What are some hiking trails in Pennsylvania?

One of our outdoorsy patrons had heard that there were some good trails in the mountainous area of southwestern Pennsylvania, but they couldn’t remember exactly where. We checked The Firefly Atlas of North America, The Rough Guide to the USA, and the internet to find the answer.

The Alleghenies and the Appalachians are the two main mountain ranges running through southern Pennsylvania. Our patron may have been thinking of the Laurel Highlands a scenic portion of the Alleghenies known for its whitewater rafting, biking and hiking trails, and fishing. It encompasses several state parks, including Laurel Ridge, Laurel Hill, Laurel Summit, Laurel Mountains, and Ohiopyle. The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail, a 70-mile-long segment of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, is popular. It’s marked with yellow blazes every hundred feet and has shelter areas every six to twelve miles.

If our patron is looking for something else, Robert Isenberg put together a list of twenty nearby biking and hiking trails for Pittsburgh Magazine. The relatively quiet Panhandle Trail is twenty-nine miles long, stretching from Carnegie, Pennsylvania, to the West Virginia border. The Great Allegheny Passage runs 150 miles from Pittsburgh to Maryland. It’s covered with asphalt and crushed limestone and built mainly on old rail beds, making it a good level trail for bicycling.

For more information, John Young’s book Hiking Pennsylvania is available through CLEVNET. If our patron would like to look at trails closer to home, we have a book here on the Midwest Rail-Trails, which covers Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. We also have Diane Stresing’s Cleveland edition of 60 Hikes within 60 Miles.

How Do I Find Out Tolls Beforehand?

“I’m planning a trip. Is there a way to find out beforehand how much the tolls will cost?”

If you’re planning a trip in this last stretch of summer and you want to plan ahead and find out how much cash you’ll need to pay the tolls, you’re in luck. Every state we've checked has a website with a fare calculator. Ohio’s, for example, is at http://www.ohioturnpike.org/travelers/fare-calculator/. While the sites are all set up a little differently, they all give you the option to choose your vehicle class as well as the points that you’ll be getting on and getting off the toll road. If applicable, the sites also provide the fares for toll bridges.

We have another patron who’s planning to walk around the entirety of Lake Erie next spring. He wanted to know if he could walk across the bridges in Detroit and Niagara Falls that cross from the United States into Canada. Again, we were able to go to the websites of the bridges in question and find the tolls listed there. While the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls lists a fifty-cent charge for pedestrians and bicyclists, the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit only gives charges for motorcycles and automobiles. However, when our patron looked at the street-level pictures of the bridge available on Google Maps, he noticed a sidewalk. It would probably be best to be prepared to arrange a ride across, just in case.

For avid travelers, we have an assortment of travel guides available for borrowing, including The Rough Guide to the USA, Lonely Planet USA, Lonely Planet Canada, and Off the Beaten Path: Ohio. Though it’s in our reference collection and not available for checkout, we also have the most recent Rand McNally Road Atlas here for anyone to page through.

How Long Is the Buckeye Trail Little Loop?

"How long is the Buckeye Trail Little Loop? Can you bike it?" One of our patrons, an avid walker and biker, was making plans to spend a few weeks in late spring or early summer going around the Little Loop of the Buckeye Trail.

The Buckeye Trail winds around the interior of Ohio. It's made up of twenty-six sections and covers around 1,444 miles altogether. The Little Loop is comprised of the Akron, Bedford, Burton, and Mogadore sections, as well as part of the Massillon section. According to a post on the www.buckeyetrail.org Trail Talk forums, the Little Loop covers 229 miles.

The official Buckeye Trail website, www.buckeyetrail.org, states that 93% of the Akron section, 68% of the Bedford Section, 41% of the Burton section, 32% of the Mogadore section, and 47% of the Massillon section are off-road, suggesting that they may not be ideal for biking. The Trail Talk forums confirmed our suspicions. When a member posted in the forum asking whether it's possible to bike sections of the trail (though not the Little Loop specifically), others discouraged them. The Buckeye Trail is intended for hiking, and biking could actually damage parts of it.

Our patron checked out Robert J. Pond's "Follow the Blue Blazes: A Guide to Hiking Ohio's Buckeye Trail," other copies of which are available through CLEVNET. For more Ohio hiking routes, Diane Stresing's "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles, Cleveland," Ralph Ramey's "50 Hikes in Ohio" and "50 More Hikes in Ohio," and "Ohio Trails and Greenways," edited by Annemarie Kuhn, can be checked out here at Newton Falls Public Library. For bike routes specifically, "Biking Ohio's Rail-Trails" is available through CLEVNET.

Who Has the Right of Way?

The warm weather we have been having has brought questions about bicycles and pedestrians. “Is it legal to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk in Newton Falls? When coming towards each other, who has the right of way, the pedestrian or bicyclist?” While the Newton Falls Public Library staff cannot give legal opinions, we can direct our patron to the laws pertaining to their inquiries.

