McDade Recreational Trail

The McDade Recreational Trail is a 32 mile trail that is part of the Deleware Water Gap National Recreation Area between Pennasylvania and New Jersey. It is a bit hilly but most inclines are short. There are a couple of gaps in the trail. Overall I would say it makes for a nice visit but would probally not return over and over again.

For more information visit the National Park Service website. If you decide to visit this trail you should allow some time before or after your ride to check out some of the beautiful waterfalls in the area. Dingman's Falls are very close but there are others.

Lost Coast

A remote and undeveloped stretch of the Pacific coast in Northern California this scenic drive has spectacular views and almost no cars. I rode this stretch of road near Ferndale, CA as part of an organized bicycle trip with Bicycle Adventures, their Northern California Tour.

Buffalo Valley Rail Trail

Buffalo Valley Rail Trail is a 9 mile trail between Lewisburg and Mifflinburg, PA. The trail opened for public use in November of 2011. The trail traverses mostly agricultural lands and is remarkable flat and straight. There are a significant number of road crossings but almost all are private driveways with very good visibility. Users are asked to respect privacy and not to photograph the local residents.

For more information visit the website dedicated to the trail. Alternately, visit the Facebook page for users of the trail.




See a video of one of my rides on this trail here: https://youtu.be/9USAwhZn78A

Lackawanna Heritage Trail

This is a very nice, long trail that runs from Scranton, PA to the New York state line. When completed this trail will extend about 70 miles. The vision is to connect the southern end with the Wyoming Valley Levee Trail. Portions of the trail run along former D&H rail way, some along CNJ right of way and some along former O&W line. Most of the trail is along the Lackawanna River.

The trail is divided into sections. The lower valley section in the area of Taylor is not done. The Scranton section starts on the outskirts of Taylor and into the city of Scranton. Most of this is done and includes paving and other amenities. Part of this section includes the Scranton River Walk. At Olive Street, near the Scranton High School the trail is an unimproved path atop the levee. The next improved section is in Peckville. This is the Mid Valley Section of the trail. Most of the improved trail here is paved and well signed but some gaps exist. As you go north into the Upper Valley section the trail is mostly unimproved right of way. Some of these sections are a bit rough and are best navigated with a fat bike.

The Lackawanna Heritage Valley and others are working hard to fill in gaps and this trail is shaping up to be something special. More and more of this trail is improved each year. As construction progresses, they are doing it right with connections to communities and historic places along the way.

For more about the trail visit the Lackawanna Heritage Valley site. Read carefully because portions of the route are on road meaning the trail has not yet been constructed. The roads are generally not marked with bike lanes and directional signage is hit and miss.

To see a video of my bike ride on the Mid Valley section of the trail visit Mark's Bike Tock YouTube channel. You can also preview the Scranton section here.