My TrailLink

Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail (Cuyahoga Section)
Alternative Sources if Info

This is a great trail but it is supported by a number of different organizations in a somewhat confusing way and there are alternative sources of information to plan your trip.
1. The traillink web site that you are on with a map and reviews.
2. The Ohio & Erie Canalway organization with web site link from traillink site and maps and info However this is an overall PR organization that does not manage actual facilities.
3. The National Park Service Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This is the main organization with the best trail map but you must connect via the central National Park Service site after you click on the link from traillink.
4. Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation (Park)with the Leonard Krieger Visitor Center manages the north end of the trail above the NPS managed section.
5. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR) which provides low cost shuttle for one way bike trips. For latest train schedules to plan your trip www.CVSR.com
6. Up river or further south other muncipalities are responsible for the trail. The Canalway site has links.
I highly recommend you plan ahead and get the NPS map to organize your trip. The highway system in greater Cleveland is quite complicated. Youker

Corry Junction Greenway Trail
The Start in Corry

Where to start the trail in Corry is a bit confusing. The best place is the trail head parking lot and pavilions on Hereford Road just off Sciota Road. If you want to do the whole trail bike back a 100 yards to the crossing and end of the trail on Sciota Street near where Sciota Street meets Sciota Road north of Rt 6. There is no parking there. Youker

Maple Highlands Trail
Mountain Run Station

Great day and great trail. The Mountain Run Station trail head in Chardon is just 100 yards east of the Mel Harder Baseball Park on Chardon Windsor Road. Youker

Maurice K. Goddard State Park Trails
Route Alternatives

Here is more info on specific routes to add to yesterday's comments. If you are not concerned with two short stretches on the road you can do a 13 mile circle starting anywhere and going in either direction. Otherwise you can turn it into two separate circle trips; one on the north (east) side and one on the south (west) side, each about 6 miles one way or 12 miles return. Youker

Maurice K. Goddard State Park Trails
Confusing mileage and description

I highly recommend this trail unless you are uncomfortable with short steep drops and uphills. My wife drove shuttle and I started at the start on the north east side just below the park office by the causeway and near launch site #3. The trail along the north shore of Lake Wilhelm is perfectly paved and does have some short pitches but I only had to walk a couple times. You can get going fast down and use your inertia to get up the rise. It was a lovely spring day and the Spring Beauty Flowers were in abundance. After the dam at the south east end there is about a mile of road with the trail starting again at launch #1. I missed the steep mile where the trail crosses the road when my wife gave me a short one mile shuttle and I finished the 12 miles by bike. The full circle is about a mile more than 12 if you bike the road on the causeway. I found the mileage markers confusing because I did not see where they started counting. Youker

Allegheny River Trail
New Access Point

We stayed in Franklin and I biked the four local great trails. Sandy Creek, Samuel Justus, Oil Creek State Park Trail and Allegheny River Trail which connects to the Justus Trail. The Drake Well Museum near Titusville is super to explain the birth of the energy industry and why we have these great rail trails. There are not many easy access points to the Allegheny River Trail below Franklin but we found a new one 5 miles below Franklin and just a 1/2 mile above Belmar off Astral Road where a tar road turns into good gravel and ends in parking circle just above the trail. Youker

Spring to Spring Trail
Northern sections

After checking out the East Central Trail yesterday and over night in an Orange City Motel I drove a short distance to Lake Beresford Park where the middle section of the Spring to Spring Trail has excellent facilities and safe parking. The slightly less than 3 mile section of the trail to the south is a bit hilly for Florida but passes thru a lovely Florida forest and ends at the entrance station to Blue Spring State Park. The section to the north or right under the RR underpass ends in about a 1/2 a mile for a total distance of 3.3 miles.
By the way they have re-named the section of the East Central Trail west of Green Spring Park as part of the Spring to Spring Trail which makes sense since when finally completed the trail will run from Ponce de Leon Springs to Blue Spring to Gemni Spring to Green Spring.
Then I drove north along Grand Avenue past a disconnected hilly section of the trail that runs right along the avenue to another disconnected section north of De Land that is supposed to start at Ponce de Leon Spring. It is a nice trail along the avenue but disappears into sub-division streets and sidewalks. Two local bikers told me that they don't try to follow it into the spring but just bike the local roads. Use the trail map to follow these various sections. Youker

