Paragon Question

Paragon does not have a season pass. It is $25 per rider per visit. I think it is $40 per weekend. I think the closest (legal) riding area to Cedar Knolls is Traxx at Jack Frost. Mostly MX type riding but there is a short 8-mile trail loop. A little busy during the weekends. In addition to Paragon and TC there is also Rausch Creek. All three riding areas are within a few minutes of each area. Very similar terrain as well.

Paragon did have a season pass I dont know if they changed that or not. When we were there I think we asked some guys if they wnted to get in with our discount because we were not sure if we had enought people and they said they had a season pass. Best to call them and find out. I was thinking about that the other day myself and should give them a call.
Steven

Aint it funny that Jersy has thousands of square miles of perfectly good waste land and they wont let anyone play on it? Its not like Pa where its man made waste land, in Jersy thats just the way nature made it, but they still wont let anyone play on it. Booooo to NJ! The garden state? who came up with that? Why dont they just call it the sand state, its better than calling it the Superfund state right?
Aint it funny that when we tell the locals in Hazelton that we drive an hour or more and pay $25 a day to ride in their back yard they look at us like were nuts?

Paragon does have a season pass, I was the one that gixer talked to at the park. The cost was $600.00 for a family and I believe it is $350.00 for an individual. I couldn't find anything on their web site and had to ask at the park.

Originally posted by JasonJ
Aint it funny that when we tell the locals in Hazelton that we drive an hour or more and pay $25 a day to ride in their back yard they look at us like were nuts?

Click to expand...

Now imagine what they thought of me who drove over 5 hours to get there...

If you can get 25 or more people to ride with you at Paragon you'll get a discount...it'll be $35/weekend.

Please correct me if i'm wrong, but I thought that up until a few years back Parragon was public domain land as well.. alot of the trails for bikes and 4x4's were cut long before anyone ever paid to go there. It just happened that someone realized that if they could buy this land for cheap (and they could) that folks would actually pay to go there. There are still lots of great trails around Parragon that are free to ride, and so long as you stay away from active mines and Parragon's 'Border Patrols' you're usually fine. The week that Parragon first put up their signage around their property we were chased from the place where we had been unloading bikes for the last few years. A powerline crossing, of all places.. which they certainly dont own. While I'm happy to pay to ride for special events, etc, the business that is Parragon offers me very little that the surrounding 'free' areas dont also offer.

If you've ever taken a close look at topo maps for the Area that is encircled by Hazleton, Tamaqua, Pottsville, Mahanoy City, Shenandoah, etc.. you should notice that about 30 or 40% of the acreage contained therein is abandoned strip mining lands. I suppose its no wonder the locals find it odd that people pay to ride the little bit that is Parragon. ;)

Paragon has never been public land, and has had the same owner since long before the park was opened.  It was originally opened as an off road truck park, so they needed to control motorcycle and ATV traffic on the area to prevent injuries.  Many of the trails on Paragons porperty were cut for the local enduro which runs through the property, as well as old mining and logging roads.  People have always been stopped from riding on the property, but the difference is that before the park was opened, the owners were not there all day every day, so the land was used as a local riding spot.  Although it was not often, but if they were seen on the property by the land owners, they were chased off.  Also a large part of the land that is still used by the locals, is also owned by the same land owners as Paragon, but again, they are not on the property every day, so they don't see the majority of people riding there.  But they will, as they always have, ask people to leave the property, if they are seen riding there.  The main reason for this is liab ility if someone gets hurt, since very few people take responsibility for themselves if they get hurt, and they want to sue the landowner whose property they are on because he didn't move that rock that they hit and broke a leg.

ccie6872,

I think all the places have been mentioned except the NJORV Park in Chattsworth, NJ.  As for the Pa spots, Jack Frost is closest, but mostly geared towards motocross, Paragon is about 25 minutes past that, Tower City(members or guest of member only) is about another 30 mins from Paragon, and I believe Rausche Creek is about 20 minutes past Tower City. 

Ahh, very solid explanation, and I'm glad to know the whole story. I had gone Jeeping at Parragon about 12 years ago with a friend, and I didn't remember paying anyone or anything at that time. Its possible I just missed it, though as we were partying it up and it wasn't my rig in use for that day.
Although i dont live in the area anymore, talking with the locals led us to believe that the 'chasing off' of riders from Parragon's property was something begun fairly recently. Having heard what you've said, I am led to believe instead that simple circumstance kept us from being asked to move elsewhere much sooner.

I still need to take you up on the guided tour scooter ) My schedule for the holiday weekend is still a bit up in the air, but if i'm free sunday, perhaps we can hook up? I'll keep you posted as things flesh out.

Cheers,
Sabooo

I should be there both Sunday, and Monday over the holiday weekend, so if you can make it, let me know......and if anyone else wants to meet at Paragon either day, I am always up for a good ride.

Saboo, check the places to ride forum, we have a thread started for Memorial Weekend at Paragon on Sunday if you want to meet up. It's a relaxing family weekend with some psycotics added for entertainment. :yeehaw:

This is a hard one for me. Most of the places we ride are privately owned lands with owners who tolerate (at best) the presence of off road machines on their land. To publicize them in an open forum risks too many people making their way there and over-taxing the balance that exists.

