New Connector Links Up Pine Creek Rail Trail and Downtown Jersey Shore

Here's some great news for cyclists and hikers in Jersey Shore (no, not that Jersey Shore, the one in Pennsylvania!)

WNEP's Jim Hamill has the skinny:

Image source: WNEP 

Thousands of people use the Pine Creek Rail Trail in Lycoming County every year. Now the trail is connected to downtown Jersey Shore. 

The community is banking on the rail-trail connector to bring tourists into the downtown.

The hope is the more tourists, the more need for small businesses where bikers, hikers and the like can eat and shop and stay.

The connector looks to be a 1.5 mile paved strip that runs from downtown to the trail itself. I've never been on the Pine Creek Rail Trail, but according to TrailLink.com:

...the Pine Creek Trail in Pine Creek Gorge offers travelers a spectacular 62-mile journey through the area commonly referred to as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. With numerous trailheads, comfort stations, campgrounds and small towns along the route, the well-maintained trail is ideal for an afternoon excursion or a longer trek. The trail is crushed limestone but is suitable for most bike tires.

62 miles of well-maintained trail? I would love to go banging down that! Sounds like the perfect opportunity for someone who wants to ride a 100K without going in circles and dodging cars. Also sounds like a great place to set up a bike shop/bike rental fleet.