Saturday, September 15, 2007
By Larry Walsh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Safe, scenic bicycle touring routes. That’s a goal of the state’s Pedacycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, a little-known group with a says-it-all name that is part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The committee, assisted by experienced bicyclists, bicycle clubs, tourist promotion organizations and planning agencies, have designed the state’s nine BicyclePA routes that use a combination of lesser-used roads and rail trails. PennDOT has spent more than $200,000 to install and maintain signs along the routes.

Route V starts at the Ohio border in Lawrence County and essentially parallels Interstate 80 for 360 miles to the New Jersey border. It is the most recent addition.

It travels through five tourism regions, including sections known as Pennsylvania Wilds, The Alleghenies and Her Valleys and the Northeast Pennsylvania Mountain Region. Attractions along or near the route include Penn’s Cave, the historic towns of Brookville, Lewisburg and Danville — worth a visit — and several state parks.

If you’re looking for a north-south route, try Route G. It begins at the New York border in Lawrenceville in Tioga County and extends 235 miles to the Maryland border in Bedford County. It opened in 1999 and was the first BicyclePA route.

The advisory committee meets quarterly to make sure bicyclists and pedestrians are well represented on a variety of state projects. The committee, working with other groups, was responsible for the recent redesign of Route L in the Allentown area. It extends 225 miles from Susquehanna County to Chester County.

Wear a helmet and bright, reflective clothing. Consider riding with at least one other person. There’s increased visibility in numbers. Recumbent riders should fasten a tall flag on bikes. Familiarize yourself with the route as much as possible. I usually drive it first or ride with someone who has.

For more information, including maps of all BicyclePA routes, go to www.dot.state.pa.us. And for more information about activities and attractions in the tourism regions along BicyclePA routes, go to www.visitpa.com.

Pine Creek addition

Pine Creek Trail, one of the state’s longest and most popular non-motorized, multi-purpose rail trails, has been extended 8 miles from Ansonia to Wellsboro Junction in Tioga County.

State and local officials gathered at the trailhead outside Wellsboro Junction Wednesday to celebrate the opening of the new section, bureaucratically known as “Phase IV.” The 62-mile trail runs through Pine Creek Gorge in Tioga and Lycoming counties.

Michael DiBerardinis, secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said the agency has invested about $7.5 million in Pine Creek Trail, including $1.4 million in Phase IV. Most money came through federal transportation enhancements administered by PennDOT.

The first phase of the trail opened in 1996 on an abandoned railroad bed that parallels Pine Creek in the Pine Creek Gorge, proudly referred to by locals as the “Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.”

DiBerardinis said the trail generates about $5.5 million a year for the local economy, according to a Rails-Trails Conservancy survey that was funded by a DCNR “Growing Greener” grant.

He said eagles, ospreys, herons, turkeys, coyotes, deer, river otters and black bears frequent the gorge. Diverse plant life, scattered old-growth timber, historic pine and spruce plantations and several foundations from the Civilian Conservation Corps era can be found along the trail.

He said the trail work is part of ongoing efforts to improve recreational opportunities and increase “nature tourism” in the Pennsylvania Wilds, which runs through Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga and Warren counties.

For more information on Pine Creek Gorge and Pennsylvania Wilds, go to www.dcnr.state.pa.us.