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EC's Recreational Projects

In 1998, EC completed the Lower Wyoming Valley Open Space Master Plan, which earmarked 10,000 of EC's 16,300 acres for recreational and/or conservation purposes. The plan's goal was to create a network of open space and recreational opportunities throughout the Lower Wyoming Valley, while complementing existing and future open space/greenspace projects throughout the region.

The plan proposed 55 miles of hiking and biking trails; six parks; one golf community; 6,694 acres of conservation lands; 4,258 acres of open space; and, a 37-mile scenic drive through the Wyoming Valley.

Completion of this plan will take years, however, EC has initiated several of the proposals, with some already completed.

The Mocanaqua Loop Trail

On June 7, 2003, National Trails Day, EC held a Grand Opening for its Mocanaqua Loop Trail in Conyngham Township.

The Mocanaqua Loop contains four individual looping trails that together comprise about 9 miles of varying terrain along the northern reach of Penobscot Mountain. The four loops all take users along a natural trail that traverses the mountainside, as well as the ridgetop area, where there are several scenic overlooks.

Click Here to get a printable copy of the Mocanaqua Loop Trail map.

The trails vary in length from 2 to 8 miles, and 3 of the 4 trails contain physically challenging terrain. All trails are intended for non-motorized uses only.

The trailhead and access to the trails are located in Mocanaqua along the Susquehanna River, near the Shickshinny Water Treatment Plant. Directional signage is present along all four trails, and additional interpretive and informational signage will be posted at the trailhead facility soon.

Located at the trailhead are a restroom, picnic tables and benches, bicycle racks, a water fountain and grills.

To get to the Mocanaqua Loop:

From U.S. Route 11: Turn onto the Shickshinny Bridge (Route 239) going to Mocanaqua and take the first left after crossing the bridge. This will be a short, dead-end street with only a few houses on the left-hand side. The trailhead is located at the end of the street, as well as a parking area.

From Interstate 81: Take Exit 164 (Nanticoke/Ashley -- Old Exit 44), which puts you on Route 29. Take Exit 2 (Wilkes-Barre Alden exit) and turn left onto Middle Road. Follow Middle Road past Luzerne County Community College until you come to a stop sign. Turn left at stop sign. The road will curve to the right (there is a stop sign, but you do not have to stop if proceeding right). You will immediately come to another stop sign. Turn left onto Kirmar Parkway. Follow Kirmar Parkway through Newport Township, Wanamie, Glen Lyon, Lee and Mocanaqua. After entering Mocanaqua, you will come to a stop sign; there is a church on the right. This road becomes Route 239. Proceed straight. Follow Route 239 down a hill; it then curves sharply to the right. After turning right, proceed straight, toward the Shickshinny Bridge. You will drive under a concrete overpass. Make the right turn immediately after the underpass. There will be a few houses on the left and the trail will be straight ahead.

From the Nanticoke area: Follow Middle Road past Luzerne County Community College until you come to a stop sign. Turn left at stop sign. The road will curve to the right (there is a stop sign, but you do not have to stop if proceeding right). You will immediately come to another stop sign. Turn left onto Kirmar Parkway. Follow Kirmar Parkway through Newport Township, Wanamie, Glen Lyon, Lee and Mocanaqua. After entering Mocanaqua, you will come to a stop sign; there is a church on the right. This road becomes Route 239. Proceed straight. Follow Route 239 down a hill; it then curves sharply to the right. After turning right, proceed straight, toward the Shickshinny Bridge. You will drive under a concrete overpass. Make the right turn immediately after the underpass. There will be a few houses on the left and the trail will be straight ahead.

Greater Hanover Area Recreation Park

Youth athletic teams now play sports on reclaimed mine scarred land in Hanover Twp., PA.

Photos courtesy of M. Lukachinsky

Located in Hanover Township, PA, this community recreational area is being built on a 63-acre mine-scarred site that EC is reclaiming in phases and developing into youth athletic fields with additional recreational amenities.

