Find the top rated trails in Bloomsburg, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Swatara Creek runs through the vast woodlands of Swatara State Park in eastern Pennsylvania. Bear Hole Trail traces the eastern side of the waterway, while the Swatara Rail-Trail runs along the other...
The multi-use Lackawanna River Heritage Trail (LRHT) follows Pennsylvania's Lackawanna River and, when complete, will be more than 70 miles. The trail begins at the confluence of the Lackawanna and...
This lovely, relatively flat dirt path runs through the Roaring Creek Tract of the Weiser State Forest. Here, the south tributary of Roaring Creek cuts through the forest, pooling into three large...
The Slate Heritage Trail is built on the former Lehigh Valley Railroad, which opened in 1874 and transported slate products from quarries in northern Lehigh County to Slatington to connect with the...
The Susquehanna River Walk follows the north and south shores of the river's West Branch, including two bridge crossings at Market Street and Maynard Street. The route, much of which was built on top...
The Luzerne County Levee Trail is a 12-mile paved path made up of 4 different reaches on either side of the Susquehanna River. A system of interconnected paved trails built atop the flood protection...
The Back Mountain Trail, originally built by lumber and ice king Albert Lewis of Wyoming Valley 115 years ago, was acquired by the Lehigh Valley Railroad in 1887. Lumber, ice, leather goods and...
The Bloomsburg Rail-Trail runs for a short distance along the former rail bed on the northwest side of town. Following the east bank of Fishing Creek, the trail stretches between Millville Road just...
Lykens Valley Rail Trail is nearly half-way complete with 9 miles of trail open out of 20 miles planned. Those 9 miles are available in three disconnected segments. In Millersburg, a 0.4-mile segment...
Southeastern Pennsylvania’s Schuylkill River Trail forms the spine of the Schuylkill River National Heritage Area, a five-county expanse between Philadelphia and Pottsville. Built along former...
In a pretty valley between the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Mountain, the Lycoming Creek Bikeway is a fitting hometown asset. Tourists are not flocking to it, but the local...
Constructed in 2012, the Gravity Trail is one of the newer additions to the extensive network of trails and greenways that criss-cross the Greater Reading metro area. The trail's unusual name comes...
Tracing nearly two miles of riverfront, the Luzerne County National Recreation Trail (also known as the Luzerne County Rail Trail) will eventually form a 16-mile pathway along an active railway. Chain...
The discovery of anthracite coal in the Tremont area of Pennsylvania shaped commerce and development well into the 1800s. The Union Canal was constructed in the 1820s to connect the Schuylkill and...
Eastern Pennsylvania’s D&L Trail spans just over 140 miles through the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor from Bristol, in the Greater Philadelphia region, to Mountain Top, nestled in the...
The Jonathan Eshenour Memorial Trail, named for a local resident who died in a bicycling accident, offers a safe paved route through Derry and nearby communities. It begins in a rural area just south...
The Iroquois Trail is scenic and remote, stretching about 2 miles through Tunkhannock, a gateway community to the Endless Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania. The rail-trail follows the route of...
The JFK Walking Trail is a hidden gem created to be part of the Pottsville Community flagship recreation complex. The paved trail is located behind the tennis courts and pool. A stylish sign complete...
The beautiful Lehigh and New England trail is a short, crushed-stone trail that follows a section of the former Lehigh and New England Railroad corridor just south of Tamaqua in eastern Pennsylvania....
The Muhlenberg Rail Trail spans nearly 2 miles, running parallel to Rosedale Avenue from Laureldale Borough to Temple. It follows a former corridor of the East Penn Branch Railroad, traversing a...
Located at 2,100 feet and next to the Loyalsock State Forest in northeast Pennsylvania, this trail in the small town of Eagles Mere has a rich history. In 1892 the Eagles Mere eight-mile narrow gauge...
Like so many trails in this area, the Great Hazleton Rails to Trails occupies the former corridor of a railroad line that supported the local coal mining industry. After a half century of disuse, the...
In a pretty valley between the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Mountain, the Lycoming Creek Bikeway is a fitting hometown asset. Tourists are not flocking to it, but the local...
J. Manley Robbins Trail is a short trail with a long history. Quite possibly it is the oldest documented rail-trail in the country. The trail leads through a beautiful deciduous forest high above the...
Southeastern Pennsylvania’s Schuylkill River Trail forms the spine of the Schuylkill River National Heritage Area, a five-county expanse between Philadelphia and Pottsville. Built along former...
The Bloomsburg Rail-Trail runs for a short distance along the former rail bed on the northwest side of town. Following the east bank of Fishing Creek, the trail stretches between Millville Road just...
