Summer's Loop
Trail Description

Excerpted from
Mountain Bike!
Mid-Atlantic States
by Joe Surkiewicz

Finding the trail: Jim Thorpe, between Allentown and Scranton, is about a 90-minute drive from Philadelphia. Take the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Exit 34 and follow US 209 south to Jim Thorpe. Drive north from Jim Thorpe on PA 903 for 10.5 miles. At the sign for Penn Forest Garage (directly across from Smith's Hardware Store), turn left onto Unionville Road. Follow this road (don't turn off on side roads) for 2.5 miles to a power line and turn right onto Schoolhouse Road. Continue to the Y-intersection and take the dirt road to the left. After about a half-mile, look for a small open area by the power line; park there. To start the ride, pedal back out the dirt road to the Y-intersection and go straight. Follow the road to another Y-intersection. Look for a house on the corner and a gate across the road to the left. Take the left past the gate and ride uphill. Go straight until the road turns to dirt at a Y-intersection. Turn right to begin the loop.

Notes on the trail: Pennsylvania state game lands provide a lifetime of mountain biking opportunities, but they offer nothing in the way of road signs, trail signs, blazes, or anything else to help riders find their way around. Carry a topo map and a compass, and give yourself enough time to explore. Don't forget your spirit of adventure.