East Central Regional Rail Trail
Great Trail - Parking Difficult

Physically this is a super trail, very wide and well maintained. I parked at Green Springs Park where there are rest rooms and a small Florida Spring well worth visiting. The section west of Green Springs has been re-named as part of the much longer and still incomplete Spring to Spring Trail. The trail goes a bit west of Providence Blvd. past Jacob Brock Ave along Doyle Road. Eventually it will connect with the Spring to Spring Trail where it comes down from DeBarry Hall and hits Enterprise Road Rt 4162 West of I-4.
East of Green Springs it is a wonderful trail but with few connections or exits and no parking spots. I was nervous about parking at somewhat isolated Green Springs Park and only did a mile or so east. A better place would be at the Publix as mentioned in an earlier review. The East end of the trail is not really right at Rt 415 so you should follow the advice also in an earlier review about finding a gas station. Youker 3/1/13

Spring to Spring Trail
Disconnected Pieces 1/16/13

I did the lovely southern section from Dubary Hall to Lake Monroe, about 5 miles times 2 =10 miles. I was going to park at Gemini Springs Park but signs and people said don't leave stuff in you car in sight. So I parked at the visitors center at beautiful Dubary Hall. Then in the afternoon I tried to checkout the other three sections by car. First of all the RR is still operational so it is not a rail trail. The section from Minnesota Road north is shaded but hilly running right along Grand Avenue. The section by Blue Spring Park is not easy to access since it is a long park entrance road from where you could safely park. The longer section starting at Lake Beresford Park south provides good parking and is longer than the other two central sections. I did not get to see the northern section starting in DeLeon Springs Park. Youker

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park
Warning- punctures

Oct 22-24, 2012 I biked towpath from mile 77 to mile 107 and ran into two different bikers who had received punctures at about mile 80 from sharp little rocks shaped like arrow heads. The Park Service is using a tan gravel with these little bits of sharp flint rock. One puncture is unusual, two is a disaster. Warning is to be prepared to fix a flat or take a long walk. Youker

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park

I spoke with two sets of thru bikers near Glen Echo Tues and Wed 9/25 and 9,26 and the 6.5 mile detour at Slackwater is no more with the construction of the towpath complete with NPS using funds from the Stimlus. Great news since the detour on narrow roads was awful. By the way I have done the whole 184 mile twice with a narrow tired hybrid bike with absolutely no trouble. Youker

D & H Canal Heritage Corridor (O&W Rail-Trail)

In my review I forgot to mention that a copy of the Marbleton trail brochure and map is available on line at www.marbletown.net and then Marbletown OW trail. Youker

Catskill Scenic Trail

I did my third piece of this great trail on 8/27/12 from Stamford Train Station to Grand Gorge. The overview says 5 miles but it is 7.5 to the trail head on Rt 30 just south of Grand Gorge town. It is a very smooth level trail in great shape until Jump Brook Road just west of Grand Gorge near the BOCES school site. The overview which I had not read fully is correct when it states a section has not had the ties removed and presents a very difficult ride including being a very muddly logging road where I had to walk my bike. The last quarter mile to Rt 30 and Ferris Hill Road is fine once you get past the logging site. The main section could be improved by using crushed stone to fill about 9 water holes and 3 bridges have several broken boards. Overall though a great ride. Youker

D & H Canal Heritage Corridor (O&W Rail-Trail)

I did this trail yesterday 8/28/12 starting at the 209 trail head just south of Esopus creek bridge where the Hurley section is 2 miles paved and the 3.1 next section is nice crushed stone. There is a small trail head off 209 as noted on the map where the two trails join. My wife picked me up at Marcott Road parking lot. Heading southwest on the 3.1 mile section it is gentle up hill. By the way this section is called the Marbleton Rail Trail and a great map and brochure is available at the Marcott Trail Head.

Three Rivers Bike Path

This is a short lovely well built trail that gets a lot of use by locals for walking and biking. There is very limited parking at the western end so most people start at the lot off South Main Street. Youker

Bloomingdale Bog Trail

The section from Rt 86 to County Rt 55 is just 5 miles. The northern section is not in as good shape. It is just 2.8 miles from the center of Saranac Lake Village to the dirt road to the right where there is a large Saint Bernard sign on a mail box. There is parking just inside to the left and trail just above to the left. You can tell you are getting to the right place on the highway when you see two hills with a bog between. The beaver dams have been removed and the three short water puddles can be walked on the left. Further on the tree roots are rough and require some short walks. One spot with a deep gash caused by beavers and the storm is marked with an old metal sign for people to lift their bikes over. There was a bad storm recently with more than 12 large trees down across the trail but two local volunteers have cleaned them up on the soutern 5 mile section but not yet on the northern 11 miles. There is good parking at Rt 55 (Bloomingdale Road).

