Horse Riding Trails

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RTC of NEPA Trails:
D&H and O&W

by Ms. Lynn Conrad of Rail-Trail Council of Northeastern PA

The Rail-Trail Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania is a non-profit corporation begun in 1991 to purchase local abandoned railbeds. The RTC of NEPA now has 64 miles of trails split between two trails: D&H and O&W. These trails are open to the public for horseback riding.

As the RTC of NEPA relies on volunteers to maintain and improve the trails, please consider volunteering your time to help with the trails. You can provide input and assistance for improving the trails for horses and their riders.

Delaware and Hudson Rail-Trail (D&H)

Map of Rail-Trails of NEPA

The D&H rail-trail runs from the Simpson Viaduct at Route 171 north through Lanesboro to the New York State Border. The D&H passes through: Simpson, Vandling, Forest City, Union Dale, Herrick Center, Burnwood, Ararat, Thompson, Starrucca, Stevens Point, Susquehanna, and Lanesboro. The D&H rail-trail is shown in red on the map to the right.

New York, Ontario and Western Rail-Trail (O&W)

The O&W rail-trail begins in Simpson and runs parallel to the D&H rail-trail for eight miles, with the Lackawanna River often running in between the two trails. The rail-trail goes east to Hancock, NY and the Delaware River. The O&W passes through: Simpson, Vandling, Browndale, Union Dale, Herrick Center, and Orson. The O&W rail-trail is shown in brown on the map to the right.

Equestrian Considerations on the Rail-Trail

Trail access points:

• Forest City D&H Trailhead (off Rte 247, at FC Industrial Park) has room for trailer parking, turn-around and there is extra space along industrial park road.
• Herrick Center Access point (off Rte 374, just west of Rte 171), just pull onto D&H Trail to southern side of Rte 374 and use the large grassy area (big enough for a few trailers to park and turn-around).
• Stillwater O&W access (on Rte 171 across from Stillwater Dam operations) has a grassy strip next to the trail along the road, then goes off into woods. Note: RTC of NEPA does not own this trail, but is in general use by many. There is also the Stillwater Dam parking and overlook.

D&H Notes:

• The three most southern bridges on the D&H out of Simpson are not improved and dangerous. They are not crossable and are blocked off (not owned by the RTC of NEPA).
• The next (4th) bridge is wide, decked with concrete and has iron sides. Suitable for crossing (like crossing a paved street).
• The 5th and 6th bridges, which are north of Forest City, are decked with wood and have side rails. Please dismount to cross.
• The 7th bridge is just south of Thompson and goes over SR 1001. It is decked with wood and has a guardrail for sides. Please dismount to cross.
• The 8th bridge is small, at the bottom of the ravine (former RR high trestle), dismount to cross, or use the stream crossing upstream. This is a ravine area with numerous paths up and down. Going north take path to left for stream crossing. It is steep and rocky near bottom section: use caution. The stream is typically low and easy to cross on horseback. This area has been recently regraded, up is still rough. Note: downstream is a spectacular waterfall.
• The section of trail north of Stevens Point has one newly decked bridge. Please dismount to cross.
• North of this bridge and in Lanesboro are two undecked bridges. This upper section should be avoided on horseback.

O&W Trail Notes

• RTC of NEPA owns the first 8 miles from Simpson to Stillwater.
• There is one unimproved bridge in Browndale (about 4.5 miles up trail). You can use the stream crossing (downstream of bridge)– see path to left going north.
• The O&W from Stillwater north is privately owned, but used by local equestrians. It is more of a wooded path, rough in places with many water holes and puddles.

There are no designated areas for manure, at this time. RTC of NEPA would like to provide a sign at Forest City and Herrick. If anyone could help with this, please contact RTC of NEPA using the Author contact information below.

RATINGS AND COMMENTS

About the Author

Lynn M. Conrad is the only employee of the Rail-Trail Council of NEPA. She works part-time handling the administration of the D&H and O&W Rail-Trails.

Lynn‘s Contact Info
Phone: (570) 785-7245