Sept 18, 2011. Took a post Hurricane/Flood ride on south 1/2 of trail. 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 picked up the trail at Cornwall and headed south toward Mt. Gretna. It is a very shady trail and wide enough for us to ride side by side and chat. There was some construction equipment in place but on the weekend it was not doing any work. The surface was rough for about 1/2 mile but still managable. There were families riding the trail as well as some hikers, and a few on horseback. Wish we lived close enough to ride this trail regularly. Well maintained.

The only difficulty we had was finding the parking area for the Cornwall trail head. There is no sign at the entrance to the parking area and we drove right past it. There is a small snack bar and port-a-potty for comfort added :)

Virginia Bikers

Rode the Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail today for the first time. Beautiful trail and well maintained. Will diffiently do it again. Nice, slight upgrade until about the half way point then the slight down hill for easy riding. Of course the same on the return.

Rode the trail today for the first time. There is a brand-new section of crushed limestone/gravel pavement covering the recent sewer work along the line on the up hill from Lebanon up and under RT 72. This pavement is complete, but 2/3 of it is still so wet that thin tire bikes sink slightly into it and have HUGE rolling resistance. I found, however, that if you get off the pavement onto the dirt--it is much faster going, even on a 28mm tired tandem. Spoke to one of the construction workers--they rolled a lot of sand into the dirt bridle trail alongside the pavement to improve drainage. Until the pavement gets a couple of weeks more sun, the dirt is the thing.

Interestingly, there was also some clearing work going on along the old rail bed beyond the current trail end about mile 15. Not sure if they are working on the planned extension or not.

I did this trail yesterday July 1st from Lawn Pa to Lebanon 12th street. From Lawn it is up hill for about half the trip. At the mid point there is a lot of construction as a pipe line is being installed. It is about a 2 and a half mile section. I did talk to a construction manger and he told me that by the middle of July they would be finished and that it would be the best part of the trail. All but the last two miles are under a canopy. I was on my old Jamis Dakar with a street tire and it worked well for me. This is a other family friendly trail. There a park benches along the trail and a few picnic tables. The mile markers are hit or miss and that was about the only negative of the trip.

Great trail and trailhead in Lebanon. Very well-maintained trail, except for some sewer work being done which has the trail a little torn up and rough. (We did take a very easy detour onto Rte. 117 on the way back to Lebanon.) Spent the whole day riding (tacked on the Conewago Recreation Trail too). Missed the opportunity to see the Cornwall Iron Furnace (either there wasn't any signage to find it or we missed the sign!) Thoroughly enjoyed our detour in Mt. Gretna...had lunch on the way south and stopped for ice cream on the way back (my husband loved the Strawberry "shortcake", but doesn't recommend it if you still have 7 miles left to ride). Great day, great weather, and a great trail!!

The Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail runs close to my home, so I ride it often. Overall, this is an excellent trail with some occasional rough patches. Usually, I ride my Canondale hybrid on the trail with no problems at all. It connects to a rail-trail in Lancaster County as well, so you can ride all the way from the city of Lebanon to Elizabethtown without leaving the trail.

The trail from Butler Rd to Rt 72 is a morass. Best to avoid this unless you want the true mountain bike experience! The trail surface is either rust colored mud or dried into a tractor tire pattern that is like riding over a washboard. It appears from the stacks of green pipe along the trail that the section from Timber Rd. access (at the Mt. Gretna town line) to Butler Rd is scheduled to be torn up next. I hope when the work is completed that a gravel surface will be put down in place of the current dirt surface. This section never was up to the standards of the rest of the Lebanon Valley Trail. Fortunately, Rt. 117 runs parallel to the trail from Colebrook to Rt. 72 (it does continue to Cornwall but not along the trail), so it is possible to detour to the asphalt at various areas along the section under construction.

http://www.ldnews.com/lebanonnews/ci_17625360

Lebanon Daily News article says the end of April 2011

74 and Sunny, NOT BAD for March 18..... Just took the trail from Etown to Lebanon and back and found out the trail is (or should be) closed from Mt Gretna area to Rt 72 area. Just an FYI this was not marked so I went about 1/2 mile into the construction before realizing it was not passable. If anyone is planning that ride just hit the hard road on the stretch from 72 to Gretna, everything else was fine end to end. If anyone knows how long the construction is planned for please post that info here.....

