About this spot
Choke Creek Falls is a 20-foot two-tier waterfall in the Thornhurst Tract of Pinchot State Forest, straddling the Lackawanna-Luzerne county line. A flat, roughly 0.7-mile hike from an unmarked Phelps Road pull-off leads to a rock-ledge plunge pool where local kids swim and jump; a rope swing and makeshift board ladder are rigged into a streamside tree for the adventurous. Water depth and flow vary sharply with rainfall and season, so check the pool before jumping — submerged rocks and shifting depth are the hazard that matters here. The site sits on public state forest land with no posted swimming ban, though it's remote and unsupervised. Informal camping with existing fire rings is common nearby; practice Leave No Trace.
Safety first. Cliff jumping is inherently dangerous and can cause serious injury or death. Conditions — water depth, submerged hazards, and access — change constantly. CliffScout is community-sourced reference information, not a guarantee a spot is safe. Always assess the conditions yourself before jumping, and never jump where you're unsure. You assume all risk.