Recap: Parker Dam Gravel Adventure via EV
Long weekend away
For his birthday weekend Ray decided to combine a gravel ride, hiking and bike frame delivery. So we headed to Parker Dam SP in northwest Pennsylvania to camp and hang out. We grabbed adjacent campsites which turned out to be a smart move. The campsites in our area looked like a lot space but usable tent space was really at a minimum and required strategic placement.
A full kitchen setup made cooking breakfast and dinner a breeze. We had breakfasts of eggs, toast, sausage, and fresh coffee. Dinner included brats, burgers and sides. Plus we enjoyed bonfires as the evening temps cooled.
The EV Challenge
For this trip we decided to test out the carrying capacity and range of an EV. We loaded up two bikes on the rear rack which definitely reduces overall range. Elsewhere we carried a large packable Camp Chef grill, four bins of gear, two coolers, backpacks and food. Plus a bike frame, wheel, tires and parts sat on top of the gear in the back seat. Consequently the truck bed, backseat and other storage areas (gear tunnel and frunk)were full.
The mileage from Columbus, OH to Parker Dam SP is 305 miles utilizing 71, 76 and 80. The charging app calculated a stop to the east of Youngstown where we charged at a Sheetz.The 20 minute charge gave us time to grab a coffee. As we neared Parker Dam, SP we stopped in Dubois, PA to charge at a Walmart so that we had good range for driving around the area during our visit.
On Sunday after breaking camp we drove east to Quehanna Wild Area for some hiking. We then reversed our route back to Columbus stopping in Dubois, PA and Youngstown, OH for charging. All in all the time spent charging wasn’t overly long due to the Level 3 350kwh charging stations we accessed.
PEC Public Lands Ride: Parker Dam
This route is part of a series developed by Ohio Gravel Grinder friend Helena Kotala, who works for Pennsylvania Environmental Council, to promote exploring public lands in Pennsylvania. Helena, her husband Evan, Josh, Shannon, and Whitney joined our group. Our group included Anurag, Ray, Justin, Teresa, Peter, Frans, Amanda and myself. The route starts in the parking area for the park and heads through the campground immediately onto the double track. The first 25 miles stays up on the ridgetop and barely fluctuates a couple hundred feet up or down. Helena took us off course at mile 13 to climb up to the Big Knob fire tower where we scaled as high as we could to see the sights. A drop down onto the course brought us past a roaring spring where we refilled our bottles. A little while later Helena’s group rolled on and left us to enjoy the day. We had some muddy double track and then popped out onto the paved Quehanna Highway section which features a 3 mile downhill. Medix Run Road is a long climb on rail grade up the valley and then onto Shaggers Inn Rd (it’s a pond, not a motel/hotel) over the ridge. We decided to jump back onto the route we took at the beginning and cut out two punchy climbs. This gave us almost 8 miles os rollers and downhill back into the campground. We ended with 46 miles and 3600 feet of climbing.
The gravel is mostly hard packed and there was very little loose gravel sections. We had two double track sections that could be muddier than what we experienced. Overall the route sections we completed were very beautiful and passed by a lot of private camps tucked into the countryside. Route below photos.
Evan and Josh own and run Nittany Mountain Works located in Philipsburg, PA. You can check out their bike bags on their website.
My photos
Photos from Ray
Photos from Justin
Before heading home to Ohio we ventured over to the Quehanna Wild Area to visit the former site of the Curtis-Wright Reactor and the Bat Bunkers used to test nuclear powered jet engines. Both areas are short hikes from the road. On our walk on Reactor Road we met a man who was looking for timber rattlers. At the other site there were wild blueberries ready to be picked. Read more about the history of the area here on Wikipedia.
