Jim Thorpe is full of reminders of its own industrial past.

The town of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania has made a history of reinventing itself. Through most of the twentieth century, coal was king, and Jim Thorpe was all business, moving coal from the highlands above town to the industrial centers of southeastern Pennsylvania. But even in those times, the natural beauty of the area, with its lush green mountains and roaring rivers, drew people in.

When the coal business finally gave out, the town faced some tough economic times. Fortunately, most of the beautiful old downtown of Jim Thorpe survived the downturn until the present day, and the restoration of some of the grandest Victorian structures we've seen has made Jim Thorpe an appealing travel destination again.

In the old days while the coal business was still thriving, vacationers would ride sightseeing trains on the same lengths of track that continued to haul coal. There were even junctions where the tracks crossed, and the tourist trains would stop to watch as the coal cars passed below. Those tracks are long gone, but the railbed is still intact and provides a thrill for a new breed of tourist, the mountain biker.

More experienced mountain bikers might turn up their noses at the smooth, wide, downgrade of the switchback trail, but for individuals new to the sport, the old railbeds provide an ideal introduction to mountain biking. The scenery is incredible, and the track is easy to ride, but it's narrow and bumpy enough that you get a taste for the excitement and fun of mountain biking.

If you're ready to try something more challenging (or if you're an experienced biker), many more difficult trails dot the landscape, making the area one of the best for mountain biking in the Eastern U.S. And luckily, all trails lead back to the beautifully restored town of Jim Thorpe.