JERSEY SHORE — Is Jersey Shore sitting on a hidden gem?

Tina Cooney, a member of the Rivertown Committee of Jersey Shore, believes so. She, along with members of the committee and members of the Jersey Shore Borough Council, invited consultant Amy Camp to Jersey Shore to spend the day researching the nearby Pine Creek Trail and how it could benefit Jersey Shore.

Camp, owner and operator of Cycle Forward based near Pittsburgh, spoke at the Thursday, Sept. 19 Rivertown meeting about what Jersey Shore could do.

She handed copies of her book “Deciding on Trails: 7 Practices of Healthy Trail Towns,” which reinforced advice given to borough leaders.

Camp, according to her organization Cycle Forward, has “15 years of experience in outdoor recreation consulting and tourism coaching in North America, (she) focuses on helping communities and individuals thrive by leveraging regional assets, incorporating nature experiences, and cultivating a trail culture.”

Her expertise is creating “trail tourism and placemaking consulting; outdoor recreation economy research; destination marketing; community engagement; workshop and meeting facilitation; and nature experiences.”

In October of 2024 “Tourist Secrets” website called the Pine Creek Trail (“The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania”) a place for “adventure that combines stunning scenery, fresh air and a bit of exercise.”

Writer Alfi Peck stated, “This 62-mile trail winds through the breathtaking Pine Creek Gorge… (and) whether you’re an avid cyclist or just looking for a leisurely ride, this trail has something for everyone.”

Peck explained that, “with multiple access points, you can choose a short ride or tackle the entire trail. Ready to experience nature on two wheels? The Pine Creek Rail Trail awaits!”

In her book, Camp defined a “trail town” as a “community through which a trail passes that supports trail users with services, promotes the trail to residents and embraces the trail as a resource to be protected and celebrated.”

Camp explained towns around the Great Allegheny Pass (GAP) embraced the trail and, all connected, businesses around made $7.2 million in 2002, followed by $40 million in 2008 and $74.7 million in 2019.

She explained the last time she was on the Pine Creek Trail was 10 years ago.

“So it’s been a little while and whenever I was on the trail that time, I was not on this part of the trail (in Jersey Shore), so it truly is a positive experience for me,” she said.

Camp said she wanted to discuss how “Jersey Shore can better connect to the Pine Creek Rail Trail.”

“I want to recognize that you obviously have a beautiful Susquehanna River as well and are probably eager to connect (the trail) to the river. And I understand that there are other trails in the region that may eventually connect into Jersey Shore,” she said.

This could make “Jersey Shore somewhat of an outdoor recreation hub” and said “all of those things are good.”

She said she spent two days in town riding her bicycle and pointed out the positive aspects of what Jersey Shore has embraced.

“I saw a bike rack at the Weis’s and I saw a little connector trail with a sign that says trail,” Camp said.

However, she had difficulty finding where the entrance to the Pine Creek Trail began.

“I’m going to be very honest, just from the start,” Camp said. “None of this tells me there’s a trail called the Pine Creek Rail Trail here.”

To get the borough into a more Trail Town frame of mind, she said there are financial opportunities that towns can take full advantage of getting support for their trails.

“There are all sorts of different grants that a lot of time, communities and nonprofits utilize to work on some of these projects,” Camp said.

Jersey Shore could remain such a trail town by doing the following seven practices of healthy train towns:

— Adopt a shared vision

— Physically connect the trail to town

— Extend an invitation

— Cultivate a trail culture

— Know your market

— Share your story

— Commit to quality trails

One of the ways she said that could help the town was to mark signs where the Pine Creek Trail is.

“Things like signage, things like getting an outfitter in here with a bike shop in here to help to service people using the trail,” she said.

Camp encouraged even for places for bikers to stay like a motel or an “Airbnb” could set up for bikers to stay overnight.

She encouraged simple endeavors like murals of bicycles around town, bicycle-friendly placement racks and getting the local businesses involved. People in other trail towns have used parts of bicycles in artistic endeavors around these towns just to affirm the bicycle friendly town.

Camp said that the town could start immediately.

“In the meantime, you can use temporary signage and you can use the stencils,” Camp said.

Upon conclusion of the meeting, Camp said she thought Jersey Shore was a great place to visit.

“I’ve had a tremendous time here and it’s a beautiful place with great people and the trail is spectacular,” she said.

Mayor Lon Meyers praised Camp.

“Sometimes living here, it’s hard to see the potential… So I think having someone out of the area come in and look at your shoes with fresh eyes, (is) always helpful because it shows us the potential that we can always see ourselves,” he said.