Saranac Lake Recreational Path

This is a short half mile dirt bike path running along the RR Tracks in down town Saranac Lake. It is only a 5 minute ride or 10 minutes round trip. From the Pine Street and Dugway end of the trail near the River the trail is north of the river for 100 yards and then crosses the road and runs along Pine Ridge Cemetary on a dirt road off Fawn Street. The east end off Brady Brook Street is just a short way north of the right hand turn on Rt 86 or River Street. The long term plan is to turn the whole Adirondack RR into a bike path with the RR only running between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake Village with parallel bike path. See other description in Traillink. Youker

Catskill Scenic Trail

For my second trip to the Catskill trail I picked a rainy day with threat of severe thunder storms. Staying in the Super 8 east of Oneonta I could see from the Accu-weather computer weather map that the morning was going to be a wipe out but the afternoon looked promising. At 9 AM we drove to Stamford and on to Grand Gorge checking out that 5 mile part of the trail. It was a bit hard to find in places but just west of Grand Gorge it crosses Rt 30 and is easy to find and there is parking on Ferris Road at a construction materials site that the trail goes thru the middle of. By 1 PM the storm had passed and there was blue sky and I started the trail where I had left off last year in Hobart. It is 8.7 miles to Bloomville and the trail was no problem for a hybrid bike and took about an hour. The few places with grass or stones were tough but most of the trail was cinder and was fine. The trail had drained very well after the heavy rain. It was nice as described by other reviewers. Youker

Lambs Creek Hike & Bike Trail

I biked part of this old trail 7/27/12 while my wife kayaked on the lake/reservoir. The trail and the access road ends at a boat launch and lots of parking. Wonderful sign on the access road says, "Road ends in Water!" The trailhead in Mansfield has signs but is behind an old large garage after you get behind the shopping center. The access road to the northern trailhead on the lake is 2 miles long and forks off Rt 15 North. The restroom facilities are at the picnic area up the hill. The asphalt trail is old with grass growing in the cracks but no problem. Near the lake there are large corn fields and nice views. Youker

Greenbrier River Trail
Spring on Greenbrier Trail 4/4/12

This was my second time on this great trail, taking a friend for his first time. We played the shuttle with two cars which caused a lot of driving starting at Cass and going to Beard at mile 38 and stayed two nights at the Old Clark B & B in Marlinton after doing the West Fork on the first day. There were some washboard bumps during miles 50s and 60s which shook your arms if you did not ride just to the edge of the tracks. Some where around Burnsides mile 42 there was a whole hillside of thousands of white and pink Trilliums- spectacular! About the same location we saw two deer herds of 10 total and ran into a recent mud and stone washout of a gully above the trail which required walking the bikes for 15 feet. The excellent maintenance crew of four State Park employees know about the washout and will be fixing it. It is not a problem but interesting to look hign up and wonder how that gully washed out. Youker

West Fork Trail
West Fork Update 4/4/12

A friend and I did about 10 miles on the West Fork and from Cass to Beard on the Greenbrier early this week. Both are great trails but I like the intimate views on the West Fork vs, the expansive views on the main river. Here are several tips. Forest Road 44 is mostly in great shape except for some awful pot holes if you go too fast. It is hard however to tell exactly where you are so I recommend a detailed Forest Service map or greatly blowing up and copying the Google map on this trail site to see the identification of the side roads and to know where the town names are in the field. There are not very many access points. We never found Wildell. Also the mileage on the trail side signs is not accurate. There is limited parking at the Durbin trailhead. Youker

Virginia Blue Ridge Railway Trail
Virginia Blue Ridge Trail

I biked this lovely trail today March 31, 2012 starting at Piney River Parking lot off Rt 151 which has a porta potty. The surface is fine crushed limestone and it runs along the lovely Tye River with lots of small water falls. However it is more than 5.5 miles to Rt 29. More like 6 1/4. The trail continues on but I only went about 100 yards past the Rt29 twin bridges. You can not access here since it is very steep. The description says it goes on to Tye Depot but I do not know how far down that is. A sign near Roses Mill says there is no exit at the east end. Youker

