D&H Trail - Forest City to Simpson

D&H trail Forest City Access
Forest City Access Parking Lot Looking South
D&H trail Forest City Access Parking Lot Looking North
D&H trail Forest City Rail Trail
We headed south on the trail whose surface was packed sand. This part of the trail follows a road that is open to vehicles during open trout season in April and May.
This sign explains acid mine drainage
3/4 of a mile down the trail this sign and evidence of acid mine drainage can be seen.
Acid Mine Drainage
Coal and rock from mining activities contain large amounts of iron and sulfur which are acidic and harmful to fish. The orange color in this picture is evidence of acid mine drainage. At times you can catch a whiff of sulfur.
Windmills
Along the mountain ridge to the east is a row of windmills.
Coal Culm Piles
These are piles of waste coal, low-energy-value discards of the mining industry that are too small or contaminated with rock and dirt.
Bridge Abutments
This bridge abutment once supported a railroad bridge that spanned the Lackawanna River and the Delaware and Hudson Railroad.
Standpipe Outfall
1.6 miles south on the trail we came to the rusty pipe in this picture which discharges water from a closed mine and is a source of acid mine drainage. They say that much of the metal in this water precipitates out of solution before it reaches the river and there are three large outfalls and eleven lesser outfalls, similar to the Standpipe, along the Lackawanna River.
Looking north from the first trail gate
Just passed this gate, at 2 1/4 miles south of Forest City, there is a crossover to the O&W Rail Trail. O&W stands for the Ontario and Western Railroad. The O&W Rail Trail parallels The D&H before turning east towards the Delaware River. There are three of these crossovers on the trail south.
Trail ViewSouth of the gate the trail surface contains more stone and gravel.
Bridge Across the River
Located 2.6 miles south of Forest city this is one of the new bridges that also have a bench to rest at.
Trail View
At about 4 1/2 miles, after passing the 3rd crossover to the O&W trail, the D&H trail becomes rougher with some deep soft sandy patches and we found it easier to ride on the grass.
The last gate
Bridge in Simpson
Trail Ends
The trail ended at Morse Ave. in Simpson
Morse Ave.
We turned left onto Morse Ave and peddled up to Rt 171 (Main St) to see where we had come out.
Rt 171 in Simpson
When we look to the left, the O&W trail access is just up the street where the road begins to curve. Since the O&W parallels the D&H on the opposite side of the river, we decided to take this trail back.
The Tank
To reach the O&W Simpson Trailhead, turn right onto Reservoir St. and then make an immediate left turn and continue past the tank
Simpson Trail Head
Portable Potty
There was a portable potty here, but, be sure to bring your own toilet paper as there was none.
O&W Trail Entrance
The trail entrance is to the left in the picture and this part of the O&W trail is also open to motor vehicles.
Trail View
The trail back is all uphill.
Panther Creek Nature Preserve
From the trail you can see the Pennsylvania Private Wild Plant Sanctuary.
Washout along the trail
Trail View
The trail is a bit rocky with shallow gullies from storm run off.
The O&W Trail
Looking north on the O&W Trail at the Crossover to the D&H Trail.
Crossover
We used the 3rd crossover out of Simpson to return to the D&H Trail. The ride from the Forest City access to Simpson and back was about 9 1/2 miles.