‘Stronger when we’re connected:’ New Honesdale park links boaters to the Lackawaxen River

Lackawaxen River Trail group volunteer Molly Rogers said she isn’t much of a paddler, but that the river should be open for everyone.

“There's nothing I love more than spending time in nature, whether it's in the woods on a walk or sitting by the river, watching the birds. I mean, I don't even paddle that much, but it's just a very special kind of mental health to sit by water,” said Rogers. “And that's part of what I love, being able to make it accessible to more people.”

Isabela Weiss | WVIA News | Report for America

Volunteer Molly Rogers was a grant writer for Sycamore Point Park, a public access point to the Lackawaxen River in Honesdale.

The 72-year-old grant writer beamed at Honesdale’s new Sycamore Point Park, named after the sycamore trees that line the riverside. It opened on Friday to the public. An access ramp connects a large gravel parking lot to the water and a trail that wraps around part of the river.

Sycamore is the river group’s third access point in Wayne County. This newest boat launch is part of a $10 million project to connect Honesdale to Hawley by water and trails, according to the trail group.

Claire Jantz said the park makes use of the “forgotten” river. Boaters and recreational fishermen traditionally did not have easy access to the river because of its industrial history, she said. Jantz works with Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

“The focus was more on the power of the river (for coal mining,)” said Jantz, DCNR’s deputy secretary for conservation and technical services.

Isabela Weiss | WVIA News | Report for America

Visitors to Honesdale's new Sycamore Point Park can use the access ramp to bring boats down to the Lackawaxen River. It opened to the public on Oct. 18.

The Lackawaxen used to serve 1800s Pennsylvanians as a coal passage route, according to the Wayne & Pike Trails & Waterways Alliance Project. Coal from the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company was loaded onto boats and sent down the D&H Canal which paralleled the Lackawaxen River.

Jantz said Sycamore and the river trail group’s mission to revitalize the Lackawaxen is “part of community resilience, in terms of our social resilience, but also in terms of climate resilience.”

Pennsylvania’s summers are getting warmer, she said, and accessible river access can be a life-saver in the heat.

She also applauded the group’s work in creating areas for people to immerse themselves in nature. DCNR’s statewide comprehensive outdoor recreation plan found that around 76% of respondents “agreed that mental health was the most important reason why we need outdoor recreation.” Results of the department’s survey and 2025-29 plan are not online at this time.

A project forged in collaboration

Rogers is grateful for the Wayne County Community Foundation, DCNR and the state’s Fish and Boat Commission’s (PFBC) “invaluable” support of the project. A former library director for 19 years, she used her grant writing experience from running the county library to rack up funds, which came entirely from grants and donations.

“We’re stronger when we're connected to each other than trying to be our own little thing,” said Rogers, a former Red Cross volunteer for 16 years.

She helped start the Wayne Library Alliance, which she said links the county’s seven libraries and helps them collaborate on projects and share resources. Her grant writing experience allowed her to advocate for Honesdale.

“It's (about) encompassing all of the different aspects of what you want to do for your community by reading what other people are doing and stories that people tell,” said Rogers.

PFBC and DCNR contributed around $1 million to Sycamore.

Isabela Weiss | WVIA News | Report for America

Executive Director Tim Schaeffer of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission unveils Honesdale's Sycamore Point Park on Oct. 18.

Tim Schaeffer, the fish and boat commission's executive director, emphasized that Sycamore couldn’t have come together without teamwork. U.S. Fish and Wildlife gave PFBC $1.6 million for 19 different projects from Wayne County to Philadelphia through the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund. He said PFBC was able to leverage that funding with $14 million from other grants.

County Commissioner Brian Smith added that the Wayne Memorial Hospital donated the land to build Sycamore and allowed officials to tear down a blighted building that formerly housed EMS services. The building had not been used in years and was in danger of sliding into the water.

“If it was not taken down, there would be a mess here that would have compromised this local environment, and probably environments down the river,” explained Smith.

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An old, blighted and empty EMS building, owned by Wayne County, was demolished as part of the Lackawaxen River Trails project.

Kat Bolus / WVIA News

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Instead of a dilapidated building, this formerly industrial area of Honesdale is home to Sycamore Point Park. A sign teaches visitors about fly fishing. A nearby ramp connects people to the Lackawaxen River and a small trail. The park opened on Oct. 18.

Isabela Weiss | WVIA News | Report for America

Rogers said she spent years working with officials to build Sycamore Point Park, but adds that she doesn’t regret working in her retirement.

“I never really viewed it as work. It was a passion. And when you're passionate about something, it's easy to do and spend a lot of time and [get] hopeful about the future and what you can…do to make things better,” said Rogers.

The new Sycamore Point Park is at 400 12th St. Lackawaxen River Trails group plans to open a fourth river access point in the area known as Indian Orchard in around a year.