Schuylkill County has plenty to offer nature enthusiasts Saturday on National Trails Day.
According to a press release from the Schuylkill Conservation District, the county offers many trails for people to enjoy whether they're walking, biking, bird watching, studying nature or taking photographs. There is even a water trail it hosts for kayakers.
"Here in Schuyl-kill County we've certainly got a lot of trails," said Patrick M. "Porcupine Pat" McKinney, the district's environmental education coordinator.
National Trails Day is a day where trails are celebrated for their many benefits to local communities, such as providing inspiration, a sense of community, beauty and a general appreciation of the environment, according to the release.
On Saturday, Schuylkill On the Move, a partner of Schuylkill County's VISION, will host four walks that are free and open to the public. They will be cancelled in the event of rain.
The first hike will take place from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on the Lehigh Valley and New England Rail Trail with McKinney. It's a flat walk of about three miles that meets in the Stonehedge Gardens parking lot off Dairy Road in South Tamaqua.
Other hikes are from 10 a.m. to noon at Weiser State Forest with Judy Llewellyn, Bernie Francaviglia and Robin Tracey, which meets at the St. John's Lutheran Church on Main Street in Ringtown; 11 a.m. to noon at Sweet Arrow Lake County Park with Denise "Nightowl" Donmoyer, meeting at the Waterfall Road parking lot; and from 1 to 2 p.m. at a Landingville Marsh Ramble with Dave "Big Owl" McSurdy and Flo Moyer, a flat walk that highlights the beauty of that natural area.
"I want people to be driven to the schuylkill.org website," McKinney said. "They have the trails directory there that was a project of the Schuylkill Leadership class."
McKinney also that some of the trails in the county are former railroad lines. A recent study determined there are more than 70 miles of potential rail trails in northern Schuylkill County, he said.
In addition to the National Trails Day celebration, a Girl Scout program in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America will be held Saturday at Bubeck Park in Schuylkill Haven. The scouts were given the option of either walking 100 miles or 100 kilometers to qualify them for a patch.
McKinney will lead the nature walk.
"We're going out because it's a true celebration of walking trails and Girl Scouting," McKinney said.
For more information on any hike, contact McKinney at 570-622-4124, ext. 113, or porcupinepat@yahoo.com.
