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This section is focused on documenting the following:
  • Adventure Opportunities & Destinations
  • Trails
  • Campsites
  • Watercraft Put-Ins/Take-Outs
  • Local Info, Highlights & Lore
  • Local Regulations & Local Insight

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Ricketts Glen State Park

Main Draws: Hiking and Natural Scenic Area

Seasons: Spring, Summer Fall. Winter closed to all but properly equipped ice climbers.



General Area Description: Located in North Central Pennsylvania, Ricketts Glen State Park occupies nearly 14,000 acres of old growth forests spanning three Pennsylvania Counties. Within it's boundaries resides the Glen Natural Area the hallmark of which is the spectacular Falls Trails that follows the course of roaring crick that spots waterfall after waterfall. A total of 22 falls cascade along the course of the Fall trails, the largest dropping 94' in height. Ricketts Glen can be found East of the town of Williamsport...

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Access to the Falls Trail can be found off from Route 118, the Lake Rose Trail Head Parking (the shortest way in) or form the trail head at the Beach Parking Lot 2 in the State Park. The best time to hike the trail is as early in the morning as possible. Once lunch time rolls around, campers roll out of the State Park and the trail fills up rapidly. As the trail is rated difficult you can find yourself dealing with marginally prepared or physically fit people struggling on the trail. From the DCNR's trail description of the Falls trails...

Falls Trail: 7.2 miles, most difficult hiking
The full loop of this trail is 7.2 miles if hiking both the upper and lower sections. To see most of the waterfalls, a 3.2-mile loop can be taken by going on Highland Trail and the Glen Leigh and Ganoga Glen sides of the trail. The trails follow along 21 beautiful waterfalls ranging in heights from 11 feet to 94 feet. The scenery is well worth the effort, however, the terrain is rocky, can be slippery and descends steeply on both the Ganoga and Glen Leigh sides. Hikers should take extra precautions with trail conditions, wear proper footwear, stay on the trail and be in good physical condition.


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Resources: Here's a teaser video...[video]https://youtu.be/HZ3E_M3RnJU?list=UUop-u7-nGfVPWsIATgkVTVQ[/video]. Info for the hike and for amenities offered at the State Park can be found here.

Bonus: Located in the area is an old ice pond that was used back in the day for harvesting ice for ye oldy ice houses. It takes a bit of exploring to find but its a nice drive in the woods...

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Here's a right-up for the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area in Pennsylvania I did. It might be a little too detailed, but I added a little more than usual since it is an pay-to-use off-road park.

I finally got the opportunity to get up to the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) in Coal Township, Pennsylvania. Opening to the public in May 2014, AOAA is now operating a motorized trail system to accommodate all forms of off-road vehicles, including ATV's, side-by-side's, dirt bikes, and of course full size vehicles. The park's trail head and office is located at 4100 PA Route 125, Coal Township, PA, 17866, which is about 125 miles (2 1/2 hours) from Philadelphia, 175 miles (3 hours) from New York City, and 70 miles (1 1/4 hour) from Harrisburg, PA. As of my visit, Phase 1 of the overall project was open to the public, giving guests access to 6,500 acres of area to explore. Just recently Phase 2 began, which will add an event area complete with a parking lot separate from the main office, a event pavilion, and bathrooms. But, more on that when it all opens up.

Make sure to keep an eye on their main website and their Facebook page for up to date infomation:


Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area Website: http://www.anthraciteadventure.com/aoaa/


Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AnthraciteAdventure?fref=ts


The entrance for the park off of Rt-125 is well marked. A nice curved paved road takes you back to the parking area and the trail head office. There is plenty of parking in a very large, level, and clean lot, with about 1/3 of the lot being paved and 2/3 crushed and well-graded stone. It was actually nice to be able to air down and disconnect without being in the dirt and mud. Silly, I know, but it's the little things...
IMG_3822.JPG.3e347ccec1b4ed088edd42e34dbf6104.JPG

Provided in the lot are porta-pots and foot pump sinks, all fairly clean and under a little structure to provide some shade.
A short walk from the parking area is the trail head office.
IMG_3820.JPG.00cb9fdb0c409eb67505c0027ad3cf82.JPG


The office staff were very friendly. I met Dave, who is the Director of Operations of AOAA. He was glad to see us come to the park and had saw we were coming up through Instagram and provided us with a secondary map showing the full size vehicle trails by trail rating. Check-in was very painless and the paperwork is very simple to complete. But, it is highly advised to visit the AOAA website before going to fill out your waiver online and print your application to speed up the process. Forms and the online smart waiver can be found here: http://www.anthraciteadventure.com/aoaa/Recreation/Motorized.aspx For those of you who forget to carry cash, they do take credit and debit. Rates for full size rigs are $30.00 for one day, $45.00 for two days, and $55.00 for three days. A seasonal pass is also an option for $160.00. The Office does also have a classroom style area, public flush bathrooms with running water, some AOAA swag to purchase, and some local area information brochures.


