UP THE LACKAWANNA AND DOWN THE STARRUCCA TO THE NORTH BRANCH VALLEY: HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, AND GEOLOGY ALONG THE D&H RAIL TRAIL IN NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA

Between 1869 and 1872 the Erie RR constructed the Jefferson Branch from Carbondale in Lackawanna Co. to Lanesboro in Susquehanna Co. in order to carry coal from the Northern Anthracite Field to a connection with the main line at the Starrucca Viaduct in the North Branch Susquehanna Valley. The Erie soon leased the branch to the Delaware & Hudson (D&H) RR. The D&H operated over the line until ~1980, when it closed and the tracks were removed. The D&H Rail Trail was created in 1991. It now consists of ~33 miles of graded trail from Simpson to Stevens Point, and 7 miles of unimproved trail from Stevens Point to the New York State line.

From Simpson north to the Lackawanna River gap just beyond Forest City (a distance of 7.5 miles) the trail cuts through the mountain barrier of the Northern Field in the Ridge and Valley. From there to the state line, it lies entirely within the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau. The trail parallels the Lackawanna River to a watershed divide at Ararat Summit (el. 2030 ft, mi. 18.2). Scenic views to the east along this stretch include Stillwater Cliffs (Penn. Pottsville Fm.) and Moosic Mountain, Mt. Ararat, and Sugarloaf Mountain (marking the axis of the Lackawanna Syncline). From the divide the trail follows Starrucca Creek to the North Branch Susquehanna River.

Geologic formations exposed in rock cuts and cliffs in the Northern Field range from the Miss.-Dev. Spechty Kopf Fm. to the Penn. Pottsville and coal-bearing Llewellyn Fms. Rock outcrops along the trail on the plateau are U. Dev. Catskill Fm. up to Stephens Point. The unimproved trail from there to the state line traverses the underlying U. Dev. Lock Haven Fm., with the Catskill exposed in quarries on the hillsides.

Some noteworthy sites directly along or within a short distance of the graded trail are: No. 10 Falls on the Lackawanna River and Panther Bluff Gorge (Pottsville Fm.) (mi. 1.25); Union Dale Gorge (Catskill Fm.) (mi. 9.95); Bucks Falls (Catskill Fm.) and a nearby “dry falls” in an abandoned glacial stream course (mi. 26.0); and Grover’s quarry (Catskill Fm.) and a faulted kame on Starrucca Creek at Stevens Point (mi 32.6). The unimproved trail boasts active Catskill “bluestone” quarries and the Starrucca Viaduct (constructed of local Catskill sandstone in 1846-48) at Lanesboro (mi. 36.2) and Cascade Creek Gorge with the Devils Punch Bowl (Lock Haven Fm.) (mi. 38.1).