East Coast Wheeling sites

I was very disturbed to see the latest issue of JP magazine that talks about secret wheeling spots on the east coast.  There have been many issues in the mid atlantic region for the past few years with wheeling areas being shut down.  Many were shut down because it was land that noone really understood who the owner was, so it was not thought of as illegal-- although it was never deemed legal either.

The Shamokin area is one of those areas. Many locals wheel there, and the local police turn a blind eye to it now.  However, the area is becoming trashed, and it is only a matter of time before the land owner realizes what has happened and he shuts the land off from access.  The area is literally in between two of the country's prime OHV parks-- Paragon Adventrue park, and Rausch Creek Off Road Park.  Those areas are LEGAL.

Now, because you guys have decided to write about areas without researching them, the land will become overrun by out of towners with no respect for the land.  Totally irresponsible of your magazine to promote an area that has not been determined to be legal or illegal.  And just because you post a link to a jeep forum does not mean that any of the members of that forum know if the land is legal or not.  Some things are better kept on the secret side, but I guess you guys have no concept of that.  You should have just promoted the two OHV parks that are in the area, who are 100% legal, and whose trails are 10000% better that Shamokin anyways.

Hey I used to live near that area and my aunt and uncle still live there. Are you from the area? I don't quite understand how they suggested that people 'wheel illegally in the areas. They just mentioned that there are good places to 'wheel in the area.  

pawheeler,

I can understand your concern, but I have come to realize the only way to save this land for future use, is to promote it to responsible outdoor recreationalists.

The land in question is owned by the County of Northumberland, most of which has parceled off and leased it to the coal companies.  There are still areas that is soley owned by the county and completely legal to enjoy.  In addition, the access roads that "spider-web" the area have been there for over 21 years and show up on many maps of the area, which classifies them under a perscriptive easement. 

Unfortunately, all these areas are targets for local residents to dump there trash and party.  You speak of "the land being overrun by out of towners with no respect for the land", but anyone who is familiar with this area can tell you that its not the out-of-towners, but the locals who are trashing it.  They dump there refrigerators, dishwashers, household garbage, baby diapers, tires, commercial waste, drywall, shingles, construction material and the list can go on and on.

Sort of like these idiots --> http://www.dailyitem.com/archive/2005/0412/local/stories/12local.htm

I don't want to give the impression that all locals are like this, because the majority want to keep the area open and trash free to be used years to come by our children.  We have worked in cooperation with the county to help us determine which areas are legal and which are not, we have scheduled clean-ups, and we are in the process of creating an organization to promote the recreational use of these areas. 

Keeping these areas secret is not the answer, we need to educate and promote responsible outdoor recreation, so these areas can stay open for all.

I would like to see more winter wheeling in the mag.....  
96 grand,3.5 Tuff Country,3/4 spacers,rusty's trackbar and mount,dual stabilizers,JCR rock sliders, Dynomax catback etc etc.
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