Beginning Monday dual sport motorcycle riders will have 20 miles of rocky, challenging trails to ride on 700 acres in Schuylkill County.
"It's a small network, but the trails are, they're challenging, but they're fun. That's what people are seeking, a challenge. They'll like this trail," Karl Myhre said. He rides and is a recreational forester for the Weiser State Forest.
He added there's “some tight sections, steep downhills, and a lot of good scenery.”
In 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) acquired 5,600 acres of land in Schuylkill and southern Luzerne Counties to open the Catawissa Recreation Area.
This week, DCNR announced that the dual sport section will be the first part of the recreation area to open. The second half will feature 109 miles and also be open to ATV and UTV riders.
State representatives gathered in the newly cleared parking area for Catawissa South and the single track's trailhead off Lofty Road in Delano Twp., Schuylkill County.
Single track riding
The 20 miles of single track will be open from sunrise to sunset from May until the end of September.
"Then the rest of the time, you know, people want to come out and hike, ride mountain bikes, hunt, whatever. You know, the track is here to use,” Weiser District Forester Scott Miller said.
The DCNR staff stressed that the southern trails, which are meant for difficult to expert level riders, are only for dual sport motorcycles.
"The trails themselves only lend themselves to single track riding,” Miller said.
The bikes are a mix of a street bike and a dirt bike, Myhre said. They need a headlight, tail light, turn signals, a horn and a license plate.
All dual-sport motorcycles operating on state forest roads and trails must have a valid Pennsylvania registration.
Myhre recommends single cylinder bikes under 500cc for the trails.
Many of the state representatives pointed out that off-road riders often stop to take in the scenery.
"There's a spot we hiked up to on the hill up here that was just an amazing example of geology and a natural forest ecosystem,” Ryan Reed, from the Bureau of Forestry, said.
Myhre has spotted rattlesnakes on his rides.
Eventually DCNR hopes to find a vendor to run the day-to-day operations of the entire recreation area, Miller said.
That vendor would provide and check permits, make sure the trail system is maintained and be there if there is a problem. Miller also hopes the vendor will employ medically trained staff.
DEP’s involvement
To open the second half of the Catawissa Recreation Area, DCNR is working with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Together, the departments will build a road off Oak Ridge Road in Hazle Twp. that will serve as the main public access to the park.
The road will give DEP access to build a mine drainage treatment plant at the headwaters of the Catawissa Creek. There are two mine drainage tunnels — Audenreid and Green Mountain — that pollute the creek, which flows into the Susquehanna River.
"Part of our construction plans is to bring in the utilities, the water, the sewer, you know, and we're gonna share costs between the two agencies,” said Todd Wood, DEP mining engineer manager.
Trash has also been a problem at the site. DCNR is hoping that by opening the trails more people come to care about the area.
The agency is also putting in security measures because, as Miller said, there’s been a culture of dumping on the land.
Staff picked up 16 tons of trash ahead of the trail opening, including beer bottles, automotive body shop waste, diapers, mattresses and construction waste like drywall, tiles, rugs and carpet pieces. They also cleared 5 tons of tires.
"We know that obviously the public generally consists of great people who are all doing the right things, but it just takes a couple to spoil things for everyone else, and we want to make sure that we minimize that to the greatest degree possible,” Reed said.
'Fun times' and 'stress relief'
Reed said Catawissa is just the “tip of the spear” for DCNR to address the infrastructure needs of off-road enthusiasts.
He said they hear loud and clear from the "riding public" that there's not enough opportunities.
"So we try to make sure that we reflect that in not just our work to support that, where possible, and where feasible, and consistent with our conservation mission, but also to encourage others to get involved in that, and to be teammates in that process," he said. "So we're hoping that this serves as a great model for that type of concerted effort, and I think that this is a great first step in doing so.”
Bud Matto owns Matto Cycle in Pottsville. He’s been in the business since the late 1970s. On Wednesday, he unloaded a red Honda dual sport cycle off the back of his truck.
He said the 20 miles are not much for riders. Still, he’s excited about the track.
"Off-road riders are a whole big, fast group of riders. They're not just a bunch of dirt bike guys, they're lawyers, there's businessmen, there's contractors, you name it,” he said. “And all these guys … they're pretty much law-abiding people, and they pay taxes, and they need something to do with their sport too, just like everybody else has sport to do, you know, it's our, it's our fun times, our stress relief, and we just love to do it.”
Before you ride
Permits to ride on the trails must be purchased in person at the Weiser State Forest Resource Management Center at 16 Weiser Lane, Aristes, Columbia County. The office is about 25 miles from the trailhead in Delano Twp.
Permits are $45 for Pennsylvania residents and $65 for out of state residents.
