Jim Thorpe JORBA Discount

Sircrashalot

New Member
Wasnt sure where to put this- please move if necessary.

Was in Jim Thorpe, PA this weekend and in Blue Mountain Sports there, right in the center of town across from the train station. Asked them if they had any discount for JORBA members. They hadn't heard of JORBA, so I gave them a bit of background. They loved what JORBA is about, and said I could post here that they will give 10% off to card carrying JORBA members, and asked me to relay that the JIm Thorpe trail network is OPEN!

They said that they heard that a rumor was going around NJ that the Jim Thorpe area trails had been closed to mtn bikers, and that it is untrue. Fall foliage peaks there in about two weeks and the town has a fall foliage festival to boot....
 

KenS

JORBA: Director
JORBA.ORG
Awesome stuff crash. JT has some amazing riding for sure, real nice to hear they honored a JORBA card.

Mountain Bike Weekend is dead, used to be a real fun fest.
 

Allamuchy Joe

Not White House Approved
JORBA.ORG
Wasnt sure where to put this- please move if necessary.

Was in Jim Thorpe, PA this weekend and in Blue Mountain Sports there, right in the center of town across from the train station. Asked them if they had any discount for JORBA members. They hadn't heard of JORBA, so I gave them a bit of background. They loved what JORBA is about, and said I could post here that they will give 10% off to card carrying JORBA members, and asked me to relay that the JIm Thorpe trail network is OPEN!

They said that they heard that a rumor was going around NJ that the Jim Thorpe area trails had been closed to mtn bikers, and that it is untrue. Fall foliage peaks there in about two weeks and the town has a fall foliage festival to boot....

PA closed all the hunting lands to mountain bikers. So, officially, the great trails from years ago are closed to mountain biking -- Uranium Road, American Standard, etc. I wrote PA a few years ago about this and they said that because they got federal moneys for hunting lands, they can only be used for people with hunting licenses.

I had a little back and forth with the General Manager and asked that if I bought a hunting license in PA, could I ride in those areas in the summer? -- NOPE, can only be used for hunting or else the federal government could revoke the funds. Sounded like a load of BS to me. I have only gone back once since -- I used to go there 3 or 4 times a year.



Here are the texts of the response emails from the exchanges. Please note that the "designated routes" he mentioned are fire roads in the game lands.

State Game Lands are not intended to be multi-purpose lands. They are, by law, for hunting and trapping. Also, federal regulations would disqualify the Game Commission from receiving millions of federal dollars from the Pittman-Robertson program if we were to give a blanket permit to non-traditional uses of State Game Lands. We have, however, identified more than 1,000 miles of designated routes that can be used by mountain bikers during certain times of the year. Here is a link to our designated routes (scroll down once you click on the link):http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/browse.asp?a=480&bc=0&c=69913&pgcNav=|


and...


Pittman-Robertson became a problem in 2000, actually, when other states were audited and required to repay portions of their federal funding that were determined to be "a diversion of funds" from the intended use. Also, mountain biking and horseback riding were a growing concern as more and more people began to use State Game Lands for these activities. SGLs were never intended to be multiple-use areas. If you are looking for multiple use, please consider state forest or state parks which do not receive Pittman-Robertson monies and have no concern about losing such funding. Also, the Game Commission does not receive any state general fund taxpayer dollars. We are solely supported by hunters and trappers.
 
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Ian F

Well-Known Member
Joe's comments echo what I've heard. I miss riding at Thorpe... haven't been there for a few years.

There ARE still some good trails to ride. Galen's Surprise on Mauch Chunk Ridge and there are some trails in the old strip mines that were fun. Galen's Surprise is a good ride that can be done without much guidance beyond directions. The strip mines, however, are not marked trails and finding a route through the spiderweb of trails up there can be tricky.

One can still ride the Broad Mtn stuff to some extent... although I'd definitely avoid it during hunting season [now]. One trick is not to park at the top like we used to, but start at the bottom and ride the old road to the top.

There is also a good trail loop a bit farther west at Tamaqua.
 
D

DANSPANK

Guest
You should really get on the mtbr PA page and try to meet up with a local rider. I was at JTin the summer but it was over a race weekend so the locals I was in touch with were all out of town that weekend.

It's quite tough to find the singletrack trails without a local.

Look up Blue Marsh, PA. It's a 35mile ride around a lake near Redding I think. It's a great ride!
 

Sircrashalot

New Member
I was actually told a story about certain trails like AMerican Standard where bikers MAY from time to time slap a hunting license on their backs and go in......but I was assured that there are still plenty of great trails in the area that are 100% legal & 100% open to ride. Also, when I was there this past weekend I saw LOTS of cars loaded up with higher end bikes rolling through town....so there must be some good trails.....anyway if anybody checks it out bring your JORBA card!!!
 

VelocityBoy

"Sleeveless Joe"
Blue Mtn. Sports must have taken a big hit when they closed all those trails to MTB'n. No wonder he was trying to lure you back.
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
Blue Mtn. Sports must have taken a big hit when they closed all those trails to MTB'n. No wonder he was trying to lure you back.


Blue Mtn Sports has been hurtin' for years... I remember when we could walk in there and find just about any part we needed and they had a decent selection of mid to high-end bikes on the floor.

I agree about finding a local to ride with. At the least, get a trail map. Even then... good luck... I dont' recall any of the trails ever being well marked.
take PLENTY of water and food. Getting lost in the strip mines is almost a rite of passage.

My impression with the SGL trails is when it's not hunting season, the policy is somewhat "don't ask, don't tell." I seriously doubt anyone really cares. But that said, I'd stay away until May or so when hunting season ends.
 
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