rip out the moldy shag carpet.
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Take a look at what happened with some of the smaller motels. They’ve been rebranded as "vintage-inspired" stays. It’s a smart move. It saves the history without the risk of a roof collapse. But for the massive, 500-room megaliths? The cost of remediation—getting rid of asbestos and lead paint—is often higher than the value of the land itself. That's why they sit. They stay in a state of "limbo" until the state provides a grant for demolition or a freak lightning strike takes care of the problem.
Real Talk on Safety
If you're actually planning to go look at these places from the road (which is the only legal way, let's be honest), you need to be smart.
- Cell service is spotty. You're in the mountains. Don't rely on Google Maps to get you out of a backroad snag.
- Wildlife is real. These abandoned buildings are now luxury condos for bears, raccoons, and copperhead snakes. A mother bear in a dark basement is a much bigger threat than a security guard.
- Structural integrity is a lie. Never trust a floor that has been wet. Ever.
What People Get Wrong About the "Poconos Decay"
The biggest misconception is that these places were all "luxury." By the time they closed, most were struggling motels that hadn't seen a renovation since the Carter administration. We look at them through a lens of nostalgia, but the reality was often much grittier. Broken HVAC systems, leaking roofs, and outdated kitchens were the norm long before the doors were locked for good.
The fascination with the abandoned resort in the Poconos PA isn't really about the buildings. It's about the end of an era. It’s about the fact that we don't vacation like that anymore. We don't stay in one place for seven days eating three meals a day in the same dining room. We’re more mobile now. We’re more demanding.
The ruins are just the physical evidence of a culture that moved on.
Actionable Next Steps for Enthusiasts
If you are genuinely interested in the history of these locations without risking a criminal record or a tetanus shot, here is how you actually do it:
- Visit the Monroe County Historical Association: They have incredible archives of what these resorts looked like in their prime. Seeing the "before" makes the "after" much more impactful.
- Stick to Public Lands: Many former resort properties were actually absorbed into the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. You can hike through land that used to be a private getaway without trespassing.
- Support Local Preservation: Look into groups like the North Atlantic Land Trust or local historical societies that are trying to save the stone structures that can be saved.
- Photography from the Perimeter: You can get amazing shots of places like Penn Hills from the public right-of-way. You don't need to go inside to capture the scale of the abandonment.
- Check the Tax Records: If you're curious about a specific property, Monroe and Carbon County have online tax parcel maps. You can see exactly who owns the land and if it's currently slated for development.