We parked at the trail head outside Elizabeth town, biked the entire length and then another 2.5 miles into the Lebanon Valley trail and then returned (about 15 miles round trip). All trees that downed during last weekends freak Snowtober event have been cut, and cleared to the side. There is still evidence of the early September floods, mostly on the Lebanon County side, but the entire trail is in pretty good shape. Lots of other bike and pedestrian traffic, especially for a weekday, and some of the prettiest countryside God ever gave us. Heartily recommend!

Major damage has been repaired.

Some trail surface still rough/washed out.

Couple of places where the edge of trail drops off 1 - 2 feet.

Lots of down trees (cut up) along the trail.

Fun Ride.

Sept 18, 2011. Took a post Hurricane/Flood ride on North1/2 of trail.

Two Miles + closed due to damage. Stopped at E-Town trailhead. Trail entrance/bridge almost washed out and closed. Found another trailhead to start ride.

Numerous locations with water damage. Passable but rough in spots. Expect hardpack gravel, loose gravel, sand and some mud.

Hope the damage gets fixed soon.

We tacked this trail onto the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail for a great day of riding! This trail was in great shape and very scenic!!

My wife and I rode on the Conewago Recreation Trail in early June 2011, and it is in excellent condition. This is an excellent, very flat (save for one location where the trail dips to meet the road, then climbs back up on the other side of the road -- a bridge would be great!) trail that is perfectly suited for hybrids or mountain bikes.

It also meets the Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail, which is another very good trail, so riders can go all the way from Elizabethtown in Lancaster County to the City of Lebanon (in Lebanon County) without ever leaving the trail.

There are a number of road crossings on the Conewago Recreation Trail, but only one of the roads (Route 743) is ever busy. (At the interesction of the trail and Route 743, you'll find the Rails to Trail Bicycle Shop.)

Alas Lancaster County has very few rail trails. The Conewago is as good as it gets here in PA Dutch country. The Mrs. and I had a lovely bike ride today (5/9/2011) from the trail head on route 230 eight miles out and back along the Conewago trail and with another three miles on the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail. We expected to encounter much more traffic than we did considering the weather has been lousy every weekend this spring. But fellow bikers / hikers were few.

The Conewago trail is almost dead flat but seems to incline a bit when it enters Lebanon County. The surface of the Conewago is well maintained crushed limestone. The surface of the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail is a bit rougher but still makes for a great ride.

Lancaster / Lebanon county farmland, horse farms. llama farms along the trail make for a lovely ride.

We rode the 2.5 mile section of this trail between Rte. 230 and Rte.743 and found it to be quite busy. Parking lot along Rte.230 was packed and cars were parking along the roadside. The trail was heavily populated with horses, families walking, lots of dogs, and runners. Of course, everyone was very pleasant and friendly, but it did require us to pay a lot of attention to where we were riding and not really able to take in the scenery. The cinder/stonedust surface was quite dry (we really need a good rain!), so we and our bikes got quite dusty. The trail was nice, but it did feel like it was uphill both ways! We'll ride this one again, but we'll try a different section just to see if it is any different.

there are a plethora of churches in this area that offer Sunday evening worship that people take advantage of when they cannot worship on Sunday morning, hence having the shop close @ 3pm on Sundays isn't a big suprise; this might be why he wants to promptly close on time on Sunday;

secondly, there is no DESIGNATED PARKING along RTE 743 for riders/hikers who wish to utilize the rail trail at this juncture; the owner of the bike shop is liable if anyone gets injured while parking/loitering on his property, hence he is not being 'rude' by insisting that folks vacate the property at his request...he had a problem of folks parking in his lot while he was closed and this is why there are large yellow chains that are locked when the shop is closed; it is actually a good thing that he has business hours on Sundays and offers an alternative to places like WalMart, KMart, and other large retailers;

when I stopped and shopped for a new bike all of my questions were answered and was given information about the various brands of bikes they sell, as well as information about the rail trails in the area; I was able to get a great comfort bike (Raleigh Venture 4.0) and a variety of accessories with the discounts the shop gave me; I have returned several times for other accessories as my riding increases

Constructed in the late 70's along the old Cornwall Valley Railroad, the Conewago Recreation Trail is Lancaster County's oldest rail trail. While the trail was noted for crossing picturesque farmlands and hamlets along the county's northern border, it did not really come into its own until the last decade, when the longer Lebanon Valley Rail Trail was connected to its northern end. The county has recently upgraded the trail, adding a new, stone surface and making drainage improvements, bringing the trail up to par with its northern neighbor. There are also plans to extend the trail further west to Falmouth, where it will join the Northwest River Trail, meaning that use will probably continue to grow in coming years.

There's not one season better than another on the Conewago Recreation Trail. A visitor in summer, fall, winter and spring to this lovely piece of Dauphin, Lancaster and Lebanon counties, I am never disappointed.

Trailheads are easy to find, just off major highways, with ample parking at most spots. (I think new parking is going in on Route 743). And now that the Lebanon County Trail is connected and the project complete, the ride or walk can take a wanderer through farm fields, woods, tiny towns and over and under a bridge or two. Surfaces are smooth and well-maintained.

If you prefer to work harder on the way out and take it easy on the way back, I would recommend starting at the Dauphin County line and heading East.

