Set on Lake Ariel -- a 300 acre mountain lake with four miles of shoreline -- the town of Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania, is a regional attraction frequented by locals and tourists alike. With several vacation-home communities and resorts, Lake Ariel is an ideal destination for boating enthusiasts and visitors looking for a tranquil mountain escape. The lake is the main attraction, but the area provides several other activities for visitors looking to take a break from the waters.
Small-Town Life
- While the town of Lake Ariel is mostly made up of condos and resorts, the adjacent old village of Lake Ariel is a charming slice of Americana. Located just north of the lake, the village is a traditional Pennsylvania rural community, centered around the elementary school and a Catholic church. A stroll down the main drag takes visitors past clapboard houses and family businesses like the Howe Oil Company and Lake Ariel Hardware that have been part of the area for more than 50 years. For lunch or dinner, the Liberty Restaurant and Kay's Italian are village staples, serving up the hearty, home-cooked portions you would expect in this warm and inviting community.
A Taste of the Wild
- Get up close with giraffes, lions, tigers, various snakes, lory parrots and more at Claws 'N' Paws, a wild animal park in Lake Ariel. Set in a calm, wooded area, the park is open from May 1st through late October and includes nearly 120 species of wild animals. Claws 'N' Paws also offers animal shows and educational tours during the summer season. The park is located on Route 590 on the outskirts of town.
Rural Pennsylvania Life
- Two miles north of Lake Ariel is the Varden Conservation Area. The 430-acre reserve includes a series of hiking trails and a fishing and hunting area. For bird lovers, the Bluebird Trail winds around the reserve's meadows and passes several bluebird boxes maintained by park volunteers. All of the trails can be used for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing when there's enough snow on the ground. For history and architecture buffs, the reserve includes the original home of the family that settled the area. Surrounded by well-preserved structures including an ice house, milk house and saw mill, the modest, wooden Shaffer House dates from the 19th century and offers visitors a firsthand look into the rugged, self-sufficient life settlers faced in this corner of the state.
A Natural Oasis
- Visitors looking for a serene mountain escape -- and tired of condos encroaching on their lake view -- can head to the Lacawac Sanctuary. On 545 pristine acres, the sanctuary, educational facility and research station includes a 52-acre glacial lake, ponds, public hiking trails, a native plants garden, demonstration forest and the surviving buildings of the historic 1903 Adirondack Great Camp. Follow Sanctuary Road in Lake Ariel to Lacawac.
