PINE CREEK OUTFITTERS, INC. — Attraction in Shippen Township

This review is about the shuttle service my group of 6 contracted for on Saturday, July 13, 2019. We were starting from the Wellsboro trail head of the Pine Creek Trail and requested the shuttle pick us up at Slate Run at 4:30 p.m.

First....I have nothing at all bad to say against the driver. He pulled into the Slate Run access point exactly as we were coming in off the trail, and was very efficient in getting our personal bikes loaded in a safe and secure manner. In addition, he was very polite and gregarious, and overall you could tell he enjoyed what he did, and enjoyed meeting us.

He let us know that on the ride back, he was scheduled to pick up another four bike riders at the Blackwell access point, and then we were on our way. However, he had not been told that we had started from the Wellsboro trailhead, so explained he would need to drop off the others at the outfitters before delivering us to our cars. But overall, he was polite in his explanation and we accepted that some mistakes happen.

However, once we got to Blackwell there were not only the original 4 other passengers, but there were six others as well that were expecting a ride back to the outfitters. The shuttle van was a 12-person maximum occupancy, so obviously we had a problem. When the driver called back to the outfitters and talked to the owner John, John told the driver that there were no other Vans available, or drivers, and that he would need to stuff all 16 passengers, the bikes, and himself onto the van and the trailer. I cannot fathom how the owner felt this was a positive solution to the issue. But not having any choice all of us customers needed to squeeze in and make do. But because of that as well, our stay at Blackwell changed from a 10-minute stop to easily 30 minutes of waiting in the van to proceed.

As we then proceeded to the outfitters in an overloaded van which at times seemed to struggle up the hills, we eventually arrived and everyone piled out. After approaching the owner John to explain our group's displeasure, he wrote it off as they had gotten very busy that day and so they had not controlled the situation properly. When I pressed him some more, he explained that this was a normal and expected thing. I asked him whether it was safe, in his eyes, to load that many customers into the vehicle, but he just explained that that's what happened when that situation arose and that's just what he did as an outfitter.

Needless to say, as we had already scheduled a shuttle for kayaking the next day, we immediately cancelled that reservation. We then re-boarded a different shuttle van with our original driver for the trip to our starting trailhead, and at least made it there safely, but probably after a 2 to 2 1/2 hour total shuttle time.

I believe that Pine Creek Outfitters is one of the only games in town, or maybe even the only game, but I would highly suggest doing your own shuttles if you are ever in the situation.

UPDATE - After exchanging some emails with our trip leader, and again hearing our displeasure regarding our shuttle experience and some of the staff, the owner John did apologize for the handling of the shuttle, refunded all of my group the shuttle fee, and promised that this type of event will not happen...

What an amazing business!

I was new to the area and looking to figure out the lay of the land and familiarize myself with the recreational opportunities in the area. The Pine Creek Rail Trail goes down through the bottom of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. I sure ain't going to walk a long ways on a trail because I don't have the energy or patience to cover ground that way. But it is closed to cars. Hmmmmm. Hey - Pine Creek Outfitters has the perfect solution - they rent out bikes!

I emailed the week before my visit and asked several questions. Shannon called me and was very friendly and helpful and answered all my questions. Then when I got there the next Monday, Kayla was working the desk and was also super extra helpful and personable and happy. The people who work here put out great positive happy vibes that made me feel good about being in the area.

Kayla got my bike rental paperwork taken care of and introduced me to Tyler, who took me to the room where the bikes are stored and helped me pick out a bike that fit my needs and body the best. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of bikes to choose from!

The bike I chose worked great. Of course the seat felt like I was riding on an anvil, but that wasn't the seat's fault. The seat felt extremely well cushioned when I felt it with my hands and pressed my fingers and thumbs into the deep, firm padding. But after sitting on it for 15 or 20 minutes, my butt wanted to boycott the trip. I guess that's just how one feels if they haven't ridden a bicycle in over 30 years. Yup, first time I got on a bike in 3 decades. And I rode 29 miles. I was so so so so sore afterwards. In fact, I am still sore and it has been 3 days.

The only thing that could have been better ..... I didn't even think about having a rack on the bike. I had a day pack that was pretty much full of water and other misc gear. It was fairly heavy, and hung from the back straps that go over my shoulders. After bicycling for the first few miles with this pack hanging from my shoulders, I started to get a sore back and neck and shoulders. I thought of how nice it would be to have a little rack on the bike, that I could strap the pack to, so it wouldn't hang from me and cause such soreness in my body parts. But I didn't remember being presented with the option of picking a bike with a rack. So I guess my only recommendation would be to ask the customers if they want a bike with a little rack on it, because people like me who are totally new to biking may not think of that on their own, until they're out on the trail and it's too late.

But yeah other than not having a little rack on the bike, everything was super great and I will absolutely rent from Pine Creek again any time I am in the area and want a bike or a canoe or any of the other things they rent out, because the people running things there...

Would give them a Zero if I could. Prearranged a shuttle with John. Had previously discussed the logistics of our trip and got approval for it to be dropped after business hours. My friend called the office and paid the 55 dollars. I then emailed the vehicle from to the email provided. Giving them yet another full description of everything they needed to know. After hiking and ending up out to where the vehicle should have been approximately 3 hours earlier than anticipated due to an injury on the trail we didn't see our vehicle Upon calling Pine Creek Outfitters we received an attitude from the girl at the counter. Who then proceeded to ask "Is that the gold Jeep that's just sitting outside?" Then asked where the keys where which was discussed with John by both me and my Friend and was on the email I sent to the email they wanted it sent to. Upon her finally discussing it with someone else she realized she made a mistake and they said it would be down in 45 mins. In the meantime it poured on us. It was obvious that they neglected to check their emails or even wonder why a vehicle was sitting in their front lot that wasn't their when they closed and HAD AN ADDITIONAL VEHICLE FORM ON THE FRONT SEAT! This shows a lack of concern for me or the service we paid for. This also means my vehicle which I left the keys in sat there in their lot unlocked for over 36 hours. Will never use them for shuttle service again. It would be easier to just pay friends or relatives to do this and know it was done correctly. Highly disappointed with the way it...