We had a glorious fall day bike ride, introducing some of our Philly friends to the pleasures of biking on a rail trail. We started in Mt. Gretna (had a super lunch on homemade bread at Cafe Le Sorelle in Mt. Gretna), enjoyed the well maintained trail and then remembered a bike shop close to the end of the trail in Elizabethtown. (Twin Kiss ice cream available about 3/4 way to the end of trail.)

It is difficult to believe Rails to Trails Bike Shop ever opened up to accommodate the bikers on the trail. Rails to Trails Bike Shop closes at 3:00 pm on Sunday, insisted we leave the bench we were resting on outside of the shop at closing time. My wife wanted to try on a pair of bike shorts about 10 minutes before closing the the owner said no, too close to closing time. Another couple was also asked to leave the premises, as they were readjusting bike seats. In addition, after paying a buck to use the portable toilet, instead of asking us if anyone else in our foursome needed to use it, one of the staff in the bike shop silently put a LOCK on the handle so no one could use it. Really remarkable. We were very embarrassed in front of our friends, who until that point, were delighting in the local countryside and friendly folks.

In this economy, it is a rare shop owner who goes out of their way to be rude to the customers, especially on a Rail Trail. I understand the need to lock up the portable toilet in the evening but lots of folks are out biking Sunday afternoon, a time when most who work weekdays, have the opportunity to bike. Whereas this shop could be a gold mine, I bet they will be out of business in a year. This is the second time we were visited the shop, were treated rudely on both occasions (we actually bought something the first time) and will not go in there again.

Trailhead was easy to find (always a plus) and the trail was in terrific condition. Nice, easy ride on a warm day.

We rode the entire trail, making a loop by going off trail onto very rural roads north of the trail. The trail is in great shape and the leaves are just starting to change colors. The trail had alot of users near Elizabethtown, but the number of people dwindled after the Old Hershey Rd. parking area. Unlike some trails that have a slight grade in one direction, this trail is truely flat.

The trail is complete and what a difference it makes. It is 100% better than what it was and very enjoyable to ride. It now makes the adjoining Lebanon Valley trail look like it needs maintenance or at least the brush cut back. The newly added road signs to identify the crossing is a nice touch along the trail. My only complaint is with the horse riders and their general inability to clean up after their horses. I counted at least 12 locations with fresh dung along the trail. Why they seem so insensitive to other trail users is puzzling. At least push it off to the side of the trail.

The trail is receiving a major rebuild this summer. Grading and new gravel surface is almost completed. Horses are restricted until 9/1 to allow the work to 'harden'.

"Compared to the Lebanon Valley rail trail, this lower trail doesn't seem quite finished. The trail is very narrow in some portions, not covered in cinders or likewise (mostly dirt or mud) and also has some very rocky parts. The several road crossing can be tricky as the road is almost 6 inches higher than the trail. Also, this trail had many pedestrians on it that walk 3 or 4 people wide. We would come right up behind them and they still wouldn't get out of the way. At one point we had to ride off trail to go around a group of walkers and I was shouted at for scaring them. Still, the scenery is pleasant and I recommend this ride to anyone who is not put off by mud, and if you put up with it for 5 miles then you are on the much nicer Lebanon Valley trail. Cheers.."

"Overall this was a nice ride. We parked one car at the parking area on route 230 at the end of the Conewago Trail and the other at Cornwall at the start of the Lebanon Valley trail. We road from Cornwall to route 230. It is a very straight trail but the scenery is nice. This is a ride through farm country so don’t be surprised with the fresh country air. Both trails combine to give you about 15 miles with your only dealing with car traffic an occasional street crossing. This is not a technical ride but I would recommend a cross or mountain bike just to be safe. A road bike could do some of it but there are parts you would be walking. If you are looking for hardcore mountain biking this is not your trail. If want a pleasant afternoon ride, this could be the one."

"The well-finished smoothness of the Lebanon Valley Trail gives way to a more natural and rough offering of dirt and mud. What a difference a county makes. It's entertaining if you're into farm animals (hey, who isn't in central PA).

This trail is best conquered on a mountain bike. The hybrids my friend and I were riding struggled in the mud compared to the third in our group who had a mountain bike. We went from the county line as far as the intersection with PA 743."

"Several of us rode the trail last week the day after a rain storm. While the scenery was great, the trail was mostly mud and standing water. We were all disappointed and muddy. It sure could use some attention -- especially after riding the connecting Lebabon Valley trail -- which was wonderful the entire length."

"The Conewago Trail has wooded areas, open area, plus some nice refreshing streams. There are also benches along the trail, giving trail users of all ages places to rest along the way.

Now that Lebanon County is in the process of completing their section, the trail is accessible from Colebrook right beside Twin Kiss restaurant. There is also a separate trail for horses in Lebanon County.

The trail in Lebanon County is a bit smoother and safer for people walking or biking. Most trail crossings are safe, but beware of Rt.741 and high speed vehicles.

If you use one mile or 10 miles you will enjoy your experience on this trail."

The western end especially is nice. The eastern end doesn't get as much traffic and the riding path is not as wide. It will be great when Lebanon Valley Rail Trail finishes restoring their link.

Mixture of woodland and farm area. Trail starts at Rt. 230 near Elizabethtown and runs for 5 miles. The trail is easily bikable the entire distance. The trail is progressively narrow as you go away from route 230. On an average Summer weekend there are probably about 25 people on at any given time. It is a safe trail to walk.