With a dual sport motorcycle, a permit and a helmet, riders can begin hitting trails with names like Billboard Road, Pitch Path and Highway Hill Climb.

They’re all part of a new trail system that the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will open Monday on 725 acres of the Weiser State Forest in Delano Township.

The single-track trail system is part of the Catawissa Recreation Area’s southern portion and includes about 20 miles of trails just off Lofty Road.

In time, more of the 5,924-acre Catawissa tract will be developed for all terrain vehicles, utility terrain vehicles and other motorized vehicles.

“What we decided to move ahead with was getting some single-track riding opportunities in here for recreationists,” said Scott Miller, Weiser’s district forester of the southern portion.

He, along with others from his district, DCNR, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, met Wednesday morning at the trail head parking lot between the villages of Delano and Lofty.

The location offers ample parking, an informational kiosk and the beginning of the Lofty Creek loop trail.

“We started felling trees last fall, but (work) really ramped up sometime in April,” Miller said.

Crews also cleared, leveled and brushed trails. Signage was added to direct those traveling on any of the difficult to expert level trails.

“There’s roughly 20 miles of track out here,” Miller said.

He stressed that the trails are for dual sport motorcycles, or those designed for off-road use while being street-legal. ATVs and UTVs are not permitted.

“It’s just because of the infrastructure. We had to put in some bridges, and the trails themselves only lend themselves to single-track riding,” Miller noted.

The soon-to-open portion has trails that travel near Interstate 81 at some points, but most are in a wooded area.

“It’s a beautiful forest resource here,” said Ryan Reed of DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry.

Reed sees the project as having a trio of benefits.

“We’re giving an opportunity to a group of recreationists, and this also benefits the area economically,” he said. ‘But then coming in and becoming the stewards of roughly 6,000 acres of forest land gives us the opportunity to maintain and care for it.”

Most recently, Weiser’s staff — with the help of heavy equipment — collected 16 tons of trash and 5 tons of tires from the land.

“I don’t know how far back it goes, but there has been a culture of dumping here. We’re fighting that,” Miller said.

The bulk of the Catawissa tract, or the northern section, lies between Interstate 81 and the Humboldt Industrial Park and spans Schuylkill and Luzerne counties. DCNR purchased the land from Butler Enterprises in 2022. It had at one time hosted the former Paragon Adventure ATV Park.

Before the northern portion can be developed into an ATV park, DCNR is working with the DEP to create an access road to the headwaters of the Catawissa Creek. The goal is to install treatment plants that will tackle acid mine discharge in the creek.

“With DCNR acquiring the property, that opened our ability to get in there and treat that water,” explained Todd Wood, a DEP mining engineer.

DCNR worked with the Larson Design Group on a master plan for the entire Catawissa Recreation Area. While no time frame for the entire project’s completion was given, DCNR is hoping to have a third party vendor manage the area.

“It’s going to be a big operation. The logistics are such that I don’t think the (Weiser Forest) district will have the manpower to do it justice,” Miller said.

The trails opening Monday will also be open to bicyclists and hikers.

Permits for dual sport vehicles are needed and must be purchased in person beginning Monday from Weiser State Forest district office, 16 Weiser Lane, Aristes. Equipment must be registered and insured, and helmets are required.

The trails are open from sunrise to sunset and will close for the season on Sept. 27.