Hi, I really love this trail, ride it all of the time between the Daily News and Cornwall, sometimes even go past that point. About 7 months ago, I was really struggling to lose weight and be healthier for my 2 young girls, I started on a really great nutritional program that I found that was all natural and then soon after that started biking rails to trails because we live right near the trail and it is very convenient. Before I started losing weight trying to ride this trail was impossible for me without stopping several times. Now I can bike the trail all the way to Cornwall or past at times without stopping and sometimes, don't stop at all and continue on the return ride. This trail is so convenient for us because of where it is and I really like the layout of it. Very easy to ride on this trail, even take the girls at times. Love riding during the fall with the colors of the leaves and the trail itself. To this date because of riding rails to trails so actively as well as the nutritional program I am on, I have lost 84 pounds in the last 7 months. I just want to say thank you for this convenience and this great trail!!!!!

I rode the entire length of this trail and the adjoining Conewago trail and back 2 weeks ago, and it was a great ride. One of the posts mentions some washed out sections. The short section were the trail shares a private drive near the village of Mount Gretna is a bit rough, but not terrible. I would imagine after a rain it would be a bit of a mess, though. It's about a 1/2 mile (writeup above says 1/4 mile). Other than that, the other 20 miles is really nice.

Yes, we had a similar experience with the rough washed out trail and felt like turning around but didn't and it soon was good again. Hope that will soon be fixed. Over all the trail is lovely and I hope to do it again this fall. We have ridden the trail since it's beginning and it is great to see the trail extentions.- EMB

This is a great trail from Lebanon to just past Cornwall. After you pass over 322 towards Mt. Gretna the surface got A LOT rougher. I turned around and came back after a quarter mile. Did I turn around too quickly? I was afraid of blowing out a tire and didn't continue. Has anyone had a similar experience. On the positive side there were many benches to take a break.

Continuing northeast from Lancaster County's Conewago trail, the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail tranverses the wooded hills of southern Lebanon County before turning due north to the city that bears the region's namesake. The pastoral farmlands that dominate much of the landscape along the Conewago Trail give way to lush forests a short distance into Lebanon County, giving users the impression that they are far from civilization (though, in reality, you are never far from main roads). In addition to providing some breathtaking scenery and opportunities to spot wildlife, this environment also provides users with a cool shade to the warm summer sun. The trail also passes through the hamlets of Lawn and Colebrook, the latter of which is known for its Twin Kiss restaurant and ice cream shop, the resort town of Mt. Gretna, noted for its lake, playhouse and The Jigger Shop, a world famous ice cream parlor and Cornwall, a former mining town and rail hub now known for its retirement communities. The bucolic mix of forests and farmland gives way to suburban housing developments as one gets closer to Lebanon, and the trail currently ends off 11th Street near the southern end of the city. However, this will not be the northern terminus for long, and work on the next section, which will extend to Chestnut Street, is slated for later this year. The authority in charge of the trail also has longer-range plans to continue north of the city, eventually connecting to the Swatara State Park Trail. If realized, this vision will result in a greenway system that will bisect Lebanon County and may eventually connect the Susquehanna River just south of Middletown to the Poconos.

The trail now runs from Zinns Mill Rd into Lebanon to Rte 72, S10th st. It is crushed stone until the overpass bridge, then it is paved to 10th st. There is an extension on the south side of the bridge to South Hills Park. There is parking at South Hills Park and between S 8th and S10th st, Lebanon. It is 4 miles from 8th st to Cornwall Parking area.

Meeting set for Lebanon Rail-Trail
by MONICA VON DOBENECK, Of The Patriot-News (Harrisburg Pa)
Saturday September 06, 2008, 3:25 PM
With the Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail nearly complete, organizers are looking to extend the 20-mile path for hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders another seven miles north to Swatara State Park.

Chairman John Wengert told the Lebanon County Commissioners that his organization has contacted 110 people whose properties adjoin the abandoned railroad line and has heard back from about 60. Many want more information, he said, so he has invited them for a wagon ride on the existing portion of the trail on Sept. 13 and has scheduled a public meeting for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the North Lebanon Township municipal building.