Lake Jackson Trail
Lake Jackson Circle, Sebring 1/16/12

I biked this 10 mile trail this morning around this large lake in exactly an hour. It is all sidewalk but they have ground off the bumps where necessary. About a third of the trail you are right along the lake and the other two thirds there are houses on both sides of the road and sidewalk. Fairly interesting but not rural. Youker

Gordons Pond Trail - Cape Henlopen State Park
Gordons Pond Trail

Just a note that the trail description is from the south end of the trail near Rehoboth not the north end of the trail inside the main part of Cape Henlopen State Park at Herring Point. The paved 1/2 mile is great, past that the sand is hopeless. Youker 9/20/11

Swatara Rail-Trail
Swatara old State Road Trail by Youker 8/25/2011

Again using a stop on my way south from Vermont I finished my scouting of the several trails in undeveloped Swarta State Park. The old state road starts at the Appalachin Trail Bridge and runs along the east side of the creek while the rail trail runs along the west side of the creek. You can cross at the bridge at the north end at Swopes Valley Rd. near the village of Suedberg off Rt. 443. The old state road is badly eroded asphalt with many big pot holes. You need to pay attention to avoid problems. The State plans to turn it into a non-motorized trail. It is a great shaded trail in the heat of summer with several spots to stop and view the stream. Locals use both trails for a 20 mile round trip. In the reviews of the trail on this web site some people say it is a great trail and others say it is awful. The reason for the difference is that people who do not read all the reviews and do not check the state park web site don't know where to go. There are not any signs and you have to have done your homework. Youker

Northern Rail Trail
Northern Rail- Merrimack County August 17, 2011

The first couple of miles from Zaccaria Road are a bit rough but no problem for a hybrid. The rest of the new trail surface is covered with small crushed stone which I found took a bit more effort on petaling because of the loose surface. It is a wonderful trail with nice scenery and general stores for supplies and meals esp. Danbury. There is a much better start to the trail in West Franklin than behind the Congregational Church which requires a very steep up hill. If you drive just a bit farther down (south) on Rt. 3 to a right turn on Depot Street and driving a short distance and swinging left a few yards and turning right through an underpass and then turning left on Wells Ave. you will see the entrance to the end of the trail immediately on your left. There is more trail futher south but it is big stones and not good for biking. They hope build several more miles when they get the funds. All of this shows up very well on the Google maps enlarged. Youker

Northern Rail Trail
Eastern part

Last August I did the part from Canaan west to Lebanon and this year I finished the trail from Canaan east to the county line at Zaccaria Road The trail was a bit rough but fine with a hybrid bike. The last two miles from Grafton to the county line was a bit rougher with slightly larger stones. There is parking at Zaccaria Road. There is a nice general store in Grafton right on the trail. I then continued on the Merrimack County section to Potter Place. Youker

Shining Sea Bikeway
Shining Sea

I did the whole trail one way (my wife drives shuttle) on 6/2/2011 and there was no problem with construction. It is a wonderful trail, but a little hard to find the start and the parking in Woods Hole at the Ferry Dock. At about mile 2 from Woods Hole there is a section with many ridges and cracks in the pavement which gives quite a bump. It would be nice if they could fill these. Highly recommended trail. Youker

Catskill Scenic Trail
Catskill Scenic Trail

6/5/2011 I did a short piece from Stamford to Hobart and it was alright with a hybrid bike. However there are short rough patches, some with soft deep sand and some with bumpy stones. It is a lovely area and I will do more on my next trip north. Youker

Mahoning Shadow Trail
Uphill to Winslow Trail Head

I did this trail this month. The description and the reviews are all excellent, however if you have a shuttle like I did it is best to start at the Winslow Trail Head at the top of the hill since the opposite way is a steep path for an old RR grade. This concerns the eastern end of the trail. Bob Youker 5/22/11

Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail
Florida Overseas Heritage Trail 2/1/11

I just finished this off road trail from Key Largo to Key West for the third January in a row. Many bikers ride the narrow shoulder for the entire 106 miles from Key Largo to Key West including the 7 mile bridge, but I prefer the safety of the about 70 miles of off highway trail based on the old RR bridges and the byways of old Route 4A as well as trail along sidewalks. I stay in motels, park the car and ride in both directions. Often the wind is bad on the rides to the east. In the past year the Florida State Office of Greenways for the trail has completed several new sections including Casey Key and Ramrod Key. In the later section they use highway bridges but ones with a very wide shoulder. This web site has a linkage to their web site where a map is available. Youker