The Luzerne County Levee Trail is a 12-mile paved path made up of 4 different reaches on either side of the Susquehanna River. A system of interconnected paved trails built atop the flood protection...
The Back Mountain Trail, originally built by lumber and ice king Albert Lewis of Wyoming Valley 115 years ago, was acquired by the Lehigh Valley Railroad in 1887. Lumber, ice, leather goods and...
When it began operating, the Switchback Railroad was the second railroad in America and the first in Pennsylvania. Built to haul coal from the Summit Mine to the Lehigh Canal, the railroad evolved...
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Though little-known compared to other popular rail-trails in Pennsylvania, the Penns Creek Path is worth the effort of visiting for a scenic bike ride or hike in the forest. Pretty in all seasons, it...
Tracing nearly two miles of riverfront, the Luzerne County National Recreation Trail (also known as the Luzerne County Rail Trail) will eventually form a 16-mile pathway along an active railway. Chain...
The Iroquois Trail is scenic and remote, stretching about 2 miles through Tunkhannock, a gateway community to the Endless Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania. The rail-trail follows the route of...
Constructed in 2012, the Gravity Trail is one of the newer additions to the extensive network of trails and greenways that criss-cross the Greater Reading metro area. The trail's unusual name comes...
The discovery of anthracite coal in the Tremont area of Pennsylvania shaped commerce and development well into the 1800s. The Union Canal was constructed in the 1820s to connect the Schuylkill and...
This lovely, relatively flat dirt path runs through the Roaring Creek Tract of the Weiser State Forest. Here, the south tributary of Roaring Creek cuts through the forest, pooling into three large...
Currently, 9 miles of the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail are complete. The trail runs between Lewisburg and Mifflinburg, and interpretive signs relate the region's history. The trail is mostly paved at...
The beautiful Lehigh and New England trail is a short, crushed-stone trail that follows a section of the former Lehigh and New England Railroad corridor just south of Tamaqua in eastern Pennsylvania....
Originally named St. Anthony's Wilderness by Moravian missionaries who arrived in the colony in 1742 to convert Native tribes, the Stony Creek Valley became the site of five bustling towns after...
Like so many trails in this area, the Great Hazleton Rails to Trails occupies the former corridor of a railroad line that supported the local coal mining industry. After a half century of disuse, the...
The Jonathan Eshenour Memorial Trail, named for a local resident who died in a bicycling accident, offers a safe paved route through Derry and nearby communities. It begins in a rural area just south...
This Susquehanna Warrior Trail is nestled in the beautiful Susquehanna River Valley, lush with green meadows and surrounding mountain peaks. Eventually the trail will cover 18.5 miles, but now it...
The Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail takes you on a journey into Pennsylvania Dutch country. Running along the corridor of the old Cornwall-Lebanon Railroad, the 14.5-mile trail lets you experience the...
Currently, 9 miles of the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail are complete. The trail runs between Lewisburg and Mifflinburg, and interpretive signs relate the region's history. The trail is mostly paved at...
When it began operating, the Switchback Railroad was the second railroad in America and the first in Pennsylvania. Built to haul coal from the Summit Mine to the Lehigh Canal, the railroad evolved...
The Bloomsburg Rail-Trail runs for a short distance along the former rail bed on the northwest side of town. Following the east bank of Fishing Creek, the trail stretches between Millville Road just...
Lumber mills frequently set up tram cars running on a set of tracks to carry cut timbers from the steep hillsides. The Old Tram Trail is exactly that and has become a short bit of single track to...
The Back Mountain Trail, originally built by lumber and ice king Albert Lewis of Wyoming Valley 115 years ago, was acquired by the Lehigh Valley Railroad in 1887. Lumber, ice, leather goods and...
The Muhlenberg Rail Trail spans nearly 2 miles, running parallel to Rosedale Avenue from Laureldale Borough to Temple. It follows a former corridor of the East Penn Branch Railroad, traversing a...
Southeastern Pennsylvania’s Schuylkill River Trail forms the spine of the Schuylkill River National Heritage Area, a five-county expanse between Philadelphia and Pottsville. Built along former...
The beautiful Lehigh and New England trail is a short, crushed-stone trail that follows a section of the former Lehigh and New England Railroad corridor just south of Tamaqua in eastern Pennsylvania....
Lykens Valley Rail Trail is nearly half-way complete with 9 miles of trail open out of 20 miles planned. Those 9 miles are available in three disconnected segments. In Millersburg, a 0.4-mile segment...
