New to the area. Looking for routes, friends, etc.

I didn't check this forum for a while. Welcome! Where did you move from?

What type of riding do you do?

I ride a hybrid, and spend a lot of my time in traffic free areas like rail trails and the levee system, but I think that I am about to start doing more road rides.

I did the Tour de Scranton, which was the first time I had ever cycled up near Scranton, and I took the 32 mile route, which rode up to Carbondale High School and back... they seem to have laid out a course that would be relatively bicycle friendly, even without the initial police escort for the first mile or so.

I think their web site still has the cue sheets. The longer routes I heard were good as well, with one caveat. Watch for pot holes. Apparently someone drove the 60+ mile course the night before the ride, and flatted their car tire in one of the pot holes, although they could be patched by now.

Rail trails around here are generally crushed stone and ride pretty well (I run 35 mm cyclocross tires on my hybrid) although there are areas (especially at times of the year) where the surface gets a sandy feel, anfd you can sink in, but in general, those are not very common.

Bikes aren't allowed, but if you want a place to walk, the walk around Lake Scranton is nice. It is about 3.6 miles around the lake on a paved path with some gentle slopes.

If you are willing to take a little drive, the Lehigh Gorge is wonderful, as is the rest of the Delaware & Lehigh system. The Black Mountain portion of the system that goes between White Haven and Mountain Top is nice too, but the slope seems to be slightly steeper than in the gorge, but it is still a gentle grade.

The D & L Trail

I have a group in Meetup.com that hasn't been too responsive, but it is in my signature. Also, there is another group on Meetup called "Upstate Velo" that covers a variety of cycling meetups, and some of them would be good if you enjoy riding hard.