MacArthur Blvd. Bike Path
More connections with C & O Canal Towpath

There is another good connection to the Towpath at the east end of the Cabin John Bridge (Wilson Lane) and another connection at Sycamore Store. There are also shops at Glen Echo. At the Anglers Inn end you can extend your ride into Great Falls Park and at the DC end you can connect to the Palisades streets. With the connection to the C & O towpath you can bike all the way to Pittsburg without a cross street and with the connection to the Capital Crescent Trail you can connect to the Rock Creek Trail and the Mount Vernon Trail. Youker 9/16/2010

Matthew Henson Trail
Matthew Henson Trail

This is a lovely trail and a nice one hour round trip. It is a gradual uphill from Rock Creek and Winding Creek Park to Alderton Road, but nice coming back down. The trail facts lists it for in-line skating but the long pieces of wooden boardwalk north of Georgia Ave would not make for good skating. They are even bumpy on a bike and perhaps dangerous when wet. 9/6/2010 Youker

Cumberland County Biker/Hiker Trail
Cumberland Cty Biker/Pine Grove Furnace

This small State Park provides wonderful, shaded, level biking on a hot summer day with the option of swimming and kayaking at one of two small lakes. There are 4 different parking areas one at each end of the park and for biking a nice shaded parking spot on the far side of Laurel Lake at Pole Steeple trail on Railroad Bed Road. In addition to the approximately 3 mile Railroad Bed Road and Trail there are two circle Roads to bike, Ice House Road and Murphy/ Quarry Roads. So considering round trips back to your car you could easily get a 10 mile bike trip. For information via the INTERNET go to www.visitPAparks.com. Youker 8/27/2010

Plainfield Township Trail
Plainfield Township Trail

This is an excelent trail and the reviews are useful. The surface is paved, some new and some old. The description of the start of the north end on Buss Road off Rt 512 in Pen Argyl is incomplete. There is parking available on Buss Rd at a spot labeled Recreation Trail. The trail is down in the valley so there is a quarter mile connection or link trail down to the rail trail from the parking lot. At the parking lot past the barrier posts take the crushed stone covered path to the right around the old quarry and waste mgt site down to the rail trail. Youker 8/27/2010

Sugar River Trail
Sugar River Trail

I can only recommend this trail to those Mt and Hybrid bikers who are prepared to deal with lots of soft sand. The reviews said the first 2 miles were soft sand torn up by the ATVs and Dirt Bikes, but about half of the rest of the trail was soft sand. The ATVs ignore private propeerty and love to make wheelies or what their efforts to tear up the trail are called. The stretches with firm surface were delightful and the views along the river wonderful. In the middle there is a section where the trail is very rocky for 100 yards or so and people ride on the dirt road along side the trail. The managers of this trail could learn from other trails how to improve signs at the trail heads, how to mark the mileage along the trail and how to solve the problem of soft sand tracks. The best signal for the end of the trail parking in Claremont is the sign for Old Newport Road. The small trail parking sign is easy to miss and the start of the trail in Newport is also not well marked. A contractor is re-constructing the RR covered bridges so it is good to walk thru those areas as long as the construction continues. The wonderful old mills in the town of Clarement are a sight to see after your bike trip. Youker 8/26/2010

Ashuwillticook Rail Trail
Ashuwillticook Rail Trail

The only problem with this trail is how to pronounce its name. I agree with all the reviews after a one way ride 8/26/2010. Other trails should study this trail on how to put up access signs and mark the miles on the trail surface with paint and print a brochure and map. Most importantly it shows how much of an economic development role a well implemented rail trail can be for a community. On a Thursday afternoon the trail was very busy with bikers, walkers, skate boards and in line skaters. Youker

Northern Rail Trail
Northern Rail Trail Grafton Cty

I submitted a picture of the start of theGrafton Cty part of the trail at Zaccaria Road at the eastern end which is clearly passable with a hybrid bike and where there is parking off Rt 4. I also submitted a picture to the Merrimack web site taken in the other direction at the same point where the Merrimack section of the trail is clearly grown up. There are plans to work on this section of the trail soon. Youker 8/25/2010

