Mid-Atlantic Pennsylvania State Parks Plan for Denton Hill Announced

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

Bureau of PA State Parks Director John Hallas was on hand at a public meeting held at the Denton Hill Lodge on May 23 to discuss plans for the rehabilitation of the ski resort near Coudersport in northwestern PA. There is $12 million available for a project that is estimated to cost $18 million. Plans include replacing both chairs with a new lift, new surface lifts, regrading trails, and $7.8 million for a revamped snowmaking system that covers 100% of the trails. Details can be found in this article:


http://www.bradfordera.com/news/dcn...cle_fcee15e6-5ef7-11e8-8af1-bb876cdbde74.html

 

[Scrundy]

Nice, been there many times but never skied it. STEEP is key word with lots of tree skiing by the way it looks. The best chair lift was sketchy and didn’t run well. Nice place, small lodge, in nowhere’s land. Wished I lived closer. If PA puts that much cash into it,would be worth a trip out route 6.
Should mention byob it’s state owned so they can’t sell it.

 

[dbostedo]

That's such a sparsely populated area... I wonder if there are enough people around to make it viable (again). I've never been anywhere near it... too far from DC or Pittsburgh. Where did the folks skiing it come from in the past? Buffalo is actually the closest city.

And yes, it's steep for PA... but tops out a bit over 30 degrees for only a couple of hundred feet. Just from the maps, it seems a bit reminiscent of Laurel Mountain, but a little shorter.

 

[cantunamunch]

Nice, been there many times but never skied it. STEEP is key word with lots of tree skiing by the way it looks.

LOL


(That's gradient in case anyone was wondering. Escalators are 100% on gradient maps).

 

[cantunamunch]

That's such a sparsely populated area... I wonder if there are enough people around to make it viable (again). I've never been anywhere near it... too far from DC or Pittsburgh. Where did the folks skiing it come from in the past? Buffalo is actually the closest city.

I'm guessing you don't know anyone who knows anyone doing traditional archery - 'coz even I've been at Denton Hill for THAT event.

Pretty good XC trail system too.

 

[SKI-3PO]

Where did the folks skiing it come from in the past?

Nearby Coudersport boomed in the 90s thanks to Adelphia cable. That didn’t last long and it was the beginning of the end for Denton - http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2002/08/12/327011/index.htm

 

[dbostedo]

I'm guessing you don't know anyone who knows anyone doing traditional archery...

Correct.

 

[dbostedo]

Nearby Coudersport boomed in the 90s thanks to Adelphia cable. That didn’t last long and it was the beginning of the end for Denton - http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2002/08/12/327011/index.htm

Still... their population was never much more than 3000 people. That's a pretty small town. I get that it's a small ski area too... but it makes me wonder if any small area can make a go of it in that remote a place.

 

[SKI-3PO]

I agree

 

[Scrundy]

I'm guessing you don't know anyone who knows anyone doing traditional archery - 'coz even I've been at Denton Hill for THAT event.

Pretty good XC trail system too.

Yes been there many time for ETAR. Some good times for sure haven’t been there in probably 5 years. Miss it,my 2 oldest girls never miss it as we would go every year when they were children.
We always made a week of it, camped very close to lodge where the lights were set up for night shooting.

 

[Tyler Wenzel]

The state put out a concession to bid this year but looks like no one's interested.

 

[Philpug]

The state put out a concession to bid this year but looks like no one's interested.

Hello, @Tyler Wenzel!!!! I hope all is well with you in CR.

As far as Ski Denton. I never got a chance to ski there back when it was operating. I heard is was a pretty cool place with some serious terrain but as mentioned...it is in the middle of nowhere. Where do they pull from State College? Students are staying back and drinking. Binghamton? they will hit Greek or go further north. Williamsport? Small community there. Scranton? Why pass Montage and Elk.

 

[SKI-3PO]

The economy in that area was much better when Adelphia cable was booming.

 

[dbostedo]

The state put out a concession to bid this year but looks like no one's interested.

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

Hi @Tyler Wenzel, I hope you are doing well. I forgot about this thread. I'm not surprised that there were no bidders for the reason noted above, no population base, no market. Denton was built sometime in the 1950s just as the Boomer generation was beginning to reach its peak. The community and local politicians no doubt see this project as an economic engine for the region. I think their best hope lies in forming a community based non-profit then assembling an experienced management team and hope the state will still be on board.

The archery festival has relocated to Ski Sawmill. http://skisawmill.com/

 

[Tyler Wenzel]

Hey all! Glad to see some familiar faces after several years. Saw that article and wanted to pop in. I'm still here in Costa Rica. Ten years next month. Now I'm focusing on making wildlife educational content (and eventually a full-length documentary).

Agreed with Phil's take. Back when I lived outside of Williamsport I'd heard good things about Denton but the other options for the area (west to Blue Knob or east to Montage/Snö (I think it ended up being called for a bit)) just made it uncompetitive. It's a nice area, but just too remote and not attractive enough as a standalone destination imo.

 

[pchewn]

There is $12 million available for a project that is estimated to cost $18 million.

Call me crazy, but can I suggest trimming the project to $12M might be the best approach?

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

Call me crazy, but can I suggest trimming the project to $12M might be the best approach?

According to this article, the state committed $12 million:
"The project currently has $12 million in approved funding through Act 85 of 2013."
https://www.bradfordera.com/news/dc...cle_fcee15e6-5ef7-11e8-8af1-bb876cdbde74.html

In the latest news, $10 million is now available:
"Earlier this year, [PA State Representataive] Causer noted that DCNR has committed $10 million to support implementing the park’s master plan."
https://www.bradfordera.com/news/st...cle_b3d2ab89-e0ac-5ac8-b1bc-b3e67b1d57b1.html

That leaves an $8 million shortfall. What can be cut and still keep a modern infrastructure capable of drawing enough visits?

The PA state owned Laurel Mountain was in a similar position calling for a $12 million investment with 6 coming from the state and another 6 coming from whoever got the concession. The original plan called for 100% snowmaking. Seven Springs did invest money in the assets they bought from the bank that foreclosed on the last leaseholder but that left the mountain with only 50% snowmaking My point is, I don't think the amount of investment needed to bring Denton up to standard is the issue.