SCRANTON, Pa. — It's been a busy year for the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail. Walkers, runners, and cyclists turned to the trail more than ever before.
"We've actually walked more this winter than we have in other winters," said Suzanne Shuster of Peckville.
Since the start of the pandemic, trail officials say more than 450,000 people have visited the trail.
The Scranton Riverwalk section near the 7th Avenue trailhead saw nearly 190,000 folks, nearly double the number who hit this section in 2018.
Frequent users notice the increased foot traffic.
"We've been doing quite a bit of walking on these trails. There are definitely being used," Shuster said. "I've seen more people now either on bikes or walking and families out, a lot of families. I'm so happy to see families you know together."
With an increase in visitors using the trail, visitors say this new stretch of the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail linking Dickson City and Olyphant comes at a good time.
"Get them all connected where you can walk seven miles, you know, in one direction. We go to Archbald, where it is four miles if you go in two and then walk back two, so it's great," said Kathy Areson of Peckville.
Trail officials hope with the addition of new trails, more people will take advantage of them.
"We're making the trail and our natural resources as accessible as we can to everyone we can. So we're definitely seeing a lot of thankful trail users as we close gaps between our southern end in Taylor and our northern end through Carbondale," said Justin Topa with the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail.
The new one-mile section in Dickson City is nearly complete and will be ready for use beginning in late spring or early summer.