Northern Rail Trail
Northern Rail Trail - Grafton County

I did the Canaan to Lebanon 13.5 miles one way in an hour and a half on 8/24/2010 of this wonderful unpaved trail along the Mascoma River and Lake. The section from Enfield to Lebanon is more heavily used and in better condition, although the section west of Canaan was no problem for a hybrid bike. I saw a lot of road bikes on the Enfield section. The trail is level or gradually downhill from Canaan with good views of both flat and white water river from the many bridges. The section along the lake is particularly scenic. The small maps at the little kiosks at some parking areas give good mileage but the sign at the start in Lebanon near the town green is totally wrong. At Enfield there is a 20 foot dam and a very large old textile mill. The trail runs close to Rt 4 with many places to connect even though the highway is very hilly. Youker

Warren to East Haverhill Railroad Grade Trail
Warren to East Haverhill Railroad Grade Trail

I did this trail in pieces several days in early August 2010 to scout it out completely. There are eight places to join this interesting and variable 11 mile trail along N.H. Rt. 25. 1. At the town park and Redstone Missile in Warren. The trail also continues further souteast 2. At Gould Hill Rd. off Swain Road 3. At Station Road in Glencliff 4. At the parking lot for the Appalachian Trail just west of Glencliff 5. Where the trail ends and joins Rt 25 6. At spot a few hundred yards further along Rt 25 where the trail goes up a short hill and becomes a fresh logging road for a mile or so 7. At the Oliverian School and Rt 25 where the trail goes east on a double track to the concrete blocks at the end of the Oliverian property There is a short stretch between this section and the logging road where the right of way is not cleared by the ATV clubs and is grown up with small brush. One of the pictures shows this section where on can walk their bike about 25 yards between the end of the logging road and the concrete blocks. 8. Jeffers Hill Road off Rt 25 a mile west of the Oliverian School for a total of 11 miles. The grade is gentle in both directions. The logging road section is not a bad surface at all and I had no trouble with a hybrid bike. I did see both ATVs and Dirt Bikes on the trail. Youker 8/25/2010

Blackmount Rail Trail
Blackmount Rail Trail

This is a nice trail along the Connecticut River and N.H. Rt 10 from Woodsville to North Haverhill where the trail ends at a fruit stand. The pictures show the start in Woodsville where you can connect across two parking lots and Rt. 302 with the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail. You can also cross the highway bridge to Vermont to connect to the Montpelier to Wells River Rail Trail. (Cross Vermont Trail) The rail bridge is closed. Youker 8/25/2010

Ammonoosuc Rail Trail
Interesting Trail

I did this trail on three different days in early August. There are a few spots with bad inch square rock ballast but it is not a serious problem. See pictures of one bad spot and the heavy ballast at the gates. I walked thru several gates where the ballast was very thick. The Depot has been restored in Lisbon and the falls and dam under the covered bridge in Bath are well worth seeing. There is parking at the Bath Bridge but one of the connnections from the road to the trail is very, very steep. There is an old caboose and an information display at a little park in Woodsville where the bridge to the Montpelier to Wells River RR crosses the Connecticut River from Vermont. The trail is level with a gradual decline along the river from Littleton. Youker 8/25/2010

Warren to East Haverhill Railroad Grade Trail
Haverhill Rail Trail

8/4/10 I did about two miles at each end of the trail. The snowmobile/ATV trail goes longer in both directions. It is not hard to find the entrance in East Haverhill in the middle of the Oliverian School complex and the first 100 yards are easy to see crushed stone. There is no Oliverian Valley Campground but there is a baseball field. After a short piece the trail becomes a smooth two track dirt road. The other end in Warren has some auto traffic in the beginning and also ATV traffic for the whole length. It is a slight upgrade and a bit of loose gravel from the 4 wheel use. Youker

D & L Trail - Lehigh Gorge State Park Trail
Lehigh Gorge Trail 6/7/10

On Saturday June 5 they opened 3 new miles of the trail that now allows you to bike right into and out of downtown Jim Thorpe instead of having to drive up 3 miles to Glen Onoko. We stayed a few steps from the new trail section right in Jim Thorpe at the Inn which has a room for storing bicycles. My wife shuttled me up to Rockport and I biked the 15 miles right back to the Inn. The Mountain Laurel were in spectacular bloom and it is a wonderful trail and Jim Thorpe is a most interesting town. Youker

