News

By Kristie Grier Ceruti kgrier@theabingtonjournal.com
Editor

The ideal picnic location varies with the individual. Summer is not complete for some without a charcoal grilled hot dog, mustard potato salad and s’mores. Others pack their picnic basket with Farmers’ Market fruit, assorted cheeses and crusty bread. Still other turn a PB&J brown bag lunch into a picnic by taking their 60-minute escape from the workday outdoors.

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Lackawanna State Park offers a 198-acre Lackawanna Lake and plenty of amenities for hiking, camping and picnicking.

ADAM ROBERTS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

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So it follows that the ideal picnic location could be:

• A shady spot to spread out a plaid blanket;

• A pavilion with nearby grills, playgrounds and a pool;

• A lake with campsites and trails;

• The nearest spot to commune with nature.

The following is a look at a few favorites as selected by the staff of The Times Leader, Weekender and The Abington Journal.

1. Lackawanna State Park

RR 1 Box 230, Dalton

570-945-3239

Manager: Dustin Drew

E-mail: lackawannasp@state.pa.us

The 1,411-acre Lackawanna State Park is 10 miles north of Scranton. It offers the 198-acre Lackawanna Lake and also hiking, camping and picnicking. A 160-foot diameter pool is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend to Aug. 23.

But enough about the amenities – let’s talk picnic.

The main picnic area overlooks the lake with a number of shady and sunny spots featuring individual charcoal grills and waste receptacles. No matter where you decide to settle, you can’t help but feel at one with nature and far from the rush of everyday life. Rest rooms can be found throughout. Reserve a pavilion up to 11 months in advance for a fee. If not reserved, it is free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Or hike along five miles of trails and stop for a packed snack in the forest or by a woodland stream.

And if you decide to turn your picnic into an overnight or weekend campout, this is the perfect location. Take up trail biking, sailing, canoeing and rowing or fishing for cold-water and warm-water species like trout, muskellunge, walleye, channel catfish, bullhead, pickerel and largemouth bass.

And if you don’t get there before snow is on the ground, this is one place you can still take part in winter fun: cross-country skiing, sledding, ice fishing and tobogganing. But let’s not dwell on snow while summer is still in full swing.

2. Frances Slocum State Park

565 Mount Olivet Rd., Wyoming

570-696-3525

Manager: Rex Bradish

E-mail: francesslocumsp@state.pa.us

According to the DCED Web site, Frances Slocum State Park, five miles from Dallas and 10 from Wilkes-Barre, offers 1,035 acres in Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Luzerne County. Frances Slocum Lake forms a horseshoe covering 165 acres.

Perhaps it’s because it is named for Frances Slocum, a young girl who was kidnapped by American Indians, that by the visiting the park you get a sense of its history.

The park offers endless options within its natural beauty. Even just for a quick picnic you feel like you’re getting away for the day. You can take your show on the road in rented rowboats, paddleboats and canoes. And overnight camping is an option as well, with a 100-site campground with 15 walk-in tent sites and 85 tent or trailer sites, some with electricity. And if you don’t feel like packing your picnic, a concession stand, open daily between Memorial Day and Labor Day, sells food, ice, firewood, and other camping necessities. Day-use visitors can also find snacks, ice cream, souvenirs and fishing bait.

For entertainment, a swimming pool is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, unless posted otherwise; the lake is a warm-water fishery complete with crappie, bluegill, perch, catfish, muskellunge, pickerel, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye and stocked trout.

And if you can’t manage to get away for a picnic now, you may picnic year-round in the picnic areas. Drinking water, rest rooms, garbage and recycling receptacles, charcoal grills and charcoal disposal pits are available. All areas are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Three accessible picnic pavilions may be reserved up to 11 months in advance for a fee. Unreserved picnic pavilions are free on a first-come, first-served basis.

There are plenty of winter activities, including ice fishing, ice skating, sledding and tobogganing.

3. Kirby Park

301 Northampton St., Wilkes-Barre

(570) 208-4240

If you’re planning a lunch break picnic, Kirby Park is your place. The park not only has a number of shady and sunny spots to settle and ample parking on your lunch hour, but it’s also conveniently located near to several of our top deli recommendations from a few weeks back: Goldstein’s, Beer Deli and Pierce Street Deli.

You can relax and savor a serene spot by the duck pond or take a leisurely stroll along the paved trail along the nearby dike of the Susquehanna River. And you can even get your history fix reading the historical markers along the path.

If you’re there with children, new playground equipment for toddlers and older children is a colorful and fun distraction. A track, baseball fields and tennis courts are also available.

There’s even a sand volleyball pit and lots of fields and courts for soccer, softball, baseball and tennis. And an expanse of lawn and a grassy incline from the trail to the fields is ideal for tumbling, kite flying, a game of tag or a leisurely afternoon reading a book on a blanket.

4. Wright Township Municipal Park

321 S. Mountain Blvd., Mountain Top

Although there are several covered pavilions in shady and sunny corners and a number of picnic tables scattered throughout this multi-level park, it’s tough to tear yourself away from the bouncing spring rides long enough to eat. A whale, frog, pigs, squirrels, motorcycles are among a number of other playground rides. There are several types of playground equipment- metal, treated wood and primary color plastic; slides, climbing equipment, old-school see saws with wooden planks and saddles and lots of swings.

There are basketball courts and tennis courts, baseball fields, even sand volleyball courts and a disc golf course in a woodsy spot nearby.

There are options of a portable bathroom and handicapped bathrooms for men and women.

The park, a community conservation partnership initiative has recycling containers, water fountains and soda machines on site. And for seniors, there’s even a Gamefield Walking Course on an evergreen lined path.

5. South Abington Park

Northern Boulevard (Routes 6 and 11)

South Abington Township

Although it runs along busy highway just outside of Clarks Summit, you would not know you were anywhere near traffic if you were to stroll a paved path in the park along a stream and woods. Bring your puppy, your child or yourself for a serene bit of exercise before you picnic. It can be a solitary experience or you can chat with many friendly park visitors.

There is a covered pavilion with grills, picnic tables and bathroom facilities nearby. But a walk past the basketball courts and children’s playgrounds will lead you to a quiet path and trellis of colorful flowers in summer with your choice of bench.

Sit anywhere in South Abington Park and watch the seasons roll by and breathe in the scents of nature. In fall, the leaves change colors and crackle in the breeze; in summer the automated splash park carries in the air the laughter and refreshing sprinkle of cool water; in winter, children of all ages on sleds in the white-covered wonderland make those driving by on their way to work wish for a snow day and in spring, it blooms to life all over again.

The park features ball fields, basketball courts, a children’s playground, a picnic pavilion, covered bridges that lead to the aforementioned walking trail.

If you can’t find a perfect spot to picnic at any of the above locations, it’s time to pack your sense of adventure in the final weeks of summer to find one.

Tell us your favorite picnic stop in the comments section below.