What is the Susquehanna Greenway anyway? Not sure? Check out our Greenway lingo list to find out! Whether you’re exploring a river town, paddling the river, or hitting the trails, our guide has the jargon, abbreviations, phrases, slang, and lexicon you need to become a Greenway guru.
444 Club – Includes anyone who has paddled the entire 444 miles of the Susquehanna River Water Trail – Main Stem (SRWT), from Cooperstown, NY, to Havre de Grace, MD. You Go!
Bonus steps/miles (noun) – These are all the extra steps (or miles if you are ambitious) put in that were not on the trail, such as walking to and from a trail access points, venturing on connector trails to see an exceptional view of the Susquehanna, side trips to explore river towns, or the inevitable navigational mishaps.
Glonk (noun) – A clueless person who just bulldozes down a hill and doesn’t realize that uphill hikers have the right of way. Don’t be a glonk; yield to uphill traffic.
Great Bend (noun) – A section of Susquehanna where the river dips into Pennsylvania for a short time in Susquehanna County before returning to New York and making its way further West. A region full of history and scenic vistas for travelers and paddlers alike.
G.O.R.P. (noun) – Good Ole Raisins & Peanuts, or trail mix.
Greenway (noun) – A cross between a Greenspace and a Parkway; it consists of a corridor of protected land and water for the movement of both people and animals.
Hellbender (noun)– one of the largest salamanders in North America and a native to the Susquehanna River and her tributaries.
Hiker Funk (noun) – This obnoxious smell is the result of a unique combination of excessive sweat, good ole’ dirt and grim, and the pride you feel at the end of the day from having completed a section of the trail with scant regard for personal hygiene.
L.N.T. (acronym) – Leave No Trace! A series of seven principles designed to assist hikers and campers think about ways they can minimize their impact on the natural environment.
Lower Susquehanna – A stretch of the Susquehanna that flows from Harrisburg, PA to the Mason-Dixon Line at the Pennsylvania-Maryland border; managed by the Susquehanna Gateway Heritage Area.
Middle Susquehanna – A stretch of the river that runs from Sunbury, PA to Harrisburg, PA; managed by the Susquehanna River Trail Association. Fun fact: this is the only section of river with free island camping sites.
North Branch – The 181 miles of the Susquehanna River from the NY state line to Northumberland PA; it includes the Great Bend in Susquehanna County. This section of the water trail is jointly managed by Endless Mountains Heritage Region and the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership.
On your Left! – A phrase that is often shouted to pedestrians and slow cyclists when passing on the trail. Phrase can be accompanied by a bell and is often uttered more than once in quick succession.
Power walkers (noun) – Really fit individuals who are walking on a mission; you hate them, but you still secretly want to be them. Those hips don’t lie!
Shuttling (verb)– the fine art of dropping off and staging equipment/vehicles at trailheads or river access points in order to undertake a one-way adventure.
Susquehanna Greenway – a network of land trails, parks, river accesses, and communities that runs along both sides of the Susquehanna River within Pennsylvania. It includes everything within 1-3 miles of the river, depending on geography.
Susquehanna Greenway River Town – Susquehanna Greenway River Towns are communities who have undertaken the SGP River Town program to envision, prioritize, and implement community-led projects that reconnect residents back to the Susquehanna River, create trails and river accesses, and interpret the community’s natural and cultural assets.
Trail candy (noun) – Eye candy, but on the trail; also called an attractive hiker.
Ticks (noun) – small parasitic insects, a.k.a. little septic tanks, that can carry Lyme disease and other illnesses. Best friends are mosquitos, leeches, and that one friend who sleeps on your couch a little too long during the holidays.
Vortex (noun) – Anything off trail that draws hikers into it and hikers find difficult to leave; can include scenic overlooks or town stops.
West Branch – A 228-mile stretch of the Susquehanna River from Cherry Tree to Sunbury; the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership is the water trail manager for this section.
Want to test your lingo out on the Greenway? Explore!