Once everyone was checked in, aired down, and disconnected, it was time to hit the trails. From the maps provided and information gathered at the office, we learned that the trails are set up like a "spiderweb". At this point, the intersections between these trails are marked and labeled on the trail maps. The lower marker numbers indicate you're closer to the trail head office, the higher marker numbers indicate you're further away. (for future reference, the way to the trails is at the back corner of the crushed gravel parking lot, leading out past the old steam shovel bucket).


Main Trail Map


Full Size Map with Difficulty Levels



The Trails

As you can see by the above map, there's a lot of green trails in the Eastern Reserve. While basic, they were enough features to keep everything fun. Finding our way around did prove a little challenging once we got deeper into the park. While the main intersections are marked and you can reference your location on the map by the marker numbers, we did find ourselves on quite a few dead ends. While this would be no problem with an ATV, turning around 7 Jeeps became a pain. As the park grows and gets a little older, I'm sure a lot of this will improve. The blue trails we covered provided just enough pucker factor for all of us to enjoy. We only covered one black trail, the hill climb which is black going up, green going down. There were offshoot trails in that same climb area that were blue, double black, and a ridiculous looking red.


Of the trails now available, the best way I can describe the park is this; If you are fine with running green and blue trails all day with hitting the occasional difficult obstacle, you will have a blast at AOAA. If you are running 40" tires and are just looking to run black and red rock gardens and features, you most likely want to stick to Rausch Creek until the Phase 2 trails open up. You do have the ability to run a bigger group at AOAA. It is open enough to not loose track of everyone and no real issues with trail traffic. We only came across one group of Land Rovers, about the same size as our group, and were easily able to pass on by. Some of the trails we did run could easily become more difficult by going back in the opposite direction, and I plan on doing that on the next trip.


Some photos and video from the trails
IMG_3835.JPG.0293dbe0b6310fe9af02e75762116c04.JPG

Steeper than it looks in photos ^^
44c54bd7411831781a7933429f9e3243.jpg

96cbcafd69abbb56e39bfca0abb64ba8.jpg
548cab5fe90a34076dde278138d55ef6.jpg
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Area Information


Air


As of now, AOAA does not offer an air compressor for airing up your tires. Make sure to bring your own source of air to fill up before leaving the park. You are going to want to air up and re-connect your sway bar links before hitting the roads. Their are a lot of hilly curved roads with high speed limits you need to take leaving the park, even to get to camp.

Camping


As of now, AOAA does not provide on-site camping. There is a privately owned campground about 5 miles away from the trail head called Earthday Campground. More information on Earthday Campground can be found here: http://www.earthdaycampground.com

Gasoline


The closest gas station is at a Turkey Hill Market, located at 140 West Lincoln Street, Shamokin, PA 17872. From the AOAA park, turn right on Rt 125 and keep following all the Rt 125 markers for about 3 miles. The Turkey Hill will be on your right at an intersection, with a tight triangle shaped lot.

Diesel Fuel


The closest diesel to the park that I was able to find, I spotted on my way in to the park when fueling up. There is a Shell Gas Station / Pheasant Run Minute Mart located at 2878 Fairgrounds Road (Rt 901), Ashland, PA 17921. It is 10.1 milles (13 minutes) from the AOAA trail head.

Food / Ice / ATM


As of now, the Turkey Hill Market seems to be the closest location to AOAA. Follow the directions under Gasoline.


More information to follow as I take more trips to AOAA.
 
Here's a right-up for the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area in Pennsylvania I did. It might be a little too detailed, but I added a little more than usual since it is an pay-to-use off-road park.

I finally got the opportunity to get up to the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) in Coal Township, Pennsylvania. Opening to the public in May 2014, AOAA is now operating a motorized trail system to accommodate all forms of off-road vehicles, including ATV's, side-by-side's, dirt bikes, and of course full size vehicles. The park's trail head and office is located at 4100 PA Route 125, Coal Township, PA, 17866, which is about 125 miles (2 1/2 hours) from Philadelphia, 175 miles (3 hours) from New York City, and 70 miles (1 1/4 hour) from Harrisburg, PA. As of my visit, Phase 1 of the overall project was open to the public, giving guests access to 6,500 acres of area to explore. Just recently Phase 2 began, which will add an event area complete with a parking lot separate from the main office, a event pavilion, and bathrooms. But, more on that when it all opens up.

