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Message |
    
MM
Citizen
Username: Melandmike
Post Number: 82
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 10:35 am: | 
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We are just starting to consider getting a summer home. We don't want the shore but want a property on (or near) a lake. Our one definite requirement is it must be within a 2 hour radius of M/SO. Any recommendations in PA, NY, or NJ? Ideally we want a place that is relaxing yet within 15 mins of some of the ammenaties of home (supermarket, coffee/bagel store, etc). |
WendyP
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3300
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 10:56 am: |
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Lake Wallenpaupak in N.E. Pennsylvania is just under two hours from here.
However, the route there is primarily local two lane roads, and if you hit traffic, as is sometimes the case during the summer, it could take longer.
My family has had a home there for 30 years (Oh, lordy I scare myself when I see that number!) I can tell you it's well worth the trip--definately relaxing. There's just something about the air up there. The minute we get there and breath deep, the change is immediate.
You might start with this realtor:
http://www.chantre.com/index.html
Friends of ours from Long Island who have always loved our place just recently bought a place in a "community" called the Hideout, which is a little past where we are on Lake Wallenpaupak. You might be able to get a home there for less than those you might find in close proximity to Lake Wallenpauak. Our friends place is a nice three bedroom within walking distance to the lake there and I think they got it for just over $200,000. However, you would need to be in to the whole "community" aspect of the place. It sounds really great, but it's not so much my cup of tea.
Found this with a quick google search:
http://www.hideoutassoc.com/wb/
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Yossarian
Citizen
Username: Yossarian
Post Number: 351
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 9:06 am: |
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WendyP -- What's the boat traffic like on Wallenpaupak? I've heard it's pretty crowded throughout the summer. Are there usually a lot of jet skis and waterskiers around? |
Grrrrrrrrrrr
Citizen
Username: Oldsctls67
Post Number: 428
Registered: 11-2002
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 10:02 am: |
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Lake W. is huge...but yes they do allow jet skis... |
WendyP
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3309
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 10:47 am: |
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Yossarian, on the weekends it can get pretty busy on the lake with boats and jetskis and such. Much much more so than whan I was a kid up there. But I think that's the case with most lakes that allow recreational boating. I keep hoping they'll reach a point where they'll set limits as to how big the boat and motor can be, but so far, no luck. We even have a couple of those huge, loud, obnoxious cigarette boats on the lake. Every time I hear one, I wish I had a bazooka to blow it out of the water. Generally mornings are pretty quite, as are evenings, it's the middle of the day that can get crazy.
Weekdays, however, are bliss. |
Yossarian
Citizen
Username: Yossarian
Post Number: 352
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 1:39 pm: |
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Thanks WendyP. I've been interested in "the 'pak" for a while now but haven't had a chance to go take a look for myself. Just hoping it's not the zoo that Hopatcong is. That place is a disaster. |
wnb
Citizen
Username: Wnb
Post Number: 346
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 2:19 pm: |
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Lake Wallenpaupack is only really crowded on the holiday weekends. Memorial Day is usually crappy weather... July 4th the lake is wall to wall idiots who don't know how to boat... Labor Day is pretty much the same. Any other time is wonderful... and if you happen to be able to be up there on a weekday... any weekday... it's simply heavenly. Having your own place, you're more likely to spend a weekday there, especially if you have the option to do the occasional telecommute!
I always go back and forth as to whether it's better to mention Wallenpaupack or not... my biggest fear is it becomes too popular!
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WendyP
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3311
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 2:42 pm: |
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wnb, I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed already!
Don't know how long you've been going there--and where is your place by the way--but I've been going since the late 70's. There has been SO MUCH development up there since we first started going. I think I recently heard that every last available piece of lakefront property has been built on (leaving only park land no touched), so hopefully we've reached saturation level in that regard.
Like I said, I sure hope one day they see fit to put limitations on the size of boats and motors allowed on the lake. I think it would help a great deal. |
Yossarian
Citizen
Username: Yossarian
Post Number: 353
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 3:22 pm: |
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I doubt you'll ever see a restriction on motor size. Hard to take that away once it's in place, and the recreational boaters make up a huge portion of the tax revenue, I would think. They are the ones who would suffer if motor size was limited. (In Jersey many of our lakes are restricted to electric motors only or 9.9 hp gas engines. Of course, that's a by-product of the size of the lake, mostly. Hopatcong is our biggesst lake, and it's unrestricted and a mess (and a weedy mess at that.)