The Luzerne County Levee Trail is a 12-mile paved path made up of 4 different reaches on either side of the Susquehanna River. A system of interconnected paved trails built atop the flood protection...
The Slate Heritage Trail is built on the former Lehigh Valley Railroad, which opened in 1874 and transported slate products from quarries in northern Lehigh County to Slatington to connect with the...
Located in scenic Potter and Clinton Counties, the Susquehannock Hiking Trail is an 85-mile amalgamation of old Civilian Conservation Corps fire trails, logging roads and railroad grades through the...
Though little-known compared to other popular rail-trails in Pennsylvania, the Penns Creek Path is worth the effort of visiting for a scenic bike ride or hike in the forest. Pretty in all seasons, it...
Originally named St. Anthony's Wilderness by Moravian missionaries who arrived in the colony in 1742 to convert Native tribes, the Stony Creek Valley became the site of five bustling towns after...
The JFK Walking Trail is a hidden gem created to be part of the Pottsville Community flagship recreation complex. The paved trail is located behind the tennis courts and pool. A stylish sign complete...
We rode this as an extension of the Susquehanna Riverwalk. It was paved and had a park with a restroom but no water fountain. For part of the ride, you are in a bike lane on the road but the road appears to be a dead end, so not much traffic. Once you get to Montoursville and the bridge, there is crossroads with no clear signage as to where the bike path should be. We took a right and biked to a boat launch behind the airport which was nice. I think we were supposed to cross the main road at the intersection where the bike path continued a little further - something for next time!
We started at trailhead in S Williamsport and crossed the river at Maynard St bridge. Had to walk bike across because of pedestrians crossing at the same time. We biked to the end of the trail and continued on the Susquehanna Bikeway into Montoursville, returning to S Williamsport.
The ride had a few areas with a challenging incline but overall a great trail and very scenic as you are next to the river the whole time. There are plenty of benches to sit on and educational signs to read and learn about the history of Williamsport. Did I mention it was paved?? Loved it! Also, it didn't seem very busy for a Sunday afternoon.
Was on Trail today between Bethlehem and Easton. The last mile to Easton is currently closed because of the recent heavy rains. Also the area around Old Orchard is fairly muddy and some trees are down. Some erosion in trail because of rain.
We just moved to the area and live a half hour from the trail head so I wanted to give it a go. July was the 4th wettest month in recorded history for the area so factor that into some of my comments.
FIRST --- FINDING THE TRAILHEAD
I am an RT member and recently received the 2018 version of the Rail-Trails Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York Guidebook. Please ignore the directions in the book unless you are giving them to someone you dislike very much. Here is how to find it: After you get off Interstate 81 at exit 100 make a left to the traffic light. It is marked route 72. Turn left and continue on 72 until it intersects with route 443. Veer to the right onto 443 and continue on 443 until you reach Gold Mine Road on the left (it is like 9 miles or so to the turnoff). There is a wooden PA sign for Swatara Creek RT & Park directly to the right. Once you are on Gold Mine Road continue over the top of the first mountain (there are two!!). As you descend the mountain (I want to say about half way down) there is a gravel road on the left and a PA State Game Sign just past the gravel road (right now weeds almost have it obscured (see my picture, if RT allows it to be posted. Drive back that road. You will see on the right an extensive pile of macadam road that has been taken up and dumped there. Past it you will find the trail head, although there is no sign noting that this is Stony Valley RT. You have made it there!
THE TRAIL
I did my ride this morning after the very rainy July. There are significant wash outs some as deep as a foot and as long as 30-40 yards. There was a tree across the trail (which they will remove) that required some nifty maneuvering to get around since the trail is elevated at this point. The trail is VERY FLAT and CANOPIED its entire length. As a result there were a lot of puddles in the trail and in some cases extended puddles a 1/20th of a mile or so where the water was over the top of my rims with a rocky and muddy bottom. There were many soft spots causing some sliding and skidding. There were a lot of branches on the trail and they have been there for some time. I jumped a number of them and some were rotten and paths ridden through them. All-in-all the trail is very rough but very beautiful. On my way back to the car there was a porcupine on the trail and all he did was bury his head and extend his quills without moving an inch from the center of the trail. Since it is canopied its entire length I do not recommend sun glasses. I wore mine and it was very hard to see some of the debris, water and washouts on the trail.
DISTANCE
The trail book says it is 21 miles long. I rode 17 miles between the two trail heads noted in the book. I started to ride the dirt road past the trail head and it was laden with mega potholes and since I wasn't even sure I was on the right trail I turned around. Next time I will continue along the access road and report of what I find.
