Busy Path Back On Track After June Flood Damage

Hiking trail that links Luzerne to Trucksville remains open despite Toby Creek washouts.

Mark Albrecht cuts through a tangle of tree limbs on the Back Mountain Trail last Saturday.

Times leader Staff Photo/Don Carey

LUZERNE – A short distance above the Luzerne entrance for the Back Mountain Trail, in an area full of scenic views of Toby Creek and historic remnants of the old Lehigh Valley Railroad, stands a sentinel. Towing over the other trees in the forest, the ancient poplar tree has watched the trains pass below for decades. Today, the tree, located alongside the trail behind the Ace Hardware store, watches a quieter crowd pass beside its trunk.
Almost any time during any day, someone can be found walking or biking the trail. Although the trail traffic doesn’t rival that found on the nearby state Route 309, the 2.2-mile path is becoming a busy place.
“You come up in the summer and it’s like Grand Central Station on some days,” said Luzerne resident Barbara Peters. “I’m here every day and I see the same faces plus new people every time.”
Peters and her four dogs were among the handful of users on the trail Monday afternoon. She has walked the trail for 30 years, long before the old railroad ties were removed and the bed leveled and graded by the Anthracite Scenic Trails Association.
“It’s much easier to walk now and it’s maintained very well,” Peters said.
Three months ago the beauty and benefits offered by the trail were in jeopardy.
Heavy rains in June transformed Toby Creek, which runs parallel to the trail, into a raging, churning torrent. Everything that the trail volunteers accomplished since the trail concept unfolded in 1996 was almost washed away in the flood.
Mark Albrecht, president of the Back Mountain Trail Council, doesn’t deny that the trail sustained significant damage from the June flooding. The gravel walkway was washed out, scoured and eroded, much like anything near Toby Creek.
But that was months ago, and Albrecht and other volunteers have been working hard to clean the trail and improve it. Today, Albrecht said, the entire length of the trail is passable and, in some sections, better than what it was.
Although many repairs have been made, there is still work to do. A bridge behind the Dallas Area Municipal Authority building needs to be repaired, and a steep, eroded embankment behind Skovish Pools needs to be stabilized. Albrecht said the Back Mountain Trail Council has contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency seeking funds for the work.
The bridge is the major hurdle. Albrecht said it was built five years ago using gabion baskets (wire baskets filled with stone) as abutments and a 40-foot pipe to carry the water.
“When we got nailed in June, the water came with such force that it pushed the baskets, separated the pipes and subsided the trail surface,” he said. “To repair it, we need to tear it out and rebuild, which is costly.”
The bridge has been repaired temporarily and Albrecht said it is passable.
As repair work progresses, trail officials are looking toward the future. The next phase of work will continue the trail another mile from Carverton Road to Lower Demunds Road. It will include a creekside walkway in Luzerne and an access point in Trucksville.
Council board member John Koch said the work will be funded with state grant money and he hopes to start construction early next year.
After that phase, Koch said, they hope to extend the trail to College Misericordia.
Koch said trail usage is constant, consisting of commuters and recreational walkers.
Albrecht said the trail provides a safety measure as traffic on the Memorial Highway continues to get heavier.
“It’s such a busy transportation corridor that this trail can be a lifesaver for walkers and bicyclists.”
How to get there

To access the Back Mountain Trail from the south, take the Cross Valley Expressway northbound to the Luzerne Exit. Turn right at the light at the bottom of the exit ramp onto Union Street. Go straight through the next light and take a right at the second traffic light. At the first stop sign, make a left onto Parry Street. Park near the hill in the Knights of Columbus parking lot on the right. A short walk up the sidewalk will lead you to the start of the trail, which is marked. The northern end of the trail is near the intersection of Route 309 and Carverton Road in Trucksville.