For a couple of years now, we've been talking to you about creating access points along the Lackawaxen River here in the Poconos. Here in Honesdale, Sycamore Point Park is now complete, connecting people with the river by kayak, canoe, and for fishers and future generations to enjoy this outdoor space. It is the northernmost spot to put in, with a network of trails along the Lackawaxen River for year-round recreation.

We are super excited about this. It's something that has been in the works for some years as far as thoughts and ideas around it, and we finally had the platform to create the access and infrastructure here. There's a lot of excitement around the river, “ said Dan Corrigan of Northeast Wilderness Experience. “It's a great asset. The idea of having these different access points really gives people the opportunity and option to choose the type of river trip they want.”

“This site has turned out fantastic. It is perfectly suited for what we're doing here, from the stone dust trail to the picnic area,” said Jayson Wood of Woodland Design Associates. “People of all creeds and abilities can access almost every square inch of this property. This property was absolutely ignored in the past. We have the confluence here, where we had incredible industry, from box factories to a glass factory, and a distribution yard.

It's a bookend to Honesdale, taking a building that was literally falling into the river and turning it around.”

“By taking the building down and utilizing the piece of property we had here, we've made additional parking, a beautiful bookend for the town, and a boat ramp. People cannot only fish but also put their kayaks in there, with a paved path all the way down. There's even a handicap-accessible walkway on the river where people can park to unload wheelchairs and go down. I'm incredibly happy that this has come to fruition,” said Wayne County Commissioner Brian Smith.

“We added a marker oriented to the West Branch, the Lackawaxen River, and the Dyberry Creek, allowing you to see where you are in the watershed. Sitting on one of the benches in the picnic area is absolutely fantastic,” added Wood.

“Again, the natural assets you'll see include eagles nests, green herons, kingfishers, and ducks. The wildlife is amazing. Historically, it's great too. There are existing canal walls along the Lackawaxen, where you can enjoy and see some of the old lock areas,” mentioned Corrigan.

“It does my heart good to see people down by the river enjoying the outdoors once again in such a beautiful spot. I want to thank everyone involved in making this happen,” added Smith. “There's so much you can do with outdoor recreation when people work together to create a trail system.”

“In other locations, when this kind of infrastructure is created, people use them, they visit the areas, and often stay longer. If they're staying longer, they're visiting our restaurants and shops,” said Corrigan. “The motivation behind Lackawaxen River Trails is to support the development of recreational infrastructure to foster growth in the area and offer people safe recreational options.”

“This is now, in my eyes, a living thing that we are handing over to the public, the commissioners, the county, and the community,” said Wood. 

Sycamore Point Park is the third official river launch along the Lackawaxen. Hawley’s launch is next to Bingham Park, and White Mills River Access Park was dedicated in 2023. Another is planned between White Mills and Honesdale. This year, the first-ever Lackawaxen River Sojourn is planned for October 12th and 13th.

Want to learn more? Head to LackawaxenRiverTrails.org.