D & H Rail Trail Weather & Planning Guide

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D & H Rail Trail, Lackawanna, Susquehanna, Wayne Counties, PA, 38.79 miles

Trail Facts

Trail of the Year

Named 2021 by Pennsylvania DCNR

Length 39 mi

Elevation 906 to 2016 ft

Grade 0.5% average

Shade cover 69%

Primary surface Crushed gravel

Secondary surface Cinder, Ballast gravel

Activities

E-bikingBikingWalkingRunningHikingBirdingFishingHorseback ridingCross-country skiingSnowmobilingand more

About This Trail

The D & H Rail Trail follows the old Delaware and Hudson line for about 39 miles from Simpson, just north of Carbondale, to the New York state line beyond Lanesboro. The southern half climbs the upper Lackawanna River past Forest City and Union Dale to the summit at Ararat. From there the grade drops through the mile long Thompson horseshoe curve, follows Starrucca Creek through Stevens Point and Brandt, and passes under the Starrucca Viaduct at Lanesboro. The last miles run beside the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. Grades are gentle the whole way. The improved sections carry smooth crushed stone; the middle stretch between Ararat and Stevens Point is graded original railbed, best on a mountain bike.

RailTrailWx TIPS

D & H Rail Trail

Your comfort. Prognosticated.

The trail is well shaded for most of its length, and about half of it sits in deep shade under valley walls. Expect cool riding under the trees and a slow drying railbed after rain, especially on the unimproved stretch between Ararat and Stevens Point, where washouts are noted.
Ararat is the high point, roughly 850 feet above Simpson and about 1,100 feet above the state line. The summit plateau runs cooler than either end, so dress for the top, not the trailhead.
The corridor runs roughly north to south. A north wind is a headwind climbing from Simpson toward Ararat and a tailwind on the long descent to Lanesboro; a south wind reverses that.
The grade follows water the much of the way: the upper Lackawanna River and its West Branch south of Ararat, Starrucca Creek from Starrucca to Lanesboro, then the North Branch of the Susquehanna. Expect morning fog and cold pockets along the creek bottoms, and swamps and ponds beside the trail around Burnwood and the Thompson curve.
Snowmobiles use the trail in winter under Northeast PA Sno-Trails with a trail pass, so the railbed may be packed and shared once snow sets in. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are also regular winter uses.
Advance written permission from the Rail-Trail Council is required to be on the trail after dark, and portable toilets are at trailheads only from May through November.
State game lands lie near the trail around Burnwood and Ararat, so wear orange during Pennsylvania hunting seasons.

-Cory

Trivia

The Jefferson Railroad was chartered in 1864 to link Carbondale with the Erie Railroad main line at Lanesboro, and the Erie financed and built it between 1869 and 1872.
Pushers shoved heavy coal trains up the long grade to Ararat Summit, one of the longest railroad grades in the eastern United States.
The Thompson Curve is a mile long horseshoe curve built to keep the grade level into Thompson.
Thompson's ice cream store sits in the only remaining railroad station on the trail.
The Starrucca Viaduct at Lanesboro carries seventeen bluestone arches, dates to 1848, and is the oldest railroad bridge still in operation in Pennsylvania.
Burnwood took its name from the wood burned in an acid factory there that produced charcoal, acetate of lime, and wood alcohol.
Cables Store in Union Dale, now the trail office, was built in the late 1980s to store wool.
Concrete sectional tool houses, nicknamed paddy shacks, still stand near Ararat, Thompson, and Starrucca where crews kept tools and the rail cart.
Pennsylvania DCNR named the D and H Rail Trail its 2021 Trail of the Year.

Climate

Excellent biking days per month, 2011-2025 climatology

In a typical year the D & H Rail Trail has about 106 to 152 days of excellent weather for popular activities such as hiking, dog walking, e-biking, biking, running, walking, and birding, with May, September, and October the best months.

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Hourly comfort scores for the next 15 days of weather, tuned to your activity and your own thresholds.

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Enjoy the D & H Rail Trail!

Peak Fall Color Climatology

Calendar of the typical peak fall color window along this trail

In half of past years, color along the D & H Rail Trail peaks October 12 to 21, typically around October 16. The trail has 53% deciduous coverage, with the majority being red maple, sugar maple, American beech, and white ash.

History

The Erie Railroad built this line so Carbondale coal could reach Lanesboro and the Erie main line. The Jefferson Railroad was chartered in 1864 for that purpose. In 1868 the Delaware and Hudson contracted with the Erie to build north from Carbondale over Ararat Summit. The Erie financed the work and laid the track between 1869 and 1872. The line grew into the D and H Pennsylvania Division, a 93 mile route that hauled anthracite from the Lackawanna and Wyoming valleys to upstate New York, New England, and Canada. Pusher engines worked the long grade to Ararat Summit for a century. Traffic fell after Conrail sold the D and H a more direct route to Scranton in 1980. The Carbondale to Brandt section was abandoned in 1982, and the rest of the division followed in 1986. The Rail-Trail Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania, based in the old Cables Store at Union Dale, acquired the railbed and has rebuilt it in stages with federal and state grants. Ten miles from Vandling to Herrick Center came first, then the grade to Ararat, then Stevens Point to the state line. The Starrucca Creek bridge was restored for trail use in 2019 and 2020. Pennsylvania DCNR named the D and H its 2021 Trail of the Year.

Trailheads

Simpson: Morse Avenue Parking AreaMILE 0Directions
Forest City: Erie Street TrailheadMILE 5Directions
Union Dale: Cables StoreMILE 10.1Directions
Herrick Center TrailheadMILE 11.9Directions
Burnwood: Fiddle Lake RoadMILE 15.2Directions
Ararat TrailheadMILE 18.1Directions
ThompsonMILE 23.3Directions
Starrucca TrailheadMILE 27.3Directions
Stevens Point TrailheadMILE 32.7Directions
BrandtMILE 33.7Directions
Lanesboro: Luciana ParkMILE 36Directions
Cascade WyeMILE 38Directions

Connects To

O & W Rail TrailLackawanna River Heritage Trail

Managed By

Rail-Trail Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Nearby trails

O & W Rail Trail

33 mi·PA

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Endless Mountains Trail

9.2 mi·PA

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Lackawanna River Heritage Trail

24 mi·PA

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RailTrailWx TIPS

D & H Rail Trail

Your comfort. Prognosticated.

The trail is well shaded for most of its length, and about half of it sits in deep shade under valley walls. Expect cool riding under the trees and a slow drying railbed after rain, especially on the unimproved stretch between Ararat and Stevens Point, where washouts are noted.

Ararat is the high point, roughly 850 feet above Simpson and about 1,100 feet above the state line. The summit plateau runs cooler than either end, so dress for the top, not the trailhead.

The corridor runs roughly north to south. A north wind is a headwind climbing from Simpson toward Ararat and a tailwind on the long descent to Lanesboro; a south wind reverses that.

The grade follows water the much of the way: the upper Lackawanna River and its West Branch south of Ararat, Starrucca Creek from Starrucca to Lanesboro, then the North Branch of the Susquehanna. Expect morning fog and cold pockets along the creek bottoms, and swamps and ponds beside the trail around Burnwood and the Thompson curve.

Snowmobiles use the trail in winter under Northeast PA Sno-Trails with a trail pass, so the railbed may be packed and shared once snow sets in. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are also regular winter uses.

Advance written permission from the Rail-Trail Council is required to be on the trail after dark, and portable toilets are at trailheads only from May through November.

State game lands lie near the trail around Burnwood and Ararat, so wear orange during Pennsylvania hunting seasons.

-Cory