"There's a lot of interest among people for close to home recreation," Wengert said.


The Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail extends from the Lancaster County line west of Lawn to Zinns Mill Road south of Lebanon . An extension to be complete by April will bring it into Lebanon around Eighth Street. The Conewago Trail extends the route six miles from the Lancaster line to Elizabethtown.

The proposed new section would start near Eighth Street in Lebanon and roughly parallel Route 72 before reaching Swatara State Park.

I am fortunate to live in northern Lancaster County (about 20 miles from the Cornwall Trailhead). I rode this trail in portions for a while,.. the section between the Cornwall Trailhead and Colebrook parking area is 6.5 miles and between Colebrook and the Elizabethtown Trailhead is 9.3 miles (each way), although 5 of the 9.3 section between the Colebrook are actually the Conewago trail. I finally rode the entire trail yesterday, and what a ride,... highly recommended to anyone.

It has parking at nicely spaced locations along the trail to break it down in manageable chunks for less experienced riders, plenty of rest stops/benches along the way, and is fairly flat (especially the 9.3 mile section) so kids can ride greater distances. It is also close to Mt. Gretna for lunch/ice cream stops, convenient shopping and lake swimming (a pay for beach that is worth the trip alone if you have never been to it). Also, there is a Twin Kiss restaurant by the Colebrook parking for a nice lunch/ice cream stop if you feel so inclined.

All in all, this is one of the nicest trails in the area with the various ammentities, ease and length of trail, variety of scenery from open fields to wooded areas.

"As a biker and hiker I find the lack of trail ettiquette of a lot of the bikers appalling. Very few give warning to hikers that they apptoaching from the rear and some pass so close in passing that I have actually felt the air from thai bikes on my arm. I believe you you should post on your rules that a simple ""on your left"" is the proper way to let someone know you are overtaking them from the rerar. Otherwise my wife and I always enjoy our time on the trail. "

"Its is a beautiful trail...I must say, however, as a horseback rider that the ""woodchip"" trail that was provided for us is a very inadequate and carlessly thought out. In the fall, it is completely frozen over and hard for our horses to walk over...and in the past years the ""woodchips"" are no more...its mostly mud and grass. Hard, lumpy mud. So, basically, it was a nice idea at first...until the place forgot about us and let the designated area become overgrown and an unpleasant place for horses to walk.

Another thing are the cyclists. Its not just their trail. I'd like to thank those who slowly pass our horses, or warn us that they're passing...and don't just wiz by.

Besides the whole ""woodchip"" path deal, and non-horse people seeing that as an adequate place to ride and actually expect us to stay on it, the trail is actually a wonderful riding experience. I keep my horse nearby and we walk over to the trail every now and then for a nice long afternoon ride. "

"We started on the Conewago trail and only rode the bottom 3 or 4 miles of the LV trail. Nicely finished with cinders, plenty wide for 2 bikers and well marked. Much nicer than the lower Lancaster county portion. Watch out for horses."

"We are fulltime RVers who spent last summer and this summer in Lancaster County, PA. We have enjoyed riding this trail at least weekly during this time. A word of warning to bicyclists: There are many who bike this trail who pay no attention to etiquette or safety-- probably due to ignorance. Single adults traveling very fast down the grade often overtake you without announcing their presence endangering both you and themselves. The cinders you are riding on make so much noise that you may be completely unable to hear them coming up behind you. Be very careful to use your mirror and glance to your side often. Young families with children allow their youngsters to ride ""pack"" style and do not warn them to get into single file when being approached by other cyclists. We always announce ""passing on your left"" upon approaching folks. Only once has someone waved a hand to acknowledge hearing our verbal greeting. Always be ready for someone to walk into or bike into your path. Be very careful of the other cyclists on this path to protect yourself and to protect them. "

"I first discovered this gem of Lebanon this past May. My sister and I took our bikes for a short ride. From that point on I have bee riding this trail at least once a week and love it.

Starting from Cornwall the trail head the tril goes on a slight uphill grade for 3 miles. From here to the Conowago trail it is either flat or a slight down hill. At mile mark 3.5 (I think) there is a chain gate that you can go around and continue to colebrook. But if you are ready for a break take thae trail on the left which will lead you to the Jigger Shop. continuing on the tril the colebrook trail head is 6.5 miles from Cornwall. there you will find a Twin Kiss where you can eat lunch. At 10.5 miles from Cornwall on the trail it turnes into The Conowango trail.

