Bushkill Falls, Pennsylvania

Eight waterfalls linked by a network of wooden stairs and bridges through a Pocono gorge, the largest of them dropping about a hundred feet. Bushkill Falls has been calling itself the Niagara of Pennsylvania since long before anyone thought to check, and it remains one of the most reliable group days in the state. A charter bus to Bushkill Falls handles the one thing the site is not built for, which is fifty people arriving in fifteen cars.

It is a private attraction, not a state park

This surprises people. Bushkill Falls is privately owned, there is an admission charge, and it operates on a season — typically opening around April and closing in late autumn. Confirm both the dates and the group rate before you book a vehicle. Group pricing is available and worth asking for; it is not applied automatically.

Choose the trail before you go, not at the gate

This is the single most useful piece of planning for a group. There are four color-coded routes of very different difficulty, and letting a mixed group decide at the ticket booth is how half of them end up somewhere they cannot manage.

• Green trail: about fifteen minutes to the Main Falls and back. Some steps, but the shortest and most manageable option, and the right default for a senior group.
• Yellow trail: around forty-five minutes, taking in the Main Falls and Lower Gorge. A good middle choice.
• Blue trail: roughly an hour and a quarter, adding Bridal Veil Falls and Bridesmaid Falls.
• Red trail: the full circuit at around two hours and all eight waterfalls, with a great many stairs. Fit walkers only.

Every route involves wooden stairways and boardwalks, and none of them is wheelchair accessible. Anyone in your group who cannot manage stairs should plan on the grounds, the gift shop and the small museums rather than the trails.

Which charter bus suits a Bushkill Falls group

• Forty to fifty-six: a full-size charter bus is the standard vehicle for school and church groups coming from Philadelphia, New York or New Jersey, and there is room for coaches on site.
• Twenty to thirty-two: a mini bus suits a senior excursion or a smaller class and maneuvers more easily on the Pocono back roads.
• Twenty-eight to sixty: a school bus remains the most economical option for a local school district trip under two hours each way.

School groups are the largest share of what we run here, and our school trip transportation quotes include the insurance certificates and driver documentation districts require as standard.

Getting there, and what else to build in

Bushkill sits in the Poconos near the Delaware Water Gap, about ninety minutes from Newark, two hours from Philadelphia and around two and a half from New York City. We run pickups from East Stroudsburg, Stroudsburg, Allentown and Philadelphia.

The falls themselves are a half-day at most, which leaves room for the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area a few minutes south or one of the Pocono resorts. Groups searching for charter bus rental near me for a Poconos day should ask for the vehicle to stay with the group rather than booking two transfers — the region is spread out and a waiting coach turns a single stop into a proper day.