By Bill Deaton | williamjdeaton@yahoo.com
Perched between Waymart and Honesdale is Prompton State Park, a 1500-acre satellite of Lackawanna State Park. In addition to the many other activities, such as boating, fishing, disc golf, and RC aircraft flying, hiking and mountain biking on the park’s 26 miles of trails are also very popular.
From a paved mile-and-a-half section of the East Shore Trail that is the remnants of where PA-170 once ran prior to the construction of the dam, to rocky ways that skirt cliffsides, the trail diversity at Prompton ranges from flat to moderately steep. Some are rocky while others are muddy. Some are wide and others just a mere footpath. Good footwear, preferably waterproof, is a solid suggestion while traversing these trails since all of them are also open to mountain biking, and several stream crossings mark a few routes.
The bulk of the trails reside on the east shore of Prompton Lake. All things stem from the red blazed, 4.5mi East Shore Trail. Trailheads can be accessed via the parking lot off Beech Grove Road, a recent addition in the last few seasons, or across the dam from the south.
Hikers can choose several optional pathways that either diverge directly off the East Shore Trail or can be reached via another route.
Hiker Trail (White, 0.2) A short connector from East Shore to Cliff
Sidewinder Trail (Yellow, 0.7)
A longer connector that winds between East Shore and Cliff
Cliff Trail (Red 1.5.) Longer loop that visits the cliff and several waterfalls.
Pine Creek (Green 0.9) Loop hemlock grove in between Cliff and Blueberry.
Blueberry (Blue, 1.3.) Loop through woods and open areas with blueberry bushes.
Cross Trail (White, 0.2) Connector through a meadow.
Eagle Pass (Green, 1.0) Parallel trail inland of East Shore.
Sugar Shack (White 1.7) Continuation of Eagle Pass.
High Ledge Trail (Blue, 1.0.) Artery trail between East Shore and southern loops.
Hemlock (Yellow, 1.7) Exterior loop in the south.
Bone Ridge (Green, 1.9.) Interior loop accessed via Hemlock.
Four trails follow the West Shore and can be accessed from the dam parking area and the boat launch midway up the lake. From the launch, the red blazed West Shore Trail stays closer to the shore going 1.8 miles to the north and 1.0 to the picnic area at the dam. Also, the Orchard Trail (White, 1.4) heads north, inland to merge with the West Shore and also bears south (White, 1.7) also to the picnic area.
According to Paul Mang of the Friends of Prompton, a volunteer group that does much of the maintenance in the park, the recent tornadoes that struck the area closed some of the trails near the dam but as of now, everything is open.
“A lot of the clean-up was done thanks to Kenny Pender, (another volunteer), and there are still two or three holes on the disc golf course that are wiped out,” Mang stated. He’ll be working with other volunteers soon to get those re-opened as well.
The park is open every day of the year from dawn to dusk. Overnight facilities and parking are not available at the park. Access areas to the park and lake can be reached off PA-170 or Beech Grove Rd. Pets are permitted but need to be leashed. For emergencies, dial 9-1-1, but cell phone coverage in the area is sketchy or non-existent in some parts of the park, so inform someone about your plan to visit and let them know when you plan to return. Have fun and enjoy Prompton!