The Susquehanna Warrior Trail is a The trail has a section that is not connected with the main trail.

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

for bicyclists and

pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, by wheelchair or with other mobility aids. Streets and roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian traffic, called the '' sidewalk'' in North American English, the ''pavement'' in British En ...

s that runs along the west bank of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Luzerne County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeaste ...

. The trail was created in 2005, and opened to the public in 2007. The Susquehanna Warrior Trail has not yet been dedicated. The trail is part of a plan to create a trail network covering all of Luzerne County.

Route description

Susquehanna Warrior Trail near the Pennsylvania Route 239 bridge

The southern section of the Susquehanna Warrior Trail begins on a side road off U.S. Route 11 two or three miles upstream along the Susquehanna River from Wapwallopen. It parallels U.S. Route 11 for 1.4 miles before joining the main section. The main section of the Susquehanna Warrior Trail begins on

U.S. Route 11 U.S. Route 11 or U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway extending across the eastern U.S. The southern terminus of the route is at US 90 in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refu ...

, about south of Shickshinny and 0.2 miles north of the southern section of the trail. The trail parallels US 11 for most of the way. After about , it goes briefly through the streets of Shickshinny before crossing over Shickshinny Creek and exiting Shickshinny. At roughly the mark, the Susquehanna Warrior Trail crosses over Hunlock Creek. The trail's north end is in the Garden Drive-In, about northwest of Nanticoke. The Susquehanna Warrior Trail is between and wide.

History

Historically, there was a Native American footpath where the Susquehanna Warrior Trail is.

From abandoned railway to trail

The Susquehanna Warrior Trail began as the old Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western railroad bed. In 1995, the Pennsylvania Environmental Counsel received grants from the

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), established in 1995, is the agency in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania responsible for maintaining and preserving the state's 124 state parks and 20 state forests; providin ...

and

Luzerne County Luzerne County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeaste ...

to begin planning to convert the old railroad bed into a trail. Three years later, in 1998, the plan was completed and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation of Natural Resources, the

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT ...

, and the Berwick HWF funded the project. Construction of the trail began in 2005. The trail was opened to the public in 2007. The trail was damaged by Tropical Storm Lee in 2011. However, numerous volunteers repaired the damage. The Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology visited the Susquehanna Warrior Trail on June 2, 2013, as part of their annual meeting. As of December 2013, the president of the Susquehanna Warrior Trail is Lance Kittelson.

Possible expansion

It has been proposed that the Susquehanna Warrior Trail could be extended north, as far as Plymouth Township. According to an April 2012 article in the Wilkes-Barre newspaper, ''

Times Leader The ''Times Leader'' is a privately owned newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Founding Founded in 1879, it was locally owned until being purchased by Capital Cities in 1978. Early history On November 27, 1907, the ''Wilkes-Barre Times ...

'', if "everything goes well and funding is available, the trail should be extended sometime in the next year." The trail would continue to follow the old railroad bed past the site of the Avondale Mine Disaster. The trail may even be extended as far north as the intersection of US 11 and the South Cross Valley Expressway, where it will connect with the numerous trails near

Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. ...

. Additionally, in some years the Susquehanna Warrior Trail may be extended as far south as Berwick. Also, there is the possibility of gates being installed to prevent illegal dumping on the Susquehanna Warrior Trail. It was originally intended that the gates would be installed in April 2013, but they have not been installed as of May 6, 2013. The length of the finished trail is expected to be 16 miles one way.

Biology

Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

egret Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...

s, and

heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...

s have been observed on the Susquehanna Warrior Trail, as have other animals, such as

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

Riparian forest A riparian forest or riparian woodland is a forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, Sink (geography), sink, or reservoir. Due to the broad nature of the definitio ...

s and

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

s are located near the Susquehanna Warrior Trail.

Activities

The Susquehanna Warrior Trail supports multiple uses: bicycling, running, and hiking. During the winter, the trail is used for

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

. Since 2008 there has been a

footrace Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...

on the Susquehanna Warrior Trail. The course record for it is 16 minutes and 46 seconds.

Notes

References

External links

Trail map
{{PennsylvaniaRailtrails Rail trails in Pennsylvania Transportation in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 2007 establishments in Pennsylvania Tourist attractions in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania