蘑菇视频

Mar 20, 2020 By Ben Moyer 5 min read

There will be no way for society to ever repay the selfless dedication of nurses, doctors, and care-givers during this unprecedented emergency. Their sacrifice goes beyond all norms. Perhaps the best the rest of us can do to help is to keep ourselves and our families healthy in body and mind.

Here, we are fortunate to live in a place where options for safe, low-density exercise and engagement are all around and easy to access. Nothing relieves the stress of indoor confinement like a few hours of physical activity in fresh air. In our region, that is possible with appealing settings as a bonus.

This column is more a reminder than a provision of facts. Most of us can find facts on-line. But we sometimes need encouragement to act.

Within a few miles of every resident of Fayette and surrounding counties is a public park, trail, forest, or game lands where a family could hike, bike, or explore in safety from sickness. Below are some suggestions.

The Great Allegheny Passage is the bike-hike trail that follows the Youghiogheny River through Fayette County from Confluence northwest to Whitsett, just north of Perryopolis. For those who have never been on it, the GAP is an 8-foot-wide path of fine-crushed limestone tracing the Yough蘑菇视频 shoreline, mostly through forest, for miles. Walking is easy and nowhere steep. The scenery is almost universally top-notch, and there蘑菇视频 often wildlife to see, including bald eagles which are now common sights along the river corridor. You can access the GAP, with parking, at many places including West Newton, Whitsett, Layton, Dawson, Connellsville, Ohiopyle, and Confluence. The GAP is popular, but prudent distance from other hikers or bikers is certainly possible. Numbered markers at every mile-point let you keep track of your progress along the trail. The GAP is an internationally significant tourism asset for this region. Right now, it蘑菇视频 a local blessing where confined families can stretch their limbs and ease the tedium.

A cluster of state parks graces our region. These include Ohiopyle in Fayette County, Ryerson Station in Greene County, Keystone is Westmoreland County, Laurel Hill in Somerset County, and Laurel Ridge along the mountaintop border between Fayette, Westmoreland and Somerset.

State park offices, visitor centers, campgrounds, picnic areas, and restrooms are closed for a 14-day minimum, but all trails and natural spaces remain open for dispersed public recreation.

鈥淲e encourage practicing social distancing while enjoying open spaces avoiding groups and crowds. Visitors should be respectful of our natural places and use the bathroom before they leave home. State park rangers will continue to work to ensure security and that public safety is protected,鈥� states the state Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources website.

Ohiopyle State Park, alone, offers 79 miles of hiking trails, ranging from easy to true challenge. Many are loop trails, on which hikers return to their start-point so there蘑菇视频 no need for two-vehicle shuttles.

You can find maps and trail information for any state park at www.dcnr.pa.gov.

The same policy is in force at our area蘑菇视频 two National Park Service sites鈥揊ort Necessity National Battlefield at Farmington, and Friendship Hill National Historic Site at New Geneva. These sites鈥� visitor centers are closed but trails remain open, including to the fort at Fort Necessity. Both these national parks offer some family-friendly trails that are wide, level and free of rocky terrain. Tick precautions are advised.

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy蘑菇视频 Bear Run Nature Reserve is another appealing possibility for outdoor relief. This 5,000-acre mountain refuge has a network of marked trails, and maps are generally available in the kiosk at the trailhead along Rte. 381 just north of Fallingwater. The Fallingwater house is closed, but the Conservancy蘑菇视频 website did not specify any restrictions on trail use.

County and municipal parks dot the region, with many possibilities for exercise and outdoor diversion. No policy was evident on the Fayette County website governing Fayette County parks like Jacobs Creek and Dunlap Creek, but it蘑菇视频 rational to assume the same measures in place at national and state parks. Trails and open spaces may be open, but restrooms and built facilities likely are not.

According to their Bureau of Parks and Recreation蘑菇视频 website, Westmoreland County蘑菇视频 stance is more absolute. All facilities, including trails, are closed at Westmoreland蘑菇视频 Mammoth, Cedar Creek, Twin Lakes, Bridgeport Dam, and Chestnut Ridge county parks. Don鈥檛 visit a Westmoreland County park until further advisements.

Check with local township officials about outdoor opportunities at municipal parks. Townships have developed some exceptionally fine local parks, but often these are designed for more intensive recreation like softball and soccer, with limited low-density options such as hiking trails. Check locally with your township first.

For the adventurous, our region holds tens of thousands of acres of undeveloped state game lands and state forest lands. These are clustered around Dunbar, Ohiopyle, Elliotsville, and the Quebec Hollow area south of Summit Mountain. At Forbes State Forest parking areas near Wharton Furnace and Quebec Hollow, maps may be available at parking area kiosks. Game lands maps, such as for Game Lands No. 51 above Dunbar, can be viewed and printed online at www.pgc.pa.gov. But if you are not familiar with these wilder places, stay close to roads. The last thing needed now is to divert emergency personnel to a wilderness search or rescue.

Unless you鈥檙e an accomplished paddler, water recreation, except fishing, is not a good option yet since water temperatures are still dangerously cold.

Look for a chance to get outdoors. This crisis may prove an unforeseen value of conserved natural places and their open space鈥揳 welcome respite for the confined.

Ben Moyer is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and the Outdoor Writers Association of America.