In 2001, EC completed construction on the first phase of this project, which is a 17-acre area offering two regulation-size athletic fields, a basketball court and parking lot. In 2004, the Phase I fields were donated to the Greater Hanover Area Recreation Commission, a non-profit organization formed to own and manage the park.

Work is underway on the second phase, which will offer additional soccer, baseball and softball fields, an access road and parking lots. As the other phases are completed, they will also be donated to the park commission.

Phase II recreation fields have been seeded and must go through another growing season.

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Penobscot Ridge Bike Trail

The Penobscot Ridge Mountain Bike Area encompasses the large reclaimed areas of land to the south of Wanamie and the conservation lands of Penobscot Ridge. The combination of existing trails on the site, interesting vegetation, open fields, wooded areas and non-dangerous mine features make mountain biking an ideal low-impact interim use for the site.

The trail includes two trailhead facilities with picnic areas including tables and grills and ample parking are located at either end of the two-mile long trail.

The mountain bike area consists of a main trunk trail suitable for families, which has easy to moderate bicycling opportunities. The second technical trail provides a more challenging ride, which would be suitable for experienced mountain bike trail riders.

Acreage of the entire reclaimed area is 1,557 acres. The project was completed in November 2005. A trail map will be available to download shortly.

From Route 29 (North Cross Valley)

· Take Exit 2 (Middle Road)

· Turn left at end of ramp onto Middle Road and follow until it ends at stop sign

· Turn left at stop sign and follow road bearing right until next stop sign

· Turn left at next stop sign onto Kirmar Parkway

· Follow Kirmar Pkwy for approximately ¾ mile to Regional Equipment Center on right

· Trailhead One parking is on right just before Regional Equipment Center

· To access Trailhead Two parking, travel an additional ½ mile along Kirmar Parkway

· Turn left onto Brown Row

· Trailhead Two is ¼ mile on right

Sugar Notch Hiking Trail

EC is planning a hiking/bicycling trail that will travel between Sugar Notch and the Greater Hanover Area Recreation Park. The planned trail will traverse the wooded terrain of the Sugar Notch Residential Development, currently in the reclamation phase, and continue into the recreation park, which is nearing completion in Hanover Township. The trail will have trailheads in Sugar Notch and in the recreation park, with ample parking, picnic tables, grills and bicycle racks. This trail project provides a recreational trail for users and an alternative means to get from Sugar Notch Borough to the recreation park. It will enhance the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists moving through the park, into the residential development and into Sugar Notch by giving an alternative safe route for recreation and travel. When completed, the trail will make an ideal site for bicycle safety training programs because of its location within a recreation park dedicated to youth athletics and in a residential development. Construction is expected to begin during the summer or early fall.

Ashley Planes Heritage Park

The Ashley Planes are one of Luzerne County’s most significant historic sites because of their significance to America’s engineering and transportation history and their important role in Pennsylvania’s anthracite industry. For that reason, the Planes were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Built in 1848, they were the primary means of transporting millions of tons of anthracite from the floor of the Wyoming Valley up and over Wilkes-Barre Mountain and on to White Haven.

A series of steep inclined planes were used to move coal from Huber Breaker in Ashley on to markets across the state and up and down the east coast. The Planes secured Luzerne County’s place as a significant contributor to the local and regional economy until the 1940s, when their use was phased out because of the need for costly repairs and the impending use of diesel engines.

For nearly 50 years, the 400-acre area remained dormant. In 1998, Earth Conservancy’s Lower Wyoming Valley Open Space Master Plan, proposed the creation of an Ashley Planes Heritage Park, which would open the site for hiking, cycling, picnicking and educational opportunities.

EC's goal is to revitalize the Planes' area as a natural and historic site with an interpretive trail that incorporates the natural features of the area, as well as the historic ruins. The project began in 1999 with partnerships formed between EC, Luzerne County, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Penn DOT and the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L).