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Merli-Sarnoski
6 reviews
5 of 5
16 miles of ungroomed, wooded trails, 90% single track located at Lackawanna County owned Merli-Sarnoski Park, an 840 mostly wooded park with a 35 acre lake. The main trail is a seven mile continuous loop trail with 4 access points. Connecting and side trails are blazed blue or yellow and total eight miles. The trails were all newly blazed with composite tiles in 2004. There is a maximum elevation change of 650 feet on a side trail called HR 280. Most other trails have a change of less than 200 feet. A contour map of the park and trails are available at the park office. The trails are all open to bikes, hikers horse back riding, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The park also contains a supervised swimming area, picnic areas and ample parking. The park is open from 8:00 AM till 8:00 PM from the first day of trout season (the lake is stocked) through October. Hours are from 8:00 to 4:00 the rest of the year.
Summary: A +7 mile loop of mostly single track; fun, intermediate level stuff.
+12 miles total if you ride all the side trails, which are the main attraction. There you'll find lots of advanced level rock gardens with winding, narrow single track. Some of the side trails very technical...tons of fun.
Overall a fair amount of climbing.
Very well marked and maintained trails, some very scenic views.
The lake has a swimming and picnic areas, which are great for cooling off and getting together after the ride.
Overall one of the best rides ever.
Recommended Route: The map on the link is not complete:www.cycle-cny.com/phpbb/Coppermine/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=6&pos=1
Other recommended trails in the same area: Pompano lake trail is a good follow up ride.
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Summary: Well- I'm an idiot and have hit "reset form" twice now, so this will be short. Flippin' awesome set of trails. Anyone who bikes in PA should at least check out Merli Sarnoski once or twice (to check out all the offshoots, of course!) Would not recommend to beginners, however, as I could see one easily getting in over their head in some spots.
Recommended Route: Main loop is marked by red, offshoots by blue. The offshoots all return to the main loop which encircles the lake and returns to the field by the parking lot. My favorite side-tracks include Fox Rocks and Porcupine Rim (get a map from the office)
Other recommended trails in the same area: Rocky madness of Prompton State Park- just crazy since the floods. If you really want to test your technical prowess on non-stop rocks, check it out.
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Summary: This park has some of the best riding around, with an 8 mile main loop offering multiple side loops that connect back to main. Be prepared for plenty of rock gardens, tight trees, some muddy creek beds and did I mention rock gardens? If descending HR280, be aware that the climb back up is a real &%$##. Bike wash hose and restrooms available at the parking lot, and beach/swimming is nice too. Recent addition of State Police horse paddocks and logging (whats up with that?) in parts of the park have diminished the original somewhat, but still one of the favorites!
Recommended Route: Get a map at the ranger station and pay attention at intersections. Most of the blue markers at intersections have the trail name written on them in black marker.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Prompton Dam, Lackawanna State Park
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Summary: Okay, here it goes. This is my trail of choice (being from the area). This trail offers great technical riding on the blues and if you want a conditioning ride stick to the red/orange blazes. Last year was the first year I found this "gem" in carbondale, but Ive noticed that this year some idiot put up horse stables when you go left of the parking lots toward the "beach" area. Where there are horses, there are hoof marks. On our maiden voyage this year, the front loop of merli was like a landscape from WW2, not with munitions but hoof marks. Tis BS. Despites the horses, I still believe that Prompton has nothing on Merli (hoof marks or not).
Recommended Route: Try doin as many blues as you can, they are great fun.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Prompton, not as fun.
Promised Land
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Summary: This was my first time riding here but I will be back. The ride consists of mostly forested singletrack. It is very rocky and rooty and there are lots of fun obstacles. As described, there is a main trail (marked red) with several off-shoots (marked blue). You really have to keep an eye out for the markers. I rode with a local who was familiar with the park, and will still missed some of the turns. It also didn't help that there are still a lot of leaves on the ground. No big deal though, just go back and find the marker.
One trail brought us to an opening where we were at the top of a hill overlooking Carbondale. The view of the valley was excellent, especially with the giant windmills that are on top of the mountain on the other side of the valley.
If you are looking for a great day of riding in North East PA, this is your ride. I would suggest a full suspension bike for this ride, especially on the blue marked offshoots.
Coming from Southern California and having ridden in places like Moab, Sedona, Maui, and Jamaica, this trail can hold its own with a lot of the stuff I've seen.
Recommended Route: Get a map and ride it all. I believe there are other reviews on this site for this park under Fell Mountain.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Prompton State Park.
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