Hawley-Lake Wallenpaupack trail moves forward

Peter Becker, Tri-County Independent
Updated ·2 min read

Construction of a new hiking trail linking Lake Wallenpaupack and Hawley Borough is expected to be underway through this summer.

Grant Genzlinger, who chairs the Trail Committee for Downtown Hawley Partnership, reported to Hawley Parks and Recreation Commission on March 28 that the Request for Proposals will be finalized soon, and once approved, construction bids will be sought.

He said the work to be done is straightforward, anticipating it could be done by the end of the summer. The project, first announced in 2012, will create an eight-mile connecting system of trails from Lake Wallenpaupack's Tafton Dike to the D&H Canal Park trails.

From 2022: Gorge Trail funded; vital link in Wayne/Pike trail network

The Gorge Trail

The Gorge Trail, as it will be known, is about a mile long and is within neighboring Palmyra Township-Pike County. It will come out at Cromwell Avenue near the base of the waterfalls/gorge on the other side of the county bridge from Hawley's Falls Avenue.

The route passes over the wooded ridge on the Pike County side of the Paupack Falls gorge, and once it levels out it goes beneath the PPL high transmission lines.

The path will afford views of the ravine not enjoyed by the public for most of a century, looking over at the back of the historic Hawley Silk Mill.

The route uses an easement approved by Brookfield Renewable, the power company that owns the Lake Wallenpaupack hydroelectric project. It comes out at the other end at Brookfield's Wallenpaupack Creek Trail near the flow line behind the dam.

The one-mile Gorge Trail from the Lake Wallenpaupack public trail system by the hydroelectric dam will come out near the beginning of Cromwell Avenue, seen here, across the county bridge from Hawley Borough where the walking trail picks up. This will be part of an eight-mile connecting trail system from Tafton Dike at Lake Wallenpaupack, to the trail at D&H Canal Park at Lock 31, west of Hawley. The Gorge Trail crosses lands of Brookfield Renewable, the power company that owns the Lake Wallenpaupack hydroelectric project.

Construction in part includes trail improvements in regard to drainage, clearing, installation of benches and signs. The Trail Committee is paying for the signs.

Genzlinger mentioned that crosswalks will be needed in Hawley's Eddy section (Falls Avenue and Paupack Street) as part of the designated Hawley hiking path. The Riverside Park flood levee trail, a trail through Bingham Park and along the old canal towpath behind The Settlers Inn are sections of this route.

The DHP Trail Committee joins forces with the Wayne Pike Trails & Waterways Alliance in this broad regional vision for healthy outdoor recreation, promotion of local history, natural and cultural resources, tourism and economic development.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Trail that will link Hawley, Lake Wallenpaupack could be done by fall