In response to the first question, section 373.11a Riding on Sidewalks of the Newton Falls Codified Ordinances states: “No person shall operate a bicycle upon a sidewalk within a business district or upon a sidewalk where signs are erected prohibiting such.”

As to our patron’s second question, there are a couple of different ordinances which pertain depending whether the situation takes place on the sidewalk or on the road. 

• 373.01a Code Application to Bicycles states “The provisions of this Traffic Code that are applicable to bicycles apply whenever a bicycle is operated upon any street or upon any path set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles.” 373.07a Riding Bicycle . . . Obedience to Traffic Rules: “Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway. . .  obeying all traffic rules applicable to vehicles . . .”
• 371.07a Right of Way on Sidewalk: “The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right of way to any pedestrian on a sidewalk.”
• 371.05d Walking Along Highways:  “Except as otherwise provided in Section 313.03 and 371.01, any pedestrian upon a roadway shall yield the right of way to all vehicles upon the roadway.”

During our search we discovered some other interesting laws applying to bicycles in Newton Falls.

• 373.05a Signal Device on Bicycle:  “A bicycle may be equipped with a device capable of giving an audible signal, except that a bicycle shall not be equipped with nor shall any person use upon a bicycle any siren or whistle.”
• 373.12a Bicycle License and Plate Required:  “No person shall ride or operate a bicycle on any of the streets, alleys or public highways of the City unless the bicycle has been licensed and a license plate is attached thereto as provided in this chapter.”

Why Must Pedestrians Walk Facing Traffic? Why Must Bicycles Ride With Traffic?

“I know pedestrians are supposed to walk facing oncoming traffic, but I want to know why. And why are bicycles supposed to go with traffic?” Spring will be coming soon and like our patron, the Newton Falls Public Library staff is aware that more people will be outdoors walking and riding their bicycles. Understanding the reasoning behind these situations might help encourage people to comply.

In both cases, it is Ohio law.  Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 4511.50C Pedestrian walking in roadway: “Where neither a sidewalk nor a shoulder is available, any pedestrian walking along and upon a highway shall walk as near as practicable to an outside edge of the roadway, and, if on a two-way roadway, shall walk only on the left side of the roadway.” ORC 4511.55.  Operating bicycles and motorcycles on roadway: “Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable obeying all traffic rules applicable to vehicles and exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction.”

Our patron was still interested in discovering the reasoning behind the laws. On page 85 of Bicycling Touringand Mountain Bike Basics by Peter Oliver, the author explains why a cyclist should move with traffic. “The speed differential of a car going 40 mph overtaking a cyclist going 15 is 25 mph; the differential of car and cyclist converging at those speeds is 55 mph. The potential of impact is more than doubled, while the reaction time for both rider and driver is dramatically reduced.”

IdahoWalk Smart – Walk Safe, Walk Smart, Walk Often produced by Idaho Transportation Department states when pedestrians walk facing oncoming traffic they are less likely to be surprised by an oncoming vehicle [p.3]. Traffic laws for pedestrians and drivers to know from the Florida Department of Transportation states “A driver and a pedestrian who face each other are generally more aware of each other and crash risk is therefore reduced for pedestrians who travel on the left.”

One of our staff members fondly remembered a Camp Fire Girls’ mnemonic for safe walking: “Single file . . . facing traffic all the while.” Having a clearer understanding of what is behind these laws; our patron felt she would be better able to encourage others to obey them.

I need campground information

“We are planning camping trips this summer. Do you have any campground information?” The Newton Falls Public Library has a wealth of information to assist campers. The library has both Woodall's ... North American campground directory and Woodall's camping guide. Great Lakes to assist our patron in locating places for tent and recreational vehicle camping.

Campers who enjoy backpacking will find 50 Hikes in Ohio: day hikes and backpacking trips throughout the Buckeye state and 50 More Hikes in Ohio by Ralph Ramey to be useful. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has a wonderful website [www.ohiodnr.com/Default.aspx?alias=www.ohiodnr.com/parks] with the most current park information. Explore Ohio State Parks: featuring six scenic tours, 80 state parks by William Hewett and Ohio State Park's Guidebook by Art Weber, Bill Bailey & Jim DuFresne are helpful for finding more park information.

The Camping Sourcebook: your one-stop resource for everything you need for great camping by Steven A. Griffin will be useful for preparing and packing for the trip. The Joy of Family Camping by Herb Gordon and Parents' Guide to Hiking & Camping: a trailside guide by Alice Cary are sure to help make the trip enjoyable for all family members.

Camping is usually a fairly affordable activity but Wilderness Gear You Can Make Yourself by Bradford Angier could help campers save more money. Backpack Gourmet: good hot grub you can make at home, dehydrate, and pack for quick, easy, and healthy eating on the trail by Linda Frederick Yaffe and The Magic of Fire: hearth cooking: one hundred recipes for the fireplace or campfire by William Rubel will help prepare for the hungry appetites brought on by the days spent outdoors.

We don’t know if our patron went on her trips, but in case she became overwhelmed and decided to stay home instead; we recommend a funny ‘camping book,’ They Shoot Canoes, Don't They? by Patrick McManus.