I picked a nice summer day to go check out the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail. This is a multi-purpose route that goes for more than 70 miles through communities in Luzerne, Lackawanna, Susquehanna and Wayne Counties, so clearly, I did not do all of it. In fact, I only did about 1 mile, more on that later.
The Trail
There are many access points, you can find the full list here. I started at Olive Street Trailhead and turned around at the 7th Avenue Trailhead. This trail is available for walking, biking, and certain parts allow snowmobiling and horseback riding!
From what I’ve researched, the trail terrain changes a bit depending on which part you are in. Some parts of the trail are dirt, and some parts are paved.
The Good Parts
My personal experience on the trail was mixed. It is nicely maintained, and the view of the bit of woods and the river was lovely. There were also some nice art murals along the way that were interesting to look at.
The Bad Parts
However, as I went on I quickly started to encounter some folks that made me a bit uncomfortable as a woman walking alone. I did notice there were some homeless populations on the other side of the river, and a few tents on the side with the trail. Now, no one bothered me one bit, but I can’t honestly say I felt 100% comfortable. I think if I had a bike I would be more so.
Overall, I was enjoying my walk, but couldn’t shake the slightly on edge feeling, and I ended up turning around pretty quick. I’m probably a sissy, but the trail was not busy at all (not sure if it ever is). I would have preferred there being a bit more people out there (or not walking it alone). I would assume there are other parts of the trail, if not the majority of it, that this isn’t really an issue.
I bet I’d like other parts of the trail much more, but I can only rate the portion I was on. It is a nice walk and gives a taste of nature in the middle of Scranton.
4 out of 6 White-Tailed deer