We go to Lake George a lot. It's a longer hike (3.5 hrs from here), which just about puts it too far away for a vacation home. But boy is it nice. The water is gin clear. There are miles of undeveloped shoreline, and if you stick to the northern basin, there is no issue with boat traffic at all.
Just curious, does anyone know how large "the 'pak" is, either in acerage or miles?
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Yossarian
Citizen
Username: Yossarian
Post Number: 354
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 3:40 pm: |
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Just saw that Wallenpaupak is 5,700 acres and 13.5 miles long. And it's supposed to have campsites as well. Anyone ever check them out? |
WendyP
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3313
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 3:52 pm: |
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And the lake has 52 miles of shoreline.
Yes, it does have "campsites", on of which is close to our house (but not too close, luckily). Not much of a "camper" but if I were I would probably not choose one of these places. They're packed and loud and you're pretty much "camping" right on top of someone else. Some folks park thier little RV's for the whole summer. |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 477
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 3:57 pm: |
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What does Lakefront property sell for in PA (2-3 BR cottages within 2 hours of here)? Have always been curious how it compares to the places in upstate NY.
A couple of my relatives have had property on Arrowhead Lake, which seems like a wonderful community, and is an hour away. But they were 100 yards or so off of the lake, and they basically have not gone up in value in over 20 years.
I ask this, not because I'm interested in investing, etc, but I was wondering if that meant there was a big difference between lakefront properties, and everything else, because maybe there's still tons of room to build??? |
WendyP
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3316
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 4:04 pm: |
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Well, actually there are three campsites then (there may be more) the two you mentioned--Ledgedale is at the river end, and the Wilsonville by the dyke and then the one by our house, which is Capri. There's a marina there too. If you have a boat you may have gassed up there. It's right around the bend from the "million dollar house" if you heard anything about that. |
MM
Citizen
Username: Melandmike
Post Number: 83
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 11:00 am: |
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What's it like during the fall and winter- calm and idyllic? A place for a nice getaway? We called the realtor you mentioned and are hoping to get some pricing info? Know anyhting about the Lake naomi area? It seems a bit closer driving wise? |
WendyP
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3317
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 11:46 am: |
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MM, any day other than a summer weekend day is calm and idyllic? "Off-season" as in fall, winter, spring it is beyond calm and idyllic. Some days you could hear a pin drop on the leaf cover in the woods. We close the house down during the winter as it's not really worth paying to heat it. We'll open again around Easter and we generally close late October, early November.
Don't know anything about Lake Naomi, sorry. |
wnb
Citizen
Username: Wnb
Post Number: 350
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 1:59 pm: |
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There is nothing finer than taking a moonlit boat ride out on the lake. The bass fishers stick to the shoreline, you can just go out, cut the motor, kill the running lights (anchor light on of course!), and chill.
Almost any weekday is the same... that whole big lake pretty much to yourself. Lots of coves to explore.
Pennsylvania Power & Light owns the lake and all the shoreline. They maintain strict standards regarding cutting of trees and introduction of non-native plants. So when you're on the water, in spite of development, it still appears very woodsy in most parts. Some areas seem to have grandfathered the right to clear cut and they stick out like sore thumbs!
Really the only time it is tremendously crowded are the holiday weekends, and even then, I'll take a bad day at the lake over a good day almost anywhere else!
Wendy, our place is up near the dam, and we bought it in the spring of 2000.
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WendyP
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3323
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 2:23 pm: |
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Smarty, missed your post somehow. Lakefront property on Wallenpaupak ain't cheap.
Check out the Davis R. Chant website I provided above. Just looked there and it seems a crappy 3 bedroom lakefront w/attached garage (whoop-de-doo, it's ugly as sin) is running $680,000. A newer 4 bedroom three bath lakefront is $825,000. And a spectacular 5500 square foot timber frame lodge with 6 bedrooms and 4.5 baths on the lakefront is $1,800,000!
Funny to think my father purchased our lakefront property for something like $20,000!
wnb, can't think of anything "by" the dam. Are you off route 6 or 507? We're off 590, pretty much opposite where you are, I'm guessing. Right across from Epply Island. |
John Caffrey
Citizen
Username: Jerseyjack
Post Number: 131
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 2:45 pm: |
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Consider the Delaware River. We have riverfront property and love it. Yeh, we had our first flood last year but it's still worth it.
JC |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 490
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 4:18 pm: |
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John, where along the Delaware? Is there any swimming that's safe in the river? How pricey is it? Any lodging that you can recommend for weekend getaways to try it out? |
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