I did this trail from the NY line to Thompson a couple of weeks ago. This trail is not for the faint of hart or a Sunday after noon ride, but I have to tell you I had a great ride. The trail is not in the best of shape and I was on a Mt Bike with a road tire and did not have any problems. Just after you go under a stone Viaduct there is a bridge that I feel should not be open to the public, there is a picture with two young men and a dog sitting on this bridge. From the state line to Thompson is all up hill, 1hr 45 min going out and just a little over 1 hour coming back. I ran into many more turkeys then people, three people and about twenty turkeys, two flocks. There are a couple of views that are out of this world, one of a small town with a church at each end of the town. It had been a very wet month and the trail was very wet most of the way. So you must be saying how could this be a great ride, well you are out in the middle of nowhere and out in the rough, I could just picture coal trains running up and down the tracks. There is a lot of damage from ATV and talking to a local there just is not enough state game officers to Enforce the law. So in closing if you like a little more of a rougher ride and like a great work out put this trail on your must do list, sometime this fall I will be back to do the lower end of this trail.

First of all, I could not find the southern trail head initially in Carbondale. When I did find it, I was unpleasantly surprised. I began riding north and almost immediately found large rocks protruding from the trail surface. Other areas had a large amount of fine cinders (no crushed limestone that I saw here!), so large in fact that it became like trying to pedal through loose sand. On this part of the trail I was going uphill and could average only slightly under 10 mph due to the rocks and cinder sand. I rode up the trail only 3/4 miles and turned around.

On the return I began to pick up speed due to the downslope. However, it was dangerous to get too much speed due both to the protruding rocks and the cinder sand. Both of those factors made it more difficult to control my bike, not to mention the real possibility of ruining a tire and/or rim on those rocks.

There may be nice scenery along this trail. Unfortunately I never will see it because I would not waste my time going to it again. By the way, I'm here in NE PA visiting, but I live in SW PA. The trails that make up the Great Allegheny Passage are BY FAR better than this one. THE D&H TRAIL IS BY FAR THE WORST TRAIL I'VE EVER RIDDEN. Whoever is in charge of taking care of it should be embarrassed by its condition.

Well, it seems that the photo numbering I spent so much time on was lost in the upload. Sigh. Sorry, guess for now you just have to figure it out (email to r2t already sent).

I did get this from the people who support this trail:

1. the D&H extends south of the crossroads --one mile which we do not own, and has 3 unimproved RR bridges. The next mile we own, then an unknown small section into where the D&H Carbondale yards/roundhouse was. We are partnering with LHVA to figure out these sections & link up to Carbondale.

2. There are another 6+ miles north of Stevens Point. Go across the SR bridge & get back on the trail. Goes under the awesome Starrucca Viaduct to NY border (along Susquehanna River). Another group bought the NY D&H to Ninevah --will hopefully work with them for an interstate trail. We also own one mile spur that takes you up to the active rail at the Starrucca Viaduct.

Unsure if the trail was improved to Simpson, I looked in vain for a road to "Crossroads" but none exists, so continued on to Forest City. Started North at 10:30 AM after a 2+ hour drive (see photo ending with 000). The path is quite wide and sunny, and the surface is excellent. Path crosses a few streams (001,002) and was canopied in a few places (003). Pass a huge reservoir (004) that was a prettier scene than the photo suggests. Continuing towards Union Dale, same surface and views (005). The Union Dale General Store use to offer food and beverages, but its now houses a Rail Trail organization (thus no food/water in town). Proceeding North, you now see grass growing in the center of the trail, but surface is still very good (006).

North of Herrick Center, the road turns into cinders and gravel, and the condition varies mile by mile (007,008). The view opens into the valley, and you get some gorgeous views of bucolic PA (009, 010). The rail bed crosses between two lakes coming into Ararat (a map location, not a town), which happens to be the highest trail location. Path starts looking more like a NJ rail trail with close growing trees and weeds (012). Travel through a cool and shady cut (013) before coming to a wet and very rock section North of Ararat.

