Any NEPA cross country skiers? (Scranton, Williamsport: rentals, school, live in)

[samvit]

I live in the Scranton area and I'm a cross country ski enthusiast. The trouble is, there are currently no groomed trails in the Scranton/Pocono area. The nearest place is High Point (www.xcskihighpoint.com) which is near Milford, PA, about 60 miles away. Crystal Lake (www.crystallakeskicenter.com) is far superior but it's near Williamsport, about 90 miles away.

I've got to believe there is an abundance of suitable terrain in this region for a cross country ski course, and I don't think it would be terribly difficult or expensive to develop and maintain the trails. But, maybe there just isn't enough interest in the region. It could be yet another winter activity attraction, along with downhill skiing at Montage, Ek and the Poconos, and the IceBox in Scranton.

[ScranBarre]

I've always wanted to try cross-country skiing, but I can just never seem to find the time with work, school, meetings, etc. I'm sure there is indeed a decent following of cross-country skiing enthusiasts in the region; perhaps you can all get together to form your own club, such as the "NEPA Cross-Country Skiing Society?" Then, you can all chip in to take bus trips to the Adirondacks or Catskills to do some real skiing, as well as making some new friends. I've actually been tempted to start my own "NEPA Runners' Guild", as I'm a very avid runner who'd love to make some friends who'd love to travel all over the region to run in different environments. My personal main goal for 2007 is to run in the Steamtown Marathon. We'll see how that works out; I still have a bit of work to do to get my six-pack back. LOL! Good luck!

[samvit]

<<perhaps you can all get together to form your own club, such as the "NEPA Cross-Country Skiing Society?" Then, you can all chip in to take bus trips to the Adirondacks or Catskills to do some real skiing, as well as making some new friends.>>

Actually, the only advantage of areas like the Catskills and Adirondacks is a somewhat colder climate and therefore a bit more snow. Otherwise, the gentle slopes of the Endless Mountains and the rolling hills around here are ideal for Cross Country Skiing.

I do like the idea of forming a local club. Once you reach a critical mass of people, you can then possibly put together the resources to a develop a local course. For instance, perhaps one person owns a significant amount of land and several others own snowmobiles to groom the trails, and the members then pay dues to have the trails maintained.

[MermanMike]

Hey Samvit
My dad and I are planning to do this soon. I'd like to go to Promised Land, in Greentown because it's such a beautiful place, but I don't have skis so I need to go somewhere where I can rent them. My dad heard about a place called Pocono Manor that has trails, and you can rent skis there. I think it is actually a golf course that turns into cross country skiing in the winter. Let us know if you get any good info about local spots.

[btsadley]

Originally Posted by samvit

I live in the Scranton area and I'm a cross country ski enthusiast. The trouble is, there are currently no groomed trails in the Scranton/Pocono area. The nearest place is High Point (www.xcskihighpoint.com) which is near Milford, PA, about 60 miles away. Crystal Lake (www.crystallakeskicenter.com) is far superior but it's near Williamsport, about 90 miles away.

I've got to believe there is an abundance of suitable terrain in this region for a cross country ski course, and I don't think it would be terribly difficult or expensive to develop and maintain the trails. But, maybe there just isn't enough interest in the region. It could be yet another winter activity attraction, along with downhill skiing at Montage, Ek and the Poconos, and the IceBox in Scranton.

I live in HBG and there are few places to XC, you have to find your own. In the late spring I sometimes head up to state parks in northeast pa. Many parks and game lands have snowmobile trails which are essentially groomed for you. Check around your local parks, if the snowpack is good you can go just about anywhere.

[I LOVE PA!]

The community that I live in, The Hideout in Lake Ariel, offers a groomed course for cross country skiing and has rentals. I haven't tried it yet....

[mm_mary73]

Is there still sufficient snow for x-country skiing?

[I LOVE PA!]

Ther is still close to a foot on the ground, but tomorrow we are expecting a lot of rain in the NE so it will probably wash a lot of the snow away.

[skixc1]

I've been cross country skiing around here for years. The two places you mention are the only places for groomed trails in the northeast counties. Two others closed a few years ago, I think mainly due to the relative lack of snow. I think there is good interest in x-c skiing here but it's not that great.
When I go, I head to the state parks which are very nice but you have to make your own trails, which isn't all that bad. Some of the good ones are Tobyhanna, Hickory Run, Promised Land, Worlds End and Ricketts Glen. Get a park map at the office as the trails are noted on them.
There's also service roads along railroads and abandoned railroad beds now transformed into "rails-to-trails". There's a very good one from Forest City and north, probably 30+ miles of flat trails, mostly used by snowmobiles.
That's about it, hope it helps.

[glenncz]

I have just opened my land in Springbrook, Pa. near Moscow, to XC skiing and it is excellent right now. there are over 4 miles of skied in tracks. it is open to the public and the info is here.
Cross Country Skiing in Springbrook, Pa