Williamsport, Pa. — The outdoors and recreation industry generates more toward Pennsylvania's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than oil, gas, steel, and coal combined.
You heard that right.
According to presenters at a "Trails and Tourism" presentation at the James V. Brown Library on July 15, outdoor recreation is booming in Pa., and the economic possibilities are vast for river towns like Lock Haven, Jersey Shore, and Williamsport.
Poppy Breining, director of Trails and Recreation for the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership shared promising statistics from DCNR. Outdoor recreation brought $17 billion in revenue to the Commonwealth in 2022, and added 164,000 jobs. Overall, the industry accounts for 1.8% of the GDP , Breining reported.
"A greenway," explained Breining, "is a green space and a parkway. An undeveloped space for water and land trails, where people can enjoy outdoor recreation and also use for transportation." The Susquehanna Greenway, once fully complete will be 535 miles, "the largest greenway in Pennsylvania," Breining said.
The Williamsport Business Association (WBA) held the presentation for local members to drive home the connection (literally and figuratively) between recreational trails and thriving small business. The bottom line for local small businesses: embrace and cater to outdoor enthusiasts who happen to stop and stay, shop, or eat along their ride.
Pennie Vanderlin, secretary of the WBA and owner of Warehouse 124, located at 124 Reynolds Street in South Williamsport, said the information presented Monday night was "eye opening." With her shop situated near the River Walk trail in South Williamsport, she said about 20% of shoppers this summer are from out of town. "They look up 'antique shops' online and want to bike to them from the trail," she said.
Hearing about trail friendly business initiatives—meaning things local businesses can do to be supportive of, or welcoming to, their visitors on bicycles—was a great reminder to Vanderlin that she can capture some of those tourism dollars.
After seeing visitors in the shop bump into friends and talk at the register, Vanderlin's husband suggested she put up a small table and chairs to encourage conversation. "I could add to that by putting out a cooler of water bottles for cyclists and walkers from the trail," Vanderlin said. She already offers cold water to the dogs who stop by.
Other trail friendly initiatives include offering wifi to charge devices, a safe place to lock bikes, bathrooms, handy bike repair supplies, and trail maps, suggested Breining.
In his "Trails mean business" portion of the presentation, Mark Murawski, assistant Lycoming County transportation planner, delivered the following statistics:
In Lycoming County in 2022, recreation spending in the county accounted for $71.6 million in visitor spending, $48.9 million on lodging, and $99.99 million on food and beverages. These figures are according to visitor spending by category data from the Pennsylvania Wilds.
This is why the county has focused on expanding the River Walk extension, a four-mile, 10-foot-wide, paved, multi-use trail between the River Walk at Maynard Street and the 20-acre riverfront at Susquehanna State Park.
According to Murowski, that section is identified in DCNR's State Outdoor Recreation Plan as one of the state's top 10 trail gaps.
When completed, it will be part of the Triple Greenway Trail, a 400-mile trail spanning from Lake Ontario, NY, to the Chesapeake Bay, Md. Williamsport sits in the center of the 400-mile trail, with access to downtown Williamsport and the Lumber Heritage Region Timber Trail, Murowski noted.
Other points of interest and access from the River Walk Trail extension and greater Triple Divide Greenway are Penn College and Lycoming College campuses; the Lycoming Creek bike trail; Memorial Park and the Little League Original Field; Newberry and west city neighborhoods; and future connections planned to Jersey Shore and the Pine Creek Rail Trail and the Bald Eagle Valley Trail in Clinton County.
Breining said it costs roughly $1 million per mile to construct a trail, once easements, land acquisition, engineering, and construction are complete. Murowski said the River Walk extension project will cost $5.1 million. "It's expensive because we have to go under Route 220," Murawski explained.
Other extension projects underway include the Basin Street connector, connecting Old City and Basin Street to the River Walk in Williamsport, and the Millers Run Greenway trail in Loyalsock. One of the more costly elements of the Loyalsock connector is a bridge spanning East Third Street at the intersection of East Third and Northway Road. "That will take $7 million to finish," Murawski said.
Representative Jamie Flick (R-83rd District) spoke to the group about his efforts in Harrisburg to advocate for dollars earmarked for recreation spending. "Making connections is the key. Getting out there and meeting people, talking to people," he said. Flick is a strong advocate of bipartisan discussions among legislators.
In August of 2023, Flick was assigned to the Game and Fisheries and the Tourism and Economic and Recreational Development committees. The Tourism and Economic and Recreational Development Committee considers legislation relating to travel and tourism promotion, and Flick said he is actively advocating for funding available to the 83rd District .
What is the Williamsport Business Association?
The Williamsport Business Association was formed to connect, educate, and promote small businesses in the greater Williamsport area. "We don't limit businesses to just downtown Williamsport," Vanderlin said. Her own business is located in South Williamsport, and she encourages small business owners in the region to check out the organization. "Annual membership dues are just $60," she said.
The organization hosts and promotes regular events to connect WBA members to resources that help small business owners thrive. According to Judy Olinsky, co-chair of the WBA, the organization has incorporated ideas from a visioning process the city and county organized in 2010 that invited 300 residents to discuss the area's future. Hence the "Trails and Tourism" presentation on Monday evening.
Residents envisioned a vibrant, safe community. "But the number one priority from people who participated was 'connection to the river'," Olinsky said.
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