Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority

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TRAILS & GREENWAYS

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Take the Greenway & Trail Survey Today

Help LHVA to develop the Lackawanna Greenway and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to better meet your needs! Please complete this survey so LHVA knows what is important to you.

The survey can be completed anonymously. However, if you enter your contact information, you will receive updates about the trail and will be entered into a raffle to win a $25 gift card from Battaglia's Sporting Goods in Scranton, PA. Contact information will be registered separately from survey responses, and all responses will remain confidential. Only one survey per person, but please pass the survey along to your family, friends, co-workers, and everyone you know who loves trails!

Click the following link to take the Trail & Greenway Survey. Or copy and paste it into your web browser address bar:
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2jw18ltfxqidxxk/start

The Lackawanna River Heritage Trail (LRHT)

The Lackawanna River Heritage Trail (LRHT) is a forty mile long multi-purpose trail along the Lackawanna River in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It runs from Union Dale in Susquehanna County, through Lackawanna County to the river’s confluence with the Susquehanna River at Duryea and Pittston in Luzerne County.

The LRHT is a wonderful community asset. Many people use the trail throughout the year for walking and jogging, bicycling, enjoying nature, exercising their dog, and fitness activities.

The LRHT has four sections of trail, over twelve miles total, open to the public. The 1.5-mile Scranton Riverwalk will be opening soon! Click on the trail names for a PDF with information about each trail section’s location, parking, and amenities.

Map of the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail

Scranton Central New Jersey Rail-Trail (South Scranton) - 1.0 mile

Mid-Valley Ontario & Western Rail-Trail (Archbald/Blakley/Jessup) – 2.4 miles

New York Ontario & Western Trail (Mayfield/Carbondale Twp) - 0.7 mile

Delaware and Hudson Rail-Trail (click on Rail-Trail Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania website; PDF coming soon!) - 8.5 miles

Coming Soon! Scranton Riverwalk (now under construction) - 1.0 mile

LHVA works with the National Park Service, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Lackawanna County, the Lackawanna River Corridor Association, and the Rail-Trail Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania to develop the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail.

Events on the LRHT

Check out the trail and river events on Google calendar!

The Steamtown Marathon, Riverfest, and the Great NEPA Clean-Up all use the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail. Your group can, too! LHVA encourages organizations to use open sections of the trail for runs/walks, races, group bike rides, trail and river clean-ups, and activities on the Lackawanna River. If you are planning an event on the trail, please complete the Event Registration Form and submit it to:

Stephanie Milewski, RLA, Trail Manager and Environmental Program Officer
Email: smilewski@LHVA.org
Fax: (570) 963-6732

Event Registration Form

Lackawanna Greenway Plan and LRHT Feasibility Study

LHVA is conducting a year-long study of the Lackawanna Greenway and LRHT. During this planning effort, LHVA and the consulting team of Arora and Associates, Campbell Thomas & Co., and Urban Partners will develop a plan for the Lackawanna Greenway; conduct a feasibility study of the entire LRHT; determine the trail route for each undeveloped section of the LRHT with cost estimates; design the trail alignment for the CNJ Rail-Trail Extension in Scranton and Taylor and for the Powdermill Trail in the Mid-Valley; and conduct a public outreach campaign for the study. The study will conclude in spring 2010.

Visit the web page for the Greenway Plan and Trail Feasibility Study.

Volunteer on the Trail!

Volunteers are an important part of the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail! Whether it is helping with the trail survey, lending a hand at events, or pitching in on trail clean-ups, we need you! Please visit the web page for Volunteer Opportunities to learn more about how you can become a part of LHVA’s Ambassadors in Action volunteer corps.

Trail Sections Under Development – PDFs coming soon!

Four sections of the LRHT are in the planning and design stage of development. These sections are not officially open to the public. Some sections have de facto trails that are in use, but the surface is not improved and there are no amenities.

Scranton Central New Jersey Trail Extension - 2.0 miles
LHVA will extend the CNJ Trail from its trailhead on Elm Street in Scranton two miles south to the Borough of Taylor. The trail is in the design phase, with construction anticipated in 2010.

Powdermill Trail - 3.0 miles
The 3.0 mile Powdermill Trail will run from Laurel Street Park in the Borough of Archbald north to Delaware Street in the Borough of Jermyn. The trail development will include construction of the trail along the Lackawanna River and necessary streetscape and sidewalk improvements in Archbald. It is currently under design, and construction is anticipated to begin in 2010.

Scranton Levee Trail - 4.0 miles
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been building a levee system in Scranton as part of a large flood control project. When completed, the Army Corps and LHVA will develop a section of the LRHT on top of the levee from W. Olive Street to Parker Street in Scranton. Currently, the levee is not open to the public. Construction of the trail is anticipated for 2010 and 2011.

Unimproved Trail Sections – 17.5 miles
The remaining trail sections are unimproved. They have not been resurfaced and construction documents have not been completed. Some sections may have an unofficial trail alignment. In many sections, the abandoned rail right-of-way has been encroached upon by structures.