Redding Anthacite Coal Ride - Saturday Feb 25

[Skinny-J]

We are going to go check out RAC. Lots and lots of land and trails to ride; and even some pretty sweet single track from the you-tube videos I have seen.

I have some gps files from a quad rider for what I believe are the general trails. If anybody who has been there has recommendations on the single track and where it is, that would be welcome.

If you are interested, permits can be obtained here: http://www.readinganthracite.com/access-permits/ The web site says it takes up to two weeks to get a permit through the mail so to make the 25th date, you had better do it this week. Granted, the intial permit price is a little salty, but it is good for all of 2012 and we will definitely get back a few times this year.

Pipe up if you are "in" and we can figure out the rest of the details (and the weather) as we go along...

Jay

[Boom Boom]

PM Master62, he rides there a bunch and gets a permit each year.
You are correct, plenty of good single track if you know where to look.
Check out the posts on KTM Talk and Thumper Talk, you will normally find a couple guys to hook up with.

[Skinny-J]

PM Master62, he rides there a bunch and gets a permit each year.
You are correct, plenty of good single track if you know where to look.
Check out the posts on KTM Talk and Thumper Talk, you will normally find a couple guys to hook up with.

PM Sent.

Thanks BB.

[biffer99]

Can't make it this time (gonna be out of town again) but am definitely interested in checking the place out. I'll be watching the thread to see how it turns out.

[Hare]

I know the area very well and we can ride signle track and or open stuff all day long, I should be game for a ride the 25th.



I think we are hopeing to get our passes the 21st of Feb in person if anybody else wants to go, i may have to bail last minute for work but others will still go for theirs. We probably will do the Brewery tour which is free and right up the hill from RAC offices in Pottsville takes a hour or two.

[phoo]

I believe I am in for this. My wife asked what I wanted for my birthday, and I said, "funny you should ask... The day after is another ride I'd like to go on."


~Patrick

[Ruffcut]

That's pretty cool, I never knew that was there. Really nice it goes per person meaning I can put the wife on a quad... How much land is it exactly? Having hard time finding the estimate. In another forum someone said "22,000 acres to explore" is this accurate?

[Boom Boom]

RAC owns over 90,000 acres, not sure how much you are allowed to ride on but you will never get bored if you are willing to explore.

[Hare]

You cant tell by the map how it is. Its not like you have a boundry of such and such acres, its more like they own a lagre part of the land there, all of the valleys (not towns or roads) and all the hills with coal not owned by hunters a township or county/state.

Basically RAC provides a nice safe place to park and an excuse if you get stopped and then you go from there, there are a few places that are no no land but for the most part they are posted, or you can tell, stay out of peoples stuff and away from active sites. Stay out of the water, most of it is resorvoirs and that is one quick way to get in trouble up there. Watch out for the local kids and coal pit parties they get a bit destructive, do not bring anything nice, no nice trucks.

Otherwise its a great area with great people, I have made many friends up there. Matto Cycle can be reached from the trails. you can ride for days if you want. Wide open stuff, single track stuff, hill climbs everything, just a few rocks. Everybody is way friendly up there.

We usually do a 40 to 60 miles day depending on the crew and trails we pick. you can ride back to Rauch creek or up to Tamaque/ Jim Thrope and Mt. Carmel, Frackville, Centrailia, Ashland and if you like hillclimbs look up the Tevorton stuff too which is also owned by Reading and part of the permitted lands we can ride.

searching a map for RAC boundries is a waste of time, go up and ride and you will see how its more like a 60 mile x 60 mile area of PA coal country fun, get a county road map from the local store and stare at it a while, it will give you a good idea how the mountains and roads work up that way that a GPS or goggle map can never show. The good single track and looping it together is a different story entirely...

give respect for hunting season, not as much as it was, it still draws in a lot peeps you would never see the rest of the year, no fun coming up on a scope

[Boom Boom]

Well said Hare
I have a friend in the Tamaqua area that we ride from his house.
If you ride with a local then you know all the places to stay out of.
Endless riding......
You could spend a couple days blundering your way from I-81 east to Tamaqua area.
If you stay out of the state lands, no one seems to mind where you ride.
Yes, if riding from the RAC office area (St Clair) you need to make sure to stay out of the watershed area.