At 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 16, a Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway train will leave Jim Thorpe on the same route it ran all fall, up the Lehigh River past Glen Onoko to Old Penn Haven. This time the round trip will take 70 minutes instead of 45. The 45-minute Autumn Leaf schedule ends on Sunday, Nov. 15, and the longer ride comes back the next morning.
Several things change on that same Monday. The borough's weekend traffic pattern in the Heights covers Oct. 23 through Nov. 16. The overflow parking lots finish on Nov. 15. Starting Nov. 27, the railroad runs Santa trains. That leaves 11 days in the middle of November when the festival measures are gone, the holiday ones haven't started, and most of what makes Jim Thorpe worth a Saturday is still open.
Trick-or-treat in the borough is Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. The rest of this post is about the weeks after it.
Same track, 25 more minutes
The railroad calls its winter-shoulder service the "Regular Schedule." It runs Monday, Nov. 16, through Thursday, Nov. 26. The ticket calendar shows three departures on each of those days, at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. That's fewer trains than in October. Autumn Leaf weekdays had departures at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. In exchange, each trip is longer.
The railroad describes the ride as a narrated 16-mile round trip on the Reading & Northern mainline. It runs from Jim Thorpe to Old Penn Haven, past Glen Onoko at the southern edge of Lehigh Gorge State Park, with the Lehigh River beside the tracks most of the way. The 45-minute fall trip went to Old Penn Haven too. The longer ride covers the same gorge at a slower pace.
Fares on the Nov. 16 change date:
| Car | Adult | Child, 3 to 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard coach | $25 | $9 |
| Open-air | $28 | $10 |
| Crown Class | $27 starting 11/16, up from $25 | $10 |
| Vista dome | $35 starting 11/16, up from $32 | $21 |
| First-Class Lounge, weekends and select holidays | $54 | $45 |
Standard coach costs the same as it did all fall, so a family in standard seats gets 25 extra minutes for the same money. The premium cars go up on the same day the ride gets longer. Children 2 and under ride free. The railroad says open-air cars after Nov. 15 depend on the weather. If you want the open car in late November, check the forecast before you go.
Two railroad rules still apply after the season ends. Same-day tickets are sold only in person at the Jim Thorpe ticket booth. Advance phone sales close at 5 p.m. the day before, and online sales close at midnight. The railroad also asks riders to arrive at least an hour early to park, and it points out that Carbon County owns and controls all parking in town, not the railroad.
The Heights and the parking lots go back to normal at the same time
For anyone who lives in town, the parking and traffic changes land the same week as the new train schedule.
The borough's fall notice puts the festival traffic pattern in the Heights on weekends only, from Oct. 23 through Nov. 16. The overflow lots wind down over the same few weeks. Immaculate Conception Parish serves as a lot through Nov. 1. The West Broadway overflow lot runs Nov. 1, Nov. 7 and 8, and Nov. 14 and 15, then stops. So the weekend of Nov. 14 and 15 is the last one with festival measures in place. The following weekend, Nov. 21 and 22, the town runs on its normal rules and the 70-minute trains are running.
The normal rules are worth knowing. The main Carbon County lot charges $8 a day on weekdays and $25 a day on weekends and holidays, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Borough meters run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a five-hour limit, and the stretch of W. Broadway marked with red signs is reserved for residential permit holders. That $8 weekday rate is one reason a weekday train between Nov. 16 and Nov. 25 costs less overall than a weekend trip.
The borough also has its own fall work to finish in these weeks. Leaf collection runs Nov. 2 through 20, so it ends a few days after the traffic pattern lifts. Electronics and tire recycling is Saturday, Nov. 7, from 7 to 11 a.m. Leaves go to the curb, the old television goes on the 7th, and by Thanksgiving week the borough's fall chores are done. After that comes winter, and the borough has a new building for it. Times News reported that the borough opened a 26,000-square-foot, nine-bay public works garage at 701 W. Broadway in July, with more space for salt and cinder storage.
