NOYES TOWNSHIP -- An ATV trail that's been closed for the past two-and-a-half years is back open in Clinton County.
During the renovation, Jo Anne and David Strayer from suburban Philadelphia rode their ATVs on a different trail while the state cleaned up the 45-mile-long Whiskey Springs Trail in Sproul State Forest near Renovo.
"We love it here. We have been camping here for over 30 years, riding here for over thirty years with our families," said Jo Anne.
The $12.2 million job included the clean-up of acid mine drainage and other safety concerns from abandoned mine lands that spanned more than 100 acres.
"They were moving a lot of earth around, a lot of trucks around back and forth. So, for safety reasons we didn't feel that logistically we could close portions of it and do it in sequence," said Dan Devlin of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. "So in other words, there was some previous strip mining here and a lot of spoils, a lot of coal banks."
Devlin said nearby Kettle Creek is also cleaner because of the project.
"That's wonderful. We are very excited. It's our old trails we will be able to ride. We are very excited. We love the trails," said Jo Anne.
"It's a long time coming, but we are certainly glad it's here, and glad it's in the rear view mirror,"said Devlin.
