Back Mountain Homes For Sale
The Back Mountain is the region behind the ridge that forms the northwest wall of the Wyoming Valley. It takes in six townships, Dallas, Kingston, Lehman, Jackson, Lake and Franklin, and two boroughs, Dallas and Harveys Lake, along with the villages of Shavertown, Trucksville, Huntsville and Pikes Creek. Roughly 33,000 people live across its 118 square miles, close enough to commute to Wilkes-Barre on Route 309 but far enough out to have lakes, state parks, farms and real elbow room.
Housing is just as varied: 1950s and 60s ranches along Route 309 in Shavertown and Trucksville, newer subdivisions around Dallas, century-old farmhouses with acreage in Lehman and Franklin, and lakefront cottages and year-round homes around Harveys Lake. Button Real Estate has sold homes in every one of these communities.
Homes for Sale in the Back Mountain
The Back Mountain Communities
- Dallas Borough and Dallas Township are the center of the region, with the Dallas School District campus, Misericordia University and most of the area’s shopping. See our Dallas guide.
- Kingston Township (Shavertown and Trucksville) is the gateway to the Back Mountain, the first stretch of Route 309 past the valley, with about 7,100 residents and Frances Slocum State Park in its northeast corner.
- Harveys Lake Borough wraps around the lake itself. Route 415 circles the shore, and the borough of about 2,800 keeps traces of its early-1900s resort era in its cottages and boathouses.
- Lehman Township is hills, forest and farmland with the villages of Lehman, Huntsville and Meeker, and is home to Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s 54-acre campus at Hayfield House.
- Jackson, Lake and Franklin Townships are the quietest parts of the region: rural roads, ponds such as Lake Louise and Lake Catalpa, and larger parcels.
Schools
Two districts cover the Back Mountain. The Dallas School District serves Dallas Borough, Dallas Township, Kingston Township and Franklin Township. The Lake-Lehman School District serves Harveys Lake, Lehman, Jackson, Lake and Ross Townships. Which side of the line a house sits on is one of the first things our agents check for buyers with school-age children.
Outdoors and community life
Harveys Lake, at 621 acres and up to 102 feet deep, is Pennsylvania’s largest natural lake by volume and offers swimming, boating and fishing. Frances Slocum State Park adds 1,035 acres, a 165-acre lake, camping and 9 miles of trails. The Back Mountain Trail runs 7 miles along a former railroad grade, and the eastern section of Ricketts Glen State Park lies just beyond the region in Ross Township. The Lands at Hillside Farms in Shavertown, the Luzerne County Fair in Dallas each September and the Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction each July are the fixtures on the local calendar.
Getting to work
Route 309 is the spine of the region and the main route into Wilkes-Barre; Routes 415, 118 and 29 connect the townships. From Dallas, downtown Wilkes-Barre is about 9 miles by car and Scranton about 26 miles via Interstate 81.
Market snapshot
In September 2026 Redfin reported a three-month median sale price of about $325,000 in Dallas and about $315,000 in Harveys Lake, where recent sales ranged from small cottages under $200,000 to lakefront homes above $1 million. Lakefront and near-lake properties carry flood and shoreline considerations that an experienced local agent will walk you through. For a current number on any Back Mountain home, request a market analysis.
Nearby communities
Continue to Dallas, Kingston, Forty Fort or Wilkes-Barre, or browse all the communities we serve. Questions about a Back Mountain property? Contact us or call (570) 715-7700.