EQUIPMENT
I have read some of the reviews and one noted that doing this trail on a road bike can be fun and successful. I strongly suggest that you disregard that review. I have a full suspension mountain bike and I needed every bit of it. I spent more than my share of time out of the saddle and found myself slipping, sliding, bouncing and jumping the entire length of the trail between the trail heads. I would never even try this on a hybrid or gravel bike even if it is dried out let alone a road bike. It is a very bumpy ride...as someone else wrote, rough.
As noted, cell phone coverage is non-existent. I recommend either riding with someone or certainly wearing a RoadID so you have some help if something happens.
REVIEWER
The context for the reviewer is important for understanding the review. I do 10-15 century rides a year on my road bike and ride my mountain bike many times a week a minimum of 35-40 miles. I travel all over the country with my bikes doing centuries, trails and single track. This is a less traveled trail that is quite spectacular but be prepared when you ride it.
I took the opportunity to ride the Pine Creek rail/trail on a nearly perfect, sunny, 80 degree day on a mid July weekday. I set out for an 82 mile R/T from the Waterville parking access area heading north on the gentle but steady uphill climb through the Grand Canyon of PA back. I rode a gravel bike with 32mm tubeless tires which was the petfect choice for the unpaved trail. The surface was densely packed fine gravel the entire way without a single hole or rut. There is no public access to drinking water so plan accordingly. I started out with two 24 ounce bottles and topped them off at a general store along the route. Be advised that there is no water available in the 17 mile canyon stretch so top off at one of the general stores when you have the chance. Trail traffic was minimal during my Friday afternoon ride sometimes going 5-6 or more miles without seeing another soul heading the opposite direction. Also be advised that there was no cell service the entire 42 mile length one-way through the canyon that I rode out and back. Overall this was a very beautiful ride along the river that I'm very happy that I chose to spend half the day putting in an 82 mile ride. 👍
The trail stopped and started many times. No portion longer than 5 miles, not for the rider that wants to put on mileage.
Rode this train from White Haven to Jim Thorpe on 7/5/18. Shuttle from Blue Mountain Sports in Jim Thorpe was friendly and convenient; we parked our car at the day parking lot near downtown, which is situated at the end of the trail. The trail itself is cinder and crushed stone; we used hybrid bikes which were perfect (I wouldn't recommend a road bike). As advertised it's a slight downhill, but you still have to pedal to get where you're going! Most of the route is shaded and gives you nice views of the river. One caution: the last 30 minutes or so to the southern end (Jim Thorpe) are not shaded and thus took the wind out of our sails at the end a bit. There are other lots you can park in besides the day lot that are a little further up the trail, but I don't know how that would work with the shuttle. All in all, very nice trail and worth the trip.
We rode the Douglassville to Pottstown section of the trail yesterday. Most of the trail was in shade which was welcome in the heat. The Berks County portion is hard gravel and easy to ride. When you cross into Montgomery County the trail is macadam, but as a previous writer mentioned, it is marred by numerous raised sections, probably due to tree roots. This is the reason for a 4 star rating. When we ended our ride in Pottstown park, I was excited to discover a Little Lending Library and picked out a book to read. The Douglassville trailhead is located in Old Morlatton Village. Not only is this a quiet trailhead, but there are several historic buildings with descriptive placards to read.
Parked at White Haven with objective to bike up Black Diamond portion to northern-most point. We have sturdy hybrid bikes, but after 5 miles decided to turn around and head back south for better trail conditions. Really would have benefited from a mountain bike in that area - the trail is not crushed stone and only two thin car-tire type tracks a good portion of the way. A lot of rocks, ruts, and bumps you cannot see well in the shade of the trees. A family attempted it pulling a toddler carrier and quickly turned around. We then went south from White Haven for the more enjoyable trail. FYI if you don’t pay attention to the elevation, any northern sojourn is up a steady incline so you will tire faster. If you want a more relaxing ride, always head south.
New macadam surface from Conshohocken to Spring Mills, removing san area of washboarding, and indications of imminent resurfacing from Conshohocken to near Norrristown, so from Valley Forge to near Manayunk it is a very smooth ride. (site doesn't seem to offer an chance to edit a review.)
Got on the bike train at Jim Thorpe and rode for 1.5 hours on train to White Haven. Got our bikes off train and rode the trail back to Jim Thorpe. Most of trail is easy to ride and is downhill. Total length back to parking is 24.6 miles. Saw some waterfalls, rafters and kayakers on the Lehigh River, two old locks from the canal, and walked through one old train tunnel. The towns buildings look like they are from the 1800's with many shops and restaurants. Plan this as an all day event. Would do this trip again.
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