My best advice is to go to Parragon at least once and be sure you can enjoy this type of terrain. There are some significant differences between the desert and the Coal regions of PA. . . (we call sand 'Silt' and its black just to name one :laugh: and you will understand ROCKY terrain like never before.) If you like it, perhaps we can hook up one day and have a look at some of the other areas. The advantages of Parragon include marked trails, no fear of getting chased by landowners or law officials, and also some of the best riding areas in the region. If the season pass were more reasonable I would likely just buy one and be done, but for someone who goes only a dozen or so times a year it just too much, and the $25x12 is a bit painful as well ($300 buys nice stuff for the bike. :) ) The other issue is that my friends hate paying to ride even more than I do. hehe

Feel free to email me at sabooo@ptd.net to discuss further. :)

Cheers,
Sabooo

The History of the Hazelton riding area is enough to fill a book and varies much depending on who you ask but I find it very interesting and am always interested in all the stories. This is my general understanding of it as I have pieced it togeter from what I have herd over the years.
Once apon a time:
The land was "sold" / Leased to the coal Co's (Paragon owner family from what I gather) in much the same way as rail road right of ways were leased to RR Co s, The property was leased for practicly noting to promote the industry and the people and towns in the area. At the time everyone just saw solid black gold and gave little or no thought to what would happen after the coal properies were no longer profitable and the State granted mining rights over what was already existing property in use by ohter people. The coal Co's where under no obligatoin to "clean" or restore the grounds they stripped and so they more or less just abandoned them after capping the mines saying if they had to clean the land it would force them out of buissnes. However many coal Co's did take to putting up gates and posting private property and some even still go so far as to patrol the old grounds and chase people off (The cole cops) as they are called in White Haven. From what I understand about the usage agreement most of these coal Co's only had use of the land to mine coal, and so when there was no more coal the properties usage was supposed to terminate back to the state, but what the heak dose the State want with a stripped out wasteland that they have to try and clean up? Nothing, so the Co's keept a shell of equipment or a preasance and so the locals were pretty much free ranged to ride it and still do, but those days are going fast. Some locals and others infringed on or reclaimed some of the lands after the mines dried up and have even won cort battles with Paragon and the likes claiming squaters rights and there were some very tense years and bitter feelings and actions. I can personaly recall when Paragon property was patroled by people who not only carried semi auto assult rifels but were inclined to point them. The loclas of corse dont take kindly to the re-enforcement of the property that they have ridden all their lives and who in fact maintained the trails just by use, but in the end Paragon is the future and rules, boundires and lawyers can not be stopped from expanding their reigne of stupidity. Paragon is now at "peace" with the neighbors, the state, DEP, and tolerant of respectful locals wich is having come along way in a very old tug of war in a very few years.
I for one support Paragon as we have seen in countless closing of areas we used to ride and in the preasure on the areas we now ride, we have to pay for the cuase, yeah $350 is nice for parts for the bike but you still have to have somewere to ride the bike. I still go up and ride the area outside of Paragon as your correct, IMHO it is the better part of the riding both in area and in diversity, but Ill pay my $ to ride Paragon as they have unique cahllenges to ride and its a good cause and I think we need Paragon, TC, and organizations like them to insure peacefull riding in our time. Also, dont forget, as I understand it most the the "other" riding area is still in the hands of the Uncle I think it is? of the proprieter of Paragon. Im just as cheap as anyone but you have to ask your self and your friends if they dont want to pay and they do get hurt, will they, and or everybody else not sue? Probably not.
Sorry for the long rant post but I think the history, present, and future of the coal strippings is interesting and reletive to our sport. I have a bunch of other stories about the battles for the land over the last 50 years too but Ill publish them in my book maybe :) . Dirtrider Diaries :D

Nope, the Paragon web site says (or said) they are not a police angency but asks you to make sure your machiene complies with state regulations, ie, they dont enforce them.

Its funny, I hadn't even thought that your post was a rant until you called it such :) Lots of good insight there, and if you ever decided to publish a book I'd buy 10 copies for pressies for my friends. :)
Its a hard thing for me, really. I know that places like Paragon and TC are blessings to people who ride off road. In any other region a place like either one would be a godsend just for the fact that it offers a place to ride. Unfortunately I grew up in the region (Barnesville) and am spoiled on being able to take the bike out of the garage/shed gas it up, put on gear and go riding. No truck, no admission price, etc. I'm perfectly willing to accept the fact that these days are vanishing, but until they are gone I suspect you'll find me clinging to them.
Every riding season I toy with the idea of joining TC and getting it done, but I haven't yet. I suspect this will be a 'Paragon Summer' as there is lots of interest there from DRN and TT riders.
To answer your question cc, i think TC requires spark arrestors, but I cant remember if they're mentioned on Paragon's web site or not. Either way they're a handy thing when riding in the woods, especially when things get dry later in the year.
It looks like I'll be able to make the Family Ride at Paragon on Sunday of the Holiday weekend, so hoping to get to finally shake a few of your hands and put some faces with the names.

cheers,
Sabooo

Sweet, I'll probably be up Sat but will not ride Paragon unless Its dead elsewhere or I get boared, not likely on a holiday weekend :) . But I hope to bring my girlfriend on her RT 100 in for the Sunday family ride and maybe we can rip a bit later in the day? My wrist is still not %100 but its better than it was on the 3rd and 4th.