Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area is a top destination for off-pavement adventure

These past few weeks have been quite mild in our area of New Jersey and given the recent snow break, a few of us at OK4WD opted to take a day and enjoy some of the areas that warrant Pennsylvania as a vehicle-based destination

AOAA, or Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area, provides off-road enthusiasts with a vast network of trails for trucks, side-by-sides, quads and motorcycles. With 7,500 acres there is a trail for all skill levels and vehicles from coal roads to rock gardens. An fortunately for us, it’s only a two hour trip from our shop, making it ideal as we headed over the Delaware out to Coal Township.

Our plan was to link up as many green trails the day would allow with our caravan of three Toyota Tacomas and a full size Chevy Silverado.

With the temps in the low 20’s, we were curious what the trails conditions would be like. We described the trails as “driving on Maxtrax all day” as our tire tread was frozen into the ground, providing grip the entire day. Water was minimal except for the frozen puddles we would break through with clean rocks allowing us to cruise trail to trail.

We headed out past AOAA’s Camp area up to Trail #2 and started our way from Trail 2 to 3, 4 and then making our way to Trail 6. Along the way we broke through frozen puddles and made it to Trail 3. The area is full of switchbacks as we made our descent navigating downwards. With the trucks in 4-Low, we made it down with zero loss of traction and only a few multi-point turns to keep our space from the trees.

Shifting back to 4-High, the trail opened up and the valley we were working towards came into view. The woods thinned while we worked over towards Trails 4 and 6. We came across some well scavenged old Chevy trucks sporting a few bullet holes, after making up a story of how the trucks found their final resting place, we kept moving.

From there we jumped across E. Anthracite Road and headed towards Trail 12, a long out and back trail to find a location that would provide a break from the wind for a lunch break. Along the trek to Trail 12 we found some small obstacles to play on along the way.

Trail 12 showed its cards quickly, letting us know it was rockier than the other side of the road and a few more technical sections along the trail. The trail starts with a few rocky descents that level out then the trail starts to parallel the mountain with a great view from the passenger side.

We made our way down the trail until we reached an area that opened up the singletrack we were on to a space that allowed us to hop out of the trucks for lunch and let our four-legged companion stretch her legs while hunting for dropped potato chips.

We compared deli sandwiches and shared our internal monologs of the obstacles we’ve been traveling while other groups came into focus as we took in the view in front of us we. Given the nature of the trail, we realized the difficulty that might present itself if we had to allow opposite traveling traffic on this skinny trail. We came across a large group of eight vehicles and decided we could spend our time on another trail if we doubled back and hopped onto another trailhead.

Even though we had just completed these obstacles on our way out, climbing the rock filled hills while on the skinny peddle instead of the brake made for much excitement. Keeping steady throttle and momentum, we made our way to Trails 19, 14, and 16.

The combo of trails would challenge our vehicle size once again. The trees grew thicker and the trails tighter. Our Tacomas would make their way through and we’d radio back what the Silverado had coming up ahead. Through each tight section we would spot each other through the slalom style trails until we made it back to E. Anthracite Road.

When we got back to the road the sun was starting to make its way behind the neighboring hills so the call was made to head back to the parking lot. On the way out, we exchanged thumbs up with other groups also retiring for the day. Everyone was all smiles, even the unlucky few that were being towed back to the tarmac. With the tires aired up and final round of stories shared with the group, we hit the road for home.

Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area left us wanting so much more while we only scratched the surface of what it has to offer. The helpful staff at the start of our day alluded to how our day was going to transpire. We all left with permanent grins and with a plan for our next trip.

If you are into offroading or offroad travel of any kind, AOAA should be on your radar.  Named one of the Top 10 destinations in the country for ATVs, full-size vehicles and dirt bikes, AOAA provide an extensive trail network to keep adventurists wanting more.

Additionally, AOAA is only three hours from New York City, 2.5 from Philadelphia and Baltimore. AOAA makes for a great day or weekend trip.

For more information, check out AOAA’s Website including operation hours, trail conditions and lodging.

OutdoorX4 Magazine – Promoting responsible vehicle-based adventure travel and outdoors adventure