glen onoko falls in jim thorpe pennsylvania

Hiking would be forbidden on state game land around Glen Onoko Falls, pictured above, for more than 130 days a year if a new Pennsylvania Game Commission rule is passed Jan. 27. (Courtesy photo | Mark Zakutansky)

Fall foliage season is a popular time for hiking in Pennsylvania.

But fall hiking on state game lands might be prohibited if a new regulation under consideration by the Pennsylvania Game Commission is approved.

The commission is scheduled to consider a new rule Jan. 27 that would forbid hiking and other non-hunting activities on state game lands during fall and spring hunting seasons, which total more than 130 days. Hiking would still be permitted on Sundays, when hunting is disallowed.

The new rule would affect hiking along Blue Mountain in the Lehigh Valley and also nearby popular spots such as Glen Onoko Falls in Jim Thorpe and Top Rock Trail on state game land in Haycock Township, Bucks County, said Mark Zakutansky, Mid-Atlantic policy manager for the Appalachian Mountain Club, based in Bethlehem.

"Fall foliage is such a draw," Zakutansky said. "Hikers have always been respectful in wearing orange and staying on trails – it seems a little knee-jerk."

The Appalachian Trail and other long-distance trails that go through state game lands would be exempt, but Zakutansky said hiking advocates worry access paths to those trails through state game lands would be restricted.

"That's a concern that people will be limited in their access to the Appalachian Trail because a lot of the access trails will be off-limits," he said.

Bethlehem resident Marty Desilets likes to hike – but even more so, he likes to take photographs.

"There's definitely a huge interest in Glen Onoko, as well as a lot of area up by Ricketts Glen that would be effectively shut down by this," Desilets said. "It seems a little heavy handed to me that they would go to the length that they're going."

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has previously proposed other restrictions on hikers, such as requiring a permit, which also is again up for consideration Jan. 27, Zakutansky said. But the total ban during the spring and fall hunting seasons is a new idea that was only made public Jan. 12, he said.

"What is being proposed is dramatically different than what has been proposed in the past," he said.

The spring hunting season goes from the second Saturday in April through Memorial Day, while the fall season goes from the last Saturday in September until the third Saturday in January.

Biking, horseback riding and snowmobiling is already prohibited on state game land during those two seasons, and hiking also is considered a secondary use on the property, said Travis Lau, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Much of the land was purchased through hunting permit sales and taxes on hunting equipment especially for hunting, Lau said.

"You're not talking about tracts of land purchased with public money," he said.

Lau said he's inquired if Glen Onoko Falls would be covered by the proposed restriction but hasn't heard back. He said he believes access trails through state game land to the Appalachian Trail would be restricted.

The permit rule also being considered Jan. 27 would require hikers to get a free permit from Harrisburg or a regional game commission office to hike on state game land at any time. A permit issued in 2015 would be good through 2018, Lau said.

The Appalachian Mountain Club and other hiking advocacy groups are encouraging residents to submit comments to the commission before its Jan. 27 meeting at pgccomments@pa.gov.

Lynn Olanoff can be reached at lolanoff@express-times.com. Follow her on Twitter @LynnOlanoff.