What stays open on weekends
The fall end date isn't the same everywhere. Each attraction cuts back on its own schedule, and several are open through the whole 11-day window.
- Asa Packer Mansion, Packer Hill Avenue. Open Saturdays and Sundays all November and the first two weekends of December, weather permitting. Grounds open at 11 a.m., the last tour leaves by 3:30 p.m., and the grounds close at 4:15 p.m.
- Old Jail Museum, 128 West Broadway. Weekend tours in November from noon to 4 p.m. December depends on the weather and is listed as "To Be Determined." Weekday tours need a reservation, and the museum is closed Wednesdays.
- Pocono Biking, 7 Hazard Square. Open through November and most of December on reduced hours, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. In December it closes Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Rentals stop an hour before closing.
Put together, a Saturday on Nov. 21 could include a mansion tour, the jail museum in the afternoon and a 3 p.m. train, all without the traffic pattern or overflow lots. Nov. 21 and 22 is the only weekend that falls after the festival measures end and before the Santa trains start.
Rafting is finished for the year, at least on dam-release days. Jim Thorpe River Adventures' 2026 release schedule ended Oct. 9 and 10.
Evenings at the Opera House and the library
After dark in November, most of the town's calendar is at the Mauch Chunk Opera House. Its posted November lineup includes Meet Loaf, Back in Black, Chloe Kimes, John Németh, The Last Waltz Celebration, ADRENALIZE, Soulshine, Harvest Jam and Reality Bites, and most shows start at 8 p.m. Show dates run from Friday, Nov. 6, to Saturday, Nov. 28, with one on Wednesday, Nov. 25, the night before Thanksgiving. Ticket prices are on each show's listing.
Dimmick Memorial Library has a quieter set of November events. The LGBTQ+A group meets Nov. 4, chair yoga is Nov. 10, Coaltown Crafters gather Nov. 12, and the silent book club meets Nov. 19. Nov. 19 falls in the middle of the 11-day window, which makes it an easy weeknight on the calendar.
Then four holiday dates arrive close together
The quiet window ends when the Santa trains start, and the holiday events that follow come in quick succession.
- Friday, Nov. 27. The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway starts Santa trains, departing at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. They run Nov. 27 through 30, then on listed December dates through Dec. 24. Standard coach is $25 for adults and $9 for children.
- Tuesday, Dec. 1. The 5th Annual Festival of Trees at Memorial Park, 5:30 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 4. The tree lighting at Josiah White Park at 6 p.m., with the high school band, cheerleaders and chorus, and Santa's arrival. The Opera House has Twelve Twenty-Four on stage Dec. 4 and 5.
- Saturday, Dec. 5. Olde Time Christmas begins and runs the weekends of Dec. 5 and 6, 12 and 13, and 19 and 20. It brings Victorian decorations downtown, carolers, train rides, holiday shopping, horse-and-carriage rides and free family activities. Some activities, food and parking cost extra, and the full schedule is expected closer to the event.
The Opera House stays busy through December too, with Kathleen Parks on Dec. 10, Trixy Valentine on Dec. 11, Rock This Town Orchestra on Dec. 12, Magnolia Boulevard on Dec. 18, Nyke Van Wyk & Friends on Dec. 19 and Tartan Terrors on Dec. 20. The Asa Packer Mansion's last weekends of the year line up with the first two Olde Time Christmas weekends, and then it closes for the season.
Laid out by date, the stretch from Nov. 16 to Nov. 26 has the longer train ride, normal parking rules and most attractions still open on weekends, without festival measures or holiday crowds. If you want the 70-minute ride on a weekday at the $8 parking rate, book the 11 a.m. train on any weekday from Nov. 16 through Nov. 25.
Cass Chies has watched Jim Thorpe's calendar shift like this for more than twenty years, and she's always glad to talk through what's on in town, whether it's an Opera House show or a quiet weekday train. If you have questions about Jim Thorpe this season or down the road, Diamond 1st Real Estate is happy to help. Let's Connect.