Make sure to keep an eye on their main website and their Facebook page for up to date infomation:


Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area Website: http://www.anthraciteadventure.com/aoaa/


Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AnthraciteAdventure?fref=ts


The entrance for the park off of Rt-125 is well marked. A nice curved paved road takes you back to the parking area and the trail head office. There is plenty of parking in a very large, level, and clean lot, with about 1/3 of the lot being paved and 2/3 crushed and well-graded stone. It was actually nice to be able to air down and disconnect without being in the dirt and mud. Silly, I know, but it's the little things...
IMG_3822.JPG.3e347ccec1b4ed088edd42e34dbf6104.JPG

Provided in the lot are porta-pots and foot pump sinks, all fairly clean and under a little structure to provide some shade.
A short walk from the parking area is the trail head office.
IMG_3820.JPG.00cb9fdb0c409eb67505c0027ad3cf82.JPG


The office staff were very friendly. I met Dave, who is the Director of Operations of AOAA. He was glad to see us come to the park and had saw we were coming up through Instagram and provided us with a secondary map showing the full size vehicle trails by trail rating. Check-in was very painless and the paperwork is very simple to complete. But, it is highly advised to visit the AOAA website before going to fill out your waiver online and print your application to speed up the process. Forms and the online smart waiver can be found here: http://www.anthraciteadventure.com/aoaa/Recreation/Motorized.aspx For those of you who forget to carry cash, they do take credit and debit. Rates for full size rigs are $30.00 for one day, $45.00 for two days, and $55.00 for three days. A seasonal pass is also an option for $160.00. The Office does also have a classroom style area, public flush bathrooms with running water, some AOAA swag to purchase, and some local area information brochures.


Once everyone was checked in, aired down, and disconnected, it was time to hit the trails. From the maps provided and information gathered at the office, we learned that the trails are set up like a "spiderweb". At this point, the intersections between these trails are marked and labeled on the trail maps. The lower marker numbers indicate you're closer to the trail head office, the higher marker numbers indicate you're further away. (for future reference, the way to the trails is at the back corner of the crushed gravel parking lot, leading out past the old steam shovel bucket).


Main Trail Map


Full Size Map with Difficulty Levels



The Trails

As you can see by the above map, there's a lot of green trails in the Eastern Reserve. While basic, they were enough features to keep everything fun. Finding our way around did prove a little challenging once we got deeper into the park. While the main intersections are marked and you can reference your location on the map by the marker numbers, we did find ourselves on quite a few dead ends. While this would be no problem with an ATV, turning around 7 Jeeps became a pain. As the park grows and gets a little older, I'm sure a lot of this will improve. The blue trails we covered provided just enough pucker factor for all of us to enjoy. We only covered one black trail, the hill climb which is black going up, green going down. There were offshoot trails in that same climb area that were blue, double black, and a ridiculous looking red.


Of the trails now available, the best way I can describe the park is this; If you are fine with running green and blue trails all day with hitting the occasional difficult obstacle, you will have a blast at AOAA. If you are running 40" tires and are just looking to run black and red rock gardens and features, you most likely want to stick to Rausch Creek until the Phase 2 trails open up. You do have the ability to run a bigger group at AOAA. It is open enough to not loose track of everyone and no real issues with trail traffic. We only came across one group of Land Rovers, about the same size as our group, and were easily able to pass on by. Some of the trails we did run could easily become more difficult by going back in the opposite direction, and I plan on doing that on the next trip.


Some photos and video from the trails
IMG_3835.JPG.0293dbe0b6310fe9af02e75762116c04.JPG

Steeper than it looks in photos ^^
44c54bd7411831781a7933429f9e3243.jpg

96cbcafd69abbb56e39bfca0abb64ba8.jpg
548cab5fe90a34076dde278138d55ef6.jpg
012a7203c657e64ead1f25330eaf95e6.jpg







Area Information


Air


As of now, AOAA does not offer an air compressor for airing up your tires. Make sure to bring your own source of air to fill up before leaving the park. You are going to want to air up and re-connect your sway bar links before hitting the roads. Their are a lot of hilly curved roads with high speed limits you need to take leaving the park, even to get to camp.

Camping


As of now, AOAA does not provide on-site camping. There is a privately owned campground about 5 miles away from the trail head called Earthday Campground. More information on Earthday Campground can be found here: http://www.earthdaycampground.com

Gasoline


The closest gas station is at a Turkey Hill Market, located at 140 West Lincoln Street, Shamokin, PA 17872. From the AOAA park, turn right on Rt 125 and keep following all the Rt 125 markers for about 3 miles. The Turkey Hill will be on your right at an intersection, with a tight triangle shaped lot.

Diesel Fuel


The closest diesel to the park that I was able to find, I spotted on my way in to the park when fueling up. There is a Shell Gas Station / Pheasant Run Minute Mart located at 2878 Fairgrounds Road (Rt 901), Ashland, PA 17921. It is 10.1 milles (13 minutes) from the AOAA trail head.

Food / Ice / ATM


As of now, the Turkey Hill Market seems to be the closest location to AOAA. Follow the directions under Gasoline.


More information to follow as I take more trips to AOAA.
 
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