System's planned cycling route to include Valley counties
Jul. 1—The recently announced expansion of the United States Bicycle Route System will include a brand new route bisecting Pennsylvania — USBR 11 — which will hit three Valley counties on its way north and south.
The route will travel through 14 Pennsylvania counties: Tioga, Lycoming, Clinton, Centre, Juniata, Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Dauphin, Perry Cumberland, York, Adams and Franklin.
Utilizing BicyclePA Routes G, V, J and S, as well as a new section of a designated bike route in Franklin County, USBR 11 will weave through the commonwealth to connect New York and Maryland, according to a release by the Adventure Cycling Association.
"The route provides an opportunity to ride through a number of state forests and state parks as well as the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon," the release said.
"USBR 11 also provides opportunities to visit small communities and towns in both rural and suburban settings as well as larger cities like York, Pennsylvania, and provides a view of Pennsylvania's state capital, Harrisburg, while traveling along the Susquehanna River."
Locally, the new path will follow Route 11 through Selinsgrove and Shamokin Dam to Northumberland where it will follow Route 147/Route 405 to Houssels Run Road near Montandon. It runs briefly across Route 45 into Lewisburg before looping onto Route 192 through Lewisburg and Mifflinburg on its way to Centre County.
Andrew Miller, executive director of the Susquehanna River Valley Visitors Bureau, said the route will benefit the Valley.
"Hearing this news is awesome because it further builds our cycling tourism," he said. "The more advocates of this we have, the more that it cements and we truly become a destination for outdoor recreation."
Miller said he was glad to read a recognition of small towns in a press release.
"Cycling tourists love rural destinations and smaller towns and I'm thrilled the article recognized this," he said. "When you're riding a bicycle, you're not in a hurry. Cyclists tend to stay longer, spend a nice portion of money and really like exploring small towns and businesses."
Miller added that in 2021, the Susquehanna River Valley region fared better than 98 percent of regions across the state in terms of visitor spending.
"We are affordable and easy to get to," he said. "This route will only boost that."
Sy Brandau, who owns SB Cyclery in Selingrove with his wife Bethany Brandau, said USBR 11 would be a "huge plus" for the Valley.
"A lot of people want something like this, but no one knows where to start," he said. "A lot of our customers would gain from this."
The route will be beneficial to many locally, Brandau said. "So many people would stand to benefit in terms of health and happiness," he said. "This sort of recreation helps people from all walks of life, from lower economic classes all the way up to the wealthy. It's a very inclusive project."
Cycling is not only good for riders, themselves, according to Brandau.
"Bicycles are a simple solution to complex problems like health care and pollution," he said.