Swatara Rail-Trail
Return trip

A trip north on I-81 gave me another chance to explore the Swatara Rail Trail. On my trip last fall I found the trail difficult to follow due to multiple paved roads and no signs. However I found a great map to print on the Swatara State Park web site with detail on all the roads and trails. You do need to study it carefully. We got a room in the Days Inn in Lickdale again and my wife drove shuttle up to Route SR 443 and Swopes Valley Road where the rail trail uses the highway for 100 feet due to a washed out bridge. I biked down stream down the lovely trail mostly single track with a smooth cinder surface and fully shaded. After about five miles my wife was waiting in the parking lot at State Park Lane where there is a gate. You do have to switch from the trail to an old paved road at a spot called Murry Station. I then put in at the corner of Rt SR 443 and SR 72 on an old road and new trail down to the two bridges and with two trips I had completed almost all of the Swatara Rail Trail. Youker June 2, 2010

Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail
Key Largo to Key West

I did most of this trail again in January 2010 based in a rented condo in Marathon. I just want to add that they are constructing three new sections at Craigs Key, the east end of Grassy Key and some bridges in the lower Keys. There are also several routes off the basic trail for additional cycling. All are marked on the excellent map from the Florida Greenways and Trails web site or in the brochure available from the various visitors center in the Keys. Youker

Three Notch Trail
Three Notch Trail

Biked this lovely 3.5 mile trail Nov 28, 2009. At the north end the trail starts at Deborah Drive at the St Marys county line just north of McKay's Plaza Mall on Rt 236. Eventually the trail will go 28 miles to Lexington Park near the Naval Air Station. Youker

Historic Jungle Trail
Jungle Trail, Vero Beach North

I biked this trail in December 2008. It is on an old road that was orginal pathway that early settlers used to get to their fishing shacks. It now passes thru a US Wildlife refuge which has a very interesting display just off the trail. You can make it a circle by using the sidewalk along A1A. Highly recommended. Youker

North Bethesda Trail
Bethesda Trolley Trail

This trail starts in Battery Park just off Norfolk Ave in down town Bethesda and goes 7 miles toward Rockville but on sidewalks after 3 miles. It is not a bad connection from the Capital Crescent Trail via Glenbrook Rd and a good connection to Rock Creek Trail via Grosvner Road. After the start it circles around the grounds of NIH. There is a very good map via Montgomery County Parks. Bob

Warren County Bikeway
Lake George to Glens Falls 7/2009

Wonderful trail, very smooth blacktop with 2 miles of easy uphill at the start right at the foot of Lake George. The county has a great map including the feeder canal trail. The part around the Country Club is on a wide sholder road. Bob Youker

Lake Placid to Saranac Lake Bike Trail
Saranac Lake Village Trail 7/2009

I biked this trail a couple of days ago starting at Pine Street just above the river. It runs along the shoulder of the RR about 1 miles including a dirt road along a cemetery. Bob Youker

Swatara Rail-Trail
Swatara Rail Trail 7/16/2009

One of the reviewers mis-spelled the word trail into trial which is exactly what this trail is, a bad trial with no signs, bad state park map and impossible to find parking and put-in spots. The trail interconnects with old roads without signs and it is very confusing. I ended up losing the trail and got to the end in Lickdale via local roads. There is a connection off SR 443 south on State Park Lane with parking. The park is totally undeveloped as is the trail. Youker

Pine Creek Rail Trail
Pine Creek Rail Trail, Pa June 13-15

All 63 miles of this wonderful trail are open and were biked in 2 days and an afternoon with wife driving shuttle allowing one way biking downhill. Driving up from Washington, DC took 5 hours and I was able to do the 8 miles from the start at Wellsboro Junction (corner of Rt 287 and Rt 6) to the Darling Run parking lot the first afternoon. There is a store and farmers market at the start. There are motels on Rt 6 just west of there. The next day was 26 miles from Darling Run to Slate Run thru the canyon. It is then another 28 miles to the end parking lot in Jersey Shore. The Trail Link Web site has great maps available for downloading. Saw a Blue Bird, two Baltimore Orioles and 3 great big rattlesnakes. Bob

D&H Rail Trail
D & H Trail NE Pa.

