Читать книгу Rail-Trails Pennsylvania. The definitive guide to the state's top multiuse trails онлайн

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At about 10.2 miles along the trail in Union Dale, at the corner of South Main Street and Norton Hill Boro Street, you’ll reach a trailhead with parking and a portable restroom. Also at this location are an original D&H pusher caboose, under renovation (expected to be complete by summer 2020), and the office for the Rail-Trail Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania, which manages the trail. Stop in for trail information, or grab a sandwich at the deli next door (open 6 a.m.–6 p.m.; closed Wednesdays).

Continuing north, the route passes through the rural areas of Herrick and Burnwood, where stone walls line the route. You’ll pass three lakes before reaching Ararat at about 19 miles; this is the high point of the trail’s grade, which can be challenging. An ADA-accessible trail ramp is located near the Ararat Road trailhead. Here many trail users opt to turn around and enjoy the downgrade back to Forest City or Simpson.

North of the Ararat Road trailhead, the trail surface reverts to original cinder, which has been graded with drainage improvements and is conducive to mountain biking. The route makes a sharp north-south loop before heading east to Thompson, where a seasonal ice cream shop inhabits the only original, still-standing railroad station along the route. North of Thompson, you’ll come to a deep ravine and the former site of a 500-foot railroad bridge that has been removed and replaced with switchback trails on either side of the ravine.