For two days cyclists will ride 85 miles from Ararat to Berwick along the Northeast Pennsylvania's long-distance trails.
"So really showcasing how connected this trail network is, not only as a transportation hub, but also recreation and a tourism opportunity,” Rachael Stark said. She is program manager for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC).
The ride is called the NEPA Ecotour and will be held on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7. It’s not an overnight cycling trip but rather the 85 miles are split up over two days.
Proceeds benefit PEC.
"What we do statewide kind of varies, but at our core, we really advocate for environmental policy that's grounded in science, and we have a lot of dialog with public, private governmental entities," Stark said. "We're all about outdoor recreation and connecting people to the outdoors and fostering the next generation of stewards.”
The route
On day 1, cyclists will meet at 9 a.m. at the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority’s (LHVA) office, 213 Railroad Ave., Scranton, and will be bussed, along with their bikes, to the D&H Rail Trail in Ararat Twp. in Susquehanna County. From there, they’ll ride 40 miles down the D&H, pick up the Lackawanna Heritage Trail around Fell Twp., stop in Carbondale for lunch and bike to Scranton to end the day around 5 p.m.
KEY LOGISTICAL NOTES
Per the NEPA Ecotour site:
● Riders must get themselves to the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority Office by 9 a.m. on Saturday and to Test Track Park in Berwick by 8 a.m. on Sunday.
● Riders will be shuttled to the start of the route each day and will end at their cars.
The bikes will be stored overnight. Cyclists are invited to a post-ride reception at Groove Brewing in Scranton.
On day 2, cyclists will meet up at 8 a.m. at Test Track Park in Berwick. They will be bussed back to Scranton and reunited with their bikes. They will begin a 45-mile descent along the Heritage Trail, navigate into Pittston then pick up the Luzerne County Levee Trail System. The ride ends on the Susquehanna Warrior Trail.
"We felt the course was a great way to tie in all of the different connected trail routes and an opportunity for people to experience what it's like to bike the entire valley,” said Owen Worozbyt, an avid cyclist and Director of Operations at LHVA.
The route started out as a personal quest for Worozbyt to connect the Lackawanna Heritage Valley and the Wyoming Valley.
"It definitely has the opportunity to show people how you can navigate the entire valley on a bike, whether you are going from Scranton to Wilkes-Barre, or you're going from Carbondale to Scranton," he said.
There will be trail gaps and on-road segments, including a significant one from Taylor to Duryea.
"But this is an opportunity for people to understand that they can navigate from one trail gap to another using current roadway systems. But also ... highlights the gaps that are serious in the system, that we're trying to find alternative possibilities to connect them," Worozbyt said.
Slow and steady
Stark said the ride is mostly downhill.
"We're not trying to zip through here. We're trying to just showcase everything and tour the Lackawanna and Wyoming valleys," she said.
The tour is geared towards both avid cyclists and those just starting off biking.
"It's going to be pretty, pretty medium pace. And then, of course, you know, people who have a stake in this kind of stuff, if we get some, like local municipalities or legislators that want to join in, that would be awesome, because then we could show you some of the areas where we're still lacking those connections," she said.
Stark said they would love to grow the Ecotour to continue highlighting and connecting people to the trail organizations and foster stewardship of the trails.
"We have all of these amazing trails, and a lot of people who live here don't know what they have in their own backyard. So this was just kind of our opportunity to open it up and really start to showcase it to people,” she said.
This is the first year for the NEPA Ecotour and the ride is open to 40 cyclists, who must have their own bikes. Registration is required by Tuesday, May 26.