The Conowango Trail is cool it is dirt but that keeps it interesting, and the deer are neat to see as they cross in front as you ride. Also beware of the rabits they are every where I bet I see 30 rabbits during a ride. Another part that is cool about the Conowago trail is when we get a lot of rain that Creek that Parallels it is rouring, just kep you distance.

Just one request to Horse back riders. Please ride on the wood chips when you can. The horse dropping are not fun to dodge, Thank you."

"The rail trail is now paved with stone chips, with an strip of wood chips for horses alongside. This portion of the old C&L should not be confused with Lancaster County's ""Conewago Trail"" which becomes a swamp with every rain."

"This was a great ride for a Sunday afternoon. The trail was in good shape, a little softer in some places than others, but still very rideable. It was a bit windy but the going was not hard. The trail is relaxing and not too heavily traveled once you leave the vicinity of the trailhead. My 5-1/2 year old enjoyed the ride a lot and thought there were plenty of benchs for ""taking a break"". We all could have used a restroom at the Cornwall trailhead, so that's a note that anyone with young ones might want to make. The trail goes past Cornwall a couple of miles and begins to get smaller and smaller toward the end. We saw a few bikers coming out of the tiny trail in the woods at the end of the regular trail, but we didn't attempt it as my bike with my son's 3rd wheel attached doesn't like tight turns. Still those on montain bikes might enjoy a little longer ride in the ""real"" woods. My guess is that this is the ""future"" expansion noted on the trail map. Anyway, after the return to Colebrook, we enjoyed the obigatory ice cream as the ""Twin Kiss"" located at the trailhead. There's also a nice playground there as well. All in all a great Sunday afternnon. Next time we'll try the other way and see what that ride holds. "

I took a bike ride on the Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail for the first time yesterday and it could not have been more perfect. Thank you for transforming a railroad bed into the nicest bikeride I've ever taken. Beautifully maintained trail and everyone we met along the way was friendly. I can't wait to visit it every season to enjoy the changes.

"Like the other reviewers, I thoroughly enjoyed this trail. It's surfaced with well finished cinder, easily fits two wide, and it's well marked as well at road crossings.

I was a bit miffed however at the ""leavings"" of horseback riders. There is a separate grassy trail adjacent to the cinder one but I found much ""evidence"" of the horses riding on the cinders. How rude."

"I started taking my dog there this summer and fall and we both really like it a lot. I took Nova on one of those days when we were having lots and lots of rain in Sept. and it was even great then. There's so much to see and for Nova, to smell."

"Nearly complete, about 13 miles long, this trail is well built with a smooth stone riding surface. Ample room exists for both Horses (limited to grass or wood chips), hikers and bikers. Plenty of benches to rest. Travel through wooded areas that screens the bright and hot sun. Only about 5 road crossings on the trail, so many miles of uninterupted riding. Enjoy"

"Access the trail in Colebrook (Twin Kiss Fast Food Joint adjacent) if you enjoy going uphill for the way ""there"" and downhill for the return trip. You also may want to check out the large pond on left, shortly after the trail begins.

Two of my boys (ages 8 and 14) and I did the trail during a light rain one Sunday. The surface is not quite as smooth as, say, stone dust (like the York Heritage Rail Trail) but riding under lush tree canopy compensates.

I recommend this trail -- just do it."

Park where the Website tells you to because that way you will be going uphill first & downhill when you turn around to go back to your car. The trail is well maintained & in the shade most of the time. Basically you're riding in a tunnel of trees. There were a couple of soft areas where you need a cross or mountain bike. There's a Twin Kist next to the parking lot in case you work up a hunger on your ride. I didn't see any drinking water along the trail. Overall an enjoyable ride.

This is one of the finest rail trails I know of. There are separate horse and hiker/biker sides of the trail. The horse side is covered with wood chips and the hiker/biker side has a firm stone-dust surface. Both times we rode it recently we saw deer crossing the trail. It will be great when it eventually links the Conewago Trail in Lancaster County to Lebanon City.