Finally, civilization in the very pretty town of Thompson. Your first view is of an ice cream store right non the trail, in what must have been the train station (015). Inquiring about food, was routed to the Hobbs Country Mart (down to the right, 016). Stocked up with a sandwich ($5) and fresh cut cantaloup ($1.37!), and set out North. Thompson is exactly 20 miles from Forest City - Stevens Point is another 10.

There must have been a massive bridge crossing a stream valley and Bucks Fall Road - you now must descend and ascend steep rocky slopes to continue (017) [going north, the best trail is the the third trail going West on the road]. I stopped at the stream - it was gurgling and the smell of pine was overwhelming - I could have stayed there for hours!

More beautiful valley views on the road to Stevens Point - the camera does not do it justice (019). I saw my first mile marker at 27 and even photographed it - on the way back I saw more but they sure were hard to find (020). Five more miles!

When the trail runs into a paved and divided highway, you've arrived at Stevens Point. I knew for sure when I saw a sign to the cemetery! The trail crosses the road, then merges back onto it to cross State Route 1009 (021). I was running out of time, so had to turn around. Google maps makes it appear the trail goes for another 1/2 mile, not sure.

Going back resulted in an unpleasant discovery - I had been going down hill for the past 15 miles, something that had just not registered. In fact, I had gone up 500 feet, then down 900. The road condition just made the return trip all the much harder. I didn't have a road map or smart phone with me, but did gamble (and win) by picking up the State Route 1003 (signed Burnwood Rd) and taking it till it became Creek Rd. Looking at google maps now, I realize I could have taken it to Herrick Center. In fact, with good maps you probably could road back from Stevens Point to Herrick Center. Amazingly, each leg took me 3:45.

On the road to Thompson, there is a valley that must have had a train bridge (022). In Thompson, the girl at the Ice Cream store graciously refilled my water bottle, and I headed home saying goodbye to Thompson (023).

Just to see how bad the Stevens Pt - Ararat climb was, I used google maps to get approximate elevations:

1150 Simpson
1520 Forest City
1600 Stillwater Lake
1680 Union Dale
1760 Herrick center
2050 Ararat Road Crossing [State Route 1003]
1700 Thompson
1450 Starrucca
1120 Stevens Point

E-Mail the Rail-Trail Council of NE PA at trails@nep.net and request a brochure - they'll send one out by snail mail ASAP.

Finally, my rating. Well, I just took the D&L trail from White Haven to Jim Thorpe, which has dazzling views. Much of this trail has no summer views - the tree foliage blocks everything, but the views I did get were often gorgeous. The unfinished road north of Herrick Center could get unpleasant - large stones or sections of soft find cinder were not fun to ride, especially on the return uphill trip. Several ATVs and motorcycles on the trail (guess they figured the prohibition on such doesn't apply to them).

Going from Forest City to Thompson would be a good compromise - a 40 mile round trip, and who could pass up an ice cream store right on the trail!

Biked this SEP2009, 32 miles from Simpson to end of trail and back for a total of 64. Starts a bit rough for a few miles then the trail is well maintained til close to the top, going a shallow rise up 800' over 18 miles. Nearing the top and on the back side the trail is rougher (rockier).
Main St. in Thompson at Hobbes Store is a good place to resupply and grab lunch, just 1/4 mile off the trail.
Sometimes hard to follow (especially in the beginning where you have to move from the O&W to D&H), could use a few more markings, but a great ride.

I did this nice trail in mid July 2008 starting in Simpson and Rt 171 to Herrick Center which is the end of the paved trail or about 15 miles. The first 5 or so miles are not paved and are co-teminous with the O & W Trail and are rough in places and sometimes a bit hard to decide which is the real trail. The scenery is very nice and much runs along a pleasant creek. There is a store in Union Dale but not much else. The northern 15 miles is there but not paved. We stayed in the quirky Vacation Inn Motel which is north of Herrick on Rt 171. Below Union Dale there is a nice lake and views. The trail web site is
A nice brochure is available via the Rail Trail Council of NE PA, PO Box 123, Forest City Pa. 18421-0123
Bob Youker