
485 views • posted 12/29/2017 • updated 10/15/2019
The adventure area utilizes 6,500 acres of abandoned coal lands
Abandoned land becomes a premier motorized and nonmotorized recreation facility!
The Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area Authority, under the auspices of the Northumberland County Commissioners, has taken 6,500 acres of County-owned abandoned coal lands and turned them into a premier motorized and non-motorized outdoor recreation facility.
In 2011, RTP funding in the amount of $265,000 was used to design the initial trailhead visitors building and attached three bay garage, paved access drives, parking lot, and stormwater management facilities. Designs were done by Pennoni Associates, Inc. The Visitors Facility, paved parking lot, and the Event Center were designed for handicap accessibility.
In 2012, RTP funding in the amount of $667,100 was used to construct the 3,000 sq. foot visitors building and three bay garage, along with developing and upgrading the trail system. The Visitors Center consists of the lobby, customer service area with a handicap accessible check-in counter, the director’s office, conference room and two handicap accessible bathrooms. During the electrical phase of the construction, high school students from the Northumberland County Vocational Technical School worked alongside the electricians giving the students valuable hands-on experience.
RTP funding was vital to turning the unused land into a premier recreation facility
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2020: Cal-Ida connector Trail
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2018: Horseshoe Bend Park Trail Restoration - New Jersey
2017: Alaka'i Swamp Trail - Hawaii
2016: Cochran Mill Park Trail - Georgia
2015: Ice Age Trail - Wisconsin
2014: Sawyer Trail Project/Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area - Louisiana
2013: Northern Erie Sno-Seekers Trail Grooming - New York
2012: Lombard Trail - Idaho
2011: Musselshell Trail System - Idaho
2010: Rampart Range OHV Development (Phase Three) - Colorado
2009: Kings Campground and Trailhead Project - California
2008: Storms' Crossing - Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Trail - South Dakota
2007: Cary Bayou Trail - Texas
2006: Wyoming State Trail Crew
2005: Kerby Peak Trail - Oregon
2004: Teton Wilderness Maintenance and Rehabilitation Projects - Wyoming