In rural Sullivan County hiking trails are as spread out as the residents.
"This is a great place to have a family and to raise kids. There's small communities. It's really close knit. Everybody kind of watches out for each other. It's a very safe area to live and there's a lot of outdoor recreational opportunities," said Jessica Pennella, Community Outreach & Project Manager for the Loyalsock Foundation. "But because it's so rural, there's also limitations."
A centralized wellness center, in various forms, has been in the works for the past 18 years. Now the project is coming together trail by trail, grant by grant, donation by donation.
The Sullivan County Recreational Association was formed in 2006 to raise funds for the project, as well as improve other recreational opportunities in the county.
Then in 2019, the association partnered with the Loyalsock Foundation to lay the groundwork for the $20 million Summit: Center for Wellness.
“We don't have an in-ground pool or indoor pool, indoor track. We have a lots of wonderful trails in the county, but some of those are, of course, very aggressive ... or they're not in areas that have cell coverage, which we don't have that much of it," said Mary Blondy, founder and president of the foundation. "So you know, people might be hesitating to to go there if they're older or have a medical condition."
The organization put together about six different pieces of land — 72 acres in total — next to the Sullivan County School District in Laporte. It's the county’s only school district.
In November, the Summit received a $250,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).
The Summit Loop opened in May 2023. It’s a mile trail off state Route 42 with benches.
"We want to make some things that are available to people that are all ages, all abilities," said Blondy, who grew up in Shunk.
The DCNR grant will help to finish the half mile driveway to make accessing the loop easier and create 12 parking spaces.

Then they’ll build a treehouse.
"We call it the landing ... the entire project is ... focusing on the historical lumbering industry in Sullivan County,” said Blondy.
It will be a standalone structure next to the main facility that is designated for educational programs, community meetings, nature exploration, exercise classes and more, according to the foundation. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey secured $457,000 in federal funding for the landing.
"Then the ultimate goal here is to have a building where we have the indoor pool, the indoor track, and facilities for weights, exercise classes, you know, yoga, things like that," Blondy said.
They also have plans for a natural amphitheater and a welcome area and internet access. It will be a place where people can meet with their friends.
The outside amenities will always be accessible for free. The building however will have either a daily, weekly or monthly fee.
Finding land next to the school district was key. Some residents drive 45 minutes to bring their kids to school.

"The parents, if they go and drop them off, it's not like you can run to the the local hardware store or ... do some errands, you kind of are hanging there," said Blondy.
Pennella and her husband both grew up in Sullivan County. They moved away for a while but moved to Shunk to raise their family.
If her children want to participate in sports outside of what the school district offers, they’re driving almost an hour to Williamsport.
"When I took my daughter when she was a baby for swimming lessons. We drove 45 minutes every Saturday for eight weeks,” she said. "So just having something like this in the county ... I think it's just going to add to the benefits of living in a rural area and raising a family here."
This is also a key time for outdoor recreation in Pennsylvania. The state is investing in it. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration created an office of outdoor recreation and an action plan to grow the industry across the commonwealth.
Shapiro’s administration also launched a new tourism brand to promote Pennsylvania as “The Great American Getaway.”
“We have so many great natural resources in Sullivan County in particular,” Pennella said. “For years, we've had a lot of people who have cabins in this area. They come to hunt, they come to fish, they come to hike. And so I think our project does align with that emphasis on outdoor recreation. And I think it's just going to be something else that draws people into the county."