I did this nice trail in mid July 2008 starting in Simpson and Rt 171 to Herrick Center which is the end of the paved trail or about 15 miles. The first 5 or so miles are not paved and are co-teminous with the O & W Trail and are rough in places and sometimes a bit hard to decide which is the real trail. The scenery is very nice and much runs along a pleasant creek. There is a store in Union Dale but not much else. The northern 15 miles is there but not paved. We stayed in the quirky Vacation Inn Motel which is north of Herrick on Rt 171. Below Union Dale there is a nice lake and views. The trail web site is <www.nepa-rail-trails.org>
A nice brochure is available via the Rail Trail Council of NE PA, PO Box 123, Forest City Pa. 18421-0123
Bob Youker

Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail
Florida Keys Trail

I finished the trail Jan 26, 2009. I highly recommend the sections with a separate paved path and I do not recommend those sections where you must ride on the narrow sholders with heavy truck traffic going by which I did not do, although I met several thru bikers who did put themselves at risk. Being alone I would park my car and bike a section going both ways. The wind was bad every day on the west to east sections. I stayed in motels in Key Largo and Big Pine Key. At the end I biked the full circle of Key West parking at the old fort Taylor. Each of the five main keys has a visitors center for rest stops and there are also many state parks with facilities. The 2 mile long Long Key Bridge and the 2 mile bridge to Pigeon Key were especially scenic. Youker

Fort Fraser Trail
Wonderful Trail 1/29/09

Of the some 30 trails I have done in Florida this has the best amenities. It has 3 nice trail heads with parking, many historical signs and a rest room at the center trail head. It is a wide trail with a good bit of shade. It even has its own marked truck for maintaining the trail. The mileage markers go outward from the center so you need to do a bit of figuring. Youker

Montpelier & Wells River Trail
More Cross Vt trail

The trail is actually officially open east from Ricker pond to the Town of Groton where there is parking by the old RR station and on to South Ryegate where you need to start using the road for a while untill the trail picks up again. See their maps on the web site. Youker

North Augusta Greeneway Park
North Augusta Greenway Trail

I very nice trail biked in early December 2008. There is a fair change in elevation so it would be easier to start at the north trailhead and bike south toward the river if you are only doing one way with a shuttle. When you hit the river and go under the highway there are options to continue biking in both directions. There is also parking. Youker

Champlain Canalway Trail: Glens Falls Feeder Canal Trail
Glen Falls Feeder Canal Trail

The trail states just a bit west of Rt 9 along the Hudson River at Richardson Street right in Glens Falls. After you cross Rt 9 (Main Street) you need to work your way north and east around the paper mill where the route is not well marked. A bit past the factory at Shermantown Road the Lake George- Glens Falls bike trail comes in from the north. The rest of the trail along the old feeder canal is well marked and easy to follow heading downhill toward the old Champlain Canal Towpath. On the east end of Hudson Falls at Burgoyne Ave you pass the five combines Historic Locks Park with parking and facilities. When you hit the Champlain Canal towpath you turn right or south and bike on to Ft Edward. The last mile is along local access roads and ends at the Amtrak Trail Statuon where there is parking. Total distance is between 8 and 9 miles. An excellent map of both trails is available from Glens Falls Transportation Council, Washington County Muncipal Center, 383 Upper Broadway, Fort Edward, N.Y. 12828 Bob Youker

Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville Rail Trail (FJ & G Rail Trail)
Johnstown to Gloversville Trail

I did this very nice smooth asphalt trail in late August 2008. The north end starts in a small park at the junction of Rts 349 and 154 known as Dennies Crossroads a bit northwest of Gloversville. It ends about 10 miles later at Union Avenue south of Johstown near an Industrial Park. Most of the trail runs along Cayadutta Creek and at the south end above the gorge of the creek throught the woods. The Gloversville section is in town and there are many road crossings but not a problem as it runs by old glove factories. There is parking at both end and in the middle. A brochure is available from the Fulton County Chamber of Commerce in Gloversville. 800-676-3858 Bob Youker

Delaware and Hudson Rail-Trail
D & H Trail Vermont

I did both sections in August 2008. Very nice trail. The southern section is gradual uphill from West Pawlet to Rupert so starting from Rupert would be easier. The trail is slightly down hill from Rupert to a bit south of West Rupert at the state line. There is a dirt road over to the trail about a half mile above the NY border. There is a nice simming hole in the creek at the road and trail. Boith sections run along nice little creeks. The trail was flooded just north of Rupert, but it was easy to detour to the highway.