Your Guide to visiting the Little League World Series and the Greater Williamsport Area

Williamsport and the surrounding Appalachian Highlands provide a weath of winter activities. From ice skating and ice fishing on the many frozen ponds to skiing and hiking - there is something for everyone! State Parks in the vicinity provide access to unparalleled views of the winter landscape as well as ample opportunities for incredible cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Winter weather varies in the area with elevation and proximity to urban centers often dictating temperature. Average low temperatures near 18 degrees F and highs near 36 degrees F provides the perfect catalyst for winter activities in the rolling ridges of Pennsylvania. Average annual snowfall of 40 inches is just the ticket for terrific sledding on the areas long slopes and allows great coverage for snowboarding, cross-country skiing and downhill skiing .

From the Williamsport Area, a number of spectacular day trips await.

An easy warm up route to wet your appetite for winter scenery is State Route 87. State Route 87 can be accessed from Interstate 180 in Montoursville. Route 87 winds its way North in the scenic Loyalsock Valley. Awe inspiring views of steep, colorful slopes rising above Loyalsock Creek make you forget that you're only a short drive from the arts and culture of the Williamsport Area. Follow Route 87 to Forksville and hike in World's End State Park.

Once you've warmed up with a quick trip along Route 87, it's time to see some more rugged peaks in another of Lycoming Counties famed stream valleys. From Williamsport, follow Route 15 North to the Village of Trout Run. Bear right to Route 14 North and prepare to absorb stunning views of the Appalachians at their finest. Some of the most rugged mountains in Pennsylvania tower above the valley floor where Lycoming Creek meanders through forest and farmland.

Eagles Mere Ice Toboggan Slide
Opens for 2009 Winter Season

If you've never ridden a toboggan down an icy chute onto a frozen lake, you HAVE TO try this!!

Think 1 part sled riding, 1 part luge and you have a pretty good idea. This is better than any amusement park ride!!

Eagles Mere, PA. …The famous Eagles Mere ice toboggan slide is built and operating for the 2009 winter season.  As long as the weather stays cold, it will run on Friday evenings and each Saturday and Sunday.

An enthusiastic crowd of 285 fans were on hand yesterday afternoon to test the newly-built slide.  The down-hill quarter-mile track was fast, and the speeds were high for ride out on frozen Eagles Mere Lake. 

Hundreds of blocks of foot-thick ice are cut from the Lake and laid up the steep Lake Avenue to form the track. Then the track is grooved for specially-built toboggans. Since 2004, winters have been too warm to produce enough good ice to build the slide, and dozens of volunteers in high spirits braved Saturday’s bitter cold to resume the town’s century-old winter sports tradition.

If weekends stay cold, thousands of riders are expected from all over northeast Pennsylvania, and beyond. Operations begin Fridays at 6:30 p.m., continuing until 9:30.   Saturday, hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The slide is easy to find: take Rt. 42 from Muncy Valley or Laporte up to the top of the hill at Lake Avenue in the center of Eagles Mere. To double check on operating conditions, call 570-525-3244, or go to the Borough’s web page, www.eaglesmere.org.

Toboggan sleds are rented by the hour, at $15 for a sled for up to six adults, and $20 for a sled for eight.  You are guaranteed at least two full trips for the hour and more as long as you’re hardy enough for the pull back up the hill. Sled rentals benefit the local volunteer fire company as well as other Sullivan County fire companies that help build and operate the slide.

On site, hot drinks, hot dogs, and other refreshments are sold by the Community Church and the Eagles Mere Civic Club. A few steps away, the Sweet Shop offers drinks, snacks and fuller meals, and you can visit the new Eagles Mere Museum (free of charge) and the shops in Eagles Mere Historic Village.