State Gamelands: Glen Onoco Trails (11-Oct-2016)

A few weeks ago I hiked up the Glen Onoco Falls. I removed a good amount of trash and from that I thought that some of the other trails in the area might need a cleaning. Today I set out to work on some of the other ones. The destination for the trip was to a overlook that gives amazing views of the Lehigh River and Jim Thorpe from the rim of the Lehigh Gorge. Starting in the Lehigh Gorge State Park I took trails up the mountain through State Gamelands. Snapped the photo above of the Lehigh before I started up the trail. Some of the colors are starting to come into the trees. 

Dog bags were some of the first trash finds. I learned from my last visit to hickory run to put them in another bag before adding them to the rest of the other trash. It would be nice if more dog owners respected the trails and properly dispose of their dogs waste.

This trail starts out going through old foundations of buildings that once lined the bottom of the mountain. All of the foundations are laid stone and the steps from the old structures give a nice start to the trail. Portions of one of the trails here also has laid stone steps. As far as I know the only structures were near the base of the mountain, but there are portions of steps that go all the way to the top.

Plastic bottles were the main trailside find. Most were not easy grabs and a lot of them I had to go off trail and down a steep slope for. 

At the top I worked my way out to an access road instead of taking the trail to the top of the falls. I was disappointed to see this along the trail. When I got out to the access road there was a new bridge over the run and it two was covered in carved and painted names. I feel the graffiti really diminishes the esthetics of our natural areas. If you ever see someone tagging rocks or tree on State Gamelands please contact the PA Game Commission. 

At the lookout. Jim Thorpe is the town out ahead. In the coming weeks this view will become a lot more colorful as more of the leafs start to change. 

The largest pile of trash in one place on the entire hike. This was next to a fire ring by the lookout. Fires and camping are prohibited on State Gamelands.

Looking down on the river upstream from the lookout. The dark cut to the left of the river is the D&L Trail and railroad tracks.  

Looking downstream on the Lehigh River. Even from this far away you can see how low the Lehigh is right now. It definitely wouldn't be a fun paddle, we need rain. 

Penny yawning, even though I didn't pick up much, she was tired of trash collecting. She just likes hiking with no stops, unless it is to sniff.

Took a different trail on the way back down. This view was right before the decent. The gap in the mountain in the distance is Lehigh Gap.

These items were all below the outlook above. 

This little caterpillar was crossing the trail on my way down. I believe it is a Giant Leopard Moth Caterpillar. 

Ended up collecting much less trash than I anticipated finding on the trailside. Took two burlap sacks along and only filled up half of one. Much less than what was along the falls, I do think these trails though see less traffic.

You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash

Like this project? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA