Explore the best rated trails in Coatesville, PA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Limerick Trail and Chester Valley Trail. With more than 159 trails covering 805 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Actually a small network of multi-use trails, the Farmingdale Trail has recently been extended through The Crossings mixed-use development and now connects several neighborhoods in the northwest...
Envisioned as a multi-use trail that will eventually connect the Thun Trail section of the Schuylkill River Trail in Union Township in southeast Berks County to the towns of Elverson and St. Peters in...
Linking the communities of Palmyra, New Jersey and Tacony (a historic neighborhood within Philadelphia) is the over 3,600-foot-long Tacony-Palmyra Bridge. Built between 1928 and 1929 for about $4...
At one time an important thoroughfare for commerce carried by canal barges and railroad cars in southeastern Pennsylvania, the Schuylkill River corridor now accommodates walkers, bicyclists, and...
The Merchantville Bike Path gently oscillates through Merchantville Borough, paralleling Chestnut Avenue. The paved 1-mile trail provides a pleasant route dotted with tall pines and leafy shade trees...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous; please refer to the interactive maps on the websites in the Related Content section. The D&L Trail runs for more than 140 miles through...
Closure Notice: The Bancroft Pedestrian Bridge over Brandywine Creek in Alapocas Run State Park is closed indefinitely due to flood damage that occurred in September 2021. Please check the website...
Located within the New Castle County park, the Delcastle Recreational Park Walking Trail forms an almost two-mile loop around the perimeter of the recreation site, providing cyclists and pedestrians...
The James T. Corcoran Memorial Greenway is a paved trail that runs through several New Castle County parks between Newark and Wilmington, traversing wooded land along the route of the Christina River...
A little less than a mile long, the Barrel Run Trail is part of Milford Township's growing system of multi-use trails. The paved, asphalt trail begins at Woodview Drive, immediately west of...
A link in the region's burgeoning network of multi-use greenways, the Warwick Highlands Trail connects several subdivisions, shopping centers and a hospital on the west side of Warwick Township, just...
Located in Media Borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Ridley Creek State Park encompasses over 2,600 acres of woodlands and meadows. The park is only 16 miles from Center City, Philadelphia, but...
The Michael N. Castle C&D Canal Trail offers a scenic 12.4-mile route along the north shore of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in northern Delaware. The popular trail is named after the former...
The Tinicum Township trail begins on the southwest corner of the intersection of Wannamaker Ave. and Route 291. The asphalt multi-use trail extends southwest, paralleling Route 291 for a little over...
New Castle’s Battery Park Trail begins in its eponymous park and extends 1.7 miles along the Delaware River. Battery Park is adjacent to Historic New Castle, a charming downtown area with parks,...
Heritage Rail Trail County Park (HRT), along with the connecting Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail that continues south through Maryland, are in Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s Hall of Fame. Both trails follow...
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...
Just short of a mile in length, the Mill Creek Trail follows the south bank of the stream for which it is named in the suburbs east of Lancaster. Paved with a surface of compact woodchips, the...
The paved Power Line Trail carries users between residential neighborhoods, parks, schools, and other destinations in Horsham Township. The 5.5-mile utility--easement trail also heads north to green...
The James F. Hall Trail, named for the City of Newark’s late parks and recreation director, packs a lot into a short stretch. Its paved surface is great for bicycling, inline skating, and stroller and...
Less than an hour west of Philadelphia, the East Branch Brandywine Trail begins south of Downingtown and continues south along its namesake river. The paved trail passes through meadows and wooded...
The first section of the Elizabethtown Connector Trail officially opened in May 2015. Although just shy of a mile this trail provides such beautiful scenery that you'll feel like you could stay...
The Tacony Creek Trail offers a winding paved path along its namesake creek from Juniata Park to the East Oak Lane, Olney, and Lawncrest neighborhoods of Northeast Philadelphia. Situated entirely...
The John N. Balis Bikeway is a half-mile paved trail along a former rail corridor that now serves as an electrical transmission right of way in the suburban community of Runnemede. The southern end...
The Frankford Creek Greenway, which opened in 2018, offers a 1.2-mile paved pathway, running from Aramingo Avenue and Wheatsheaf Lane to Delaware Avenue and Lewis Street. At its southern end, it...
This paved, multi-use trail begins at the intersection of Constitution Ave. and Spruce Street, across from the entrance to Lenape Park. The trail extends east along Spruce Street, briefly winding into...
Although relatively short at 1.8 miles, the Muhlenberg Rail Trail extends the ability of residents to exercise or visit local parks, schools, and businesses under their own power. The asphalt trail...
Providing over a mile of trail between the Kent County communities of Smyrna and Clayton, the Smyrna-Clayton Bike Path is a nifty recreational asset that offers a nice path for outdoor exercise as...
Following the western side of the creek through the heart of Wilmington, the Brandywine Creek Path offers a dose of pleasant, paved recreation within Delaware's busiest city. This short trail has no...
Saucon Rail Trail connects four communities: Hellertown, Lower Saucon Township, Upper Saucon Township, and Coopersburg. The trail has a slight 1% grade traveling from north to south and is easy for a...
The John Heinz Refuge Trail and various footpaths at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum stand in stark contrast to the urban setting that surrounds this refuge. At different points on this...
The Angelica Creek Trail, in Reading's suburbs, begins at a scenic stretch of the Schuylkill River Trail, then goes south along the river a short distance before heading northwest toward Angelica...
Part of the township's ongoing efforts to create a network of multi-use greenways, Manheim Twp.'s Heritage Trail begins at Valley Road and extends south, along the eastern boundary of Landis Woods to...
Envisioned as a multi-use trail that will eventually connect the Thun Trail section of the Schuylkill River Trail in Union Township in southeast Berks County to the towns of Elverson and St. Peters in...
Spanning 5.5 miles, the Jack A. Markell Trail (JAM Trail)—named after a former Delaware governor—is part of a trail system that connects the Wilmington riverfront with New Castle. The asphalt...
The Exeter Scenic River Trail traces the north bank of the Schuylkill River. The tree-lined route provides views of the river and runs to the Klapperthal Trail at the base of Neversink Mountain. Visit...
Not to be confused with the well-known Frick Park across the state in Pittsburgh, the 1.5-mile Frick's Trail is among the newest link in a system of multi-use trails being developed in the suburbs...
For birders and other wildlife watchers, the short West Deptford Scenic Trail offers an opportunity for a remote and tranquil stroll through a beautiful natural area. Located within a 90-acre area of...
The mile-long Lindenfield Parkway Trail is part of Chalfont's burgeoning trail network. It extends down the grassy median of the street for which it is named from Main Street to Micheal Lane, then...
The Audubon Loop Trail is only 2.5 miles in length, but is over four miles when adjacent sections of the Perkiomen and Schuylkill River trails are added. The trail begins in Lower Perkiomen Valley...
Constructed as part of the Belmont subdivision/Shoppers At Belmont mixed use development, the Belmont Trail is part of Manheim Township's growing network of multi-use greenways and the latest of...
A work in progress, the French Creek Trail is one of several trails being developed by East Pikeland Township. Although a small part of it follows the route of the former Pickering Creek Railroad,...
The Monroe Township Bike Path carries visitors through the tranquil woodlands of the Glassboro Wildlife Management Area as it connects the southern New Jersey suburban towns of Glassboro and...
Maryland's Susquehanna State Park is recognized for challenging hiking and biking trails, camping facilities, rock outcroppings, boating, a museum and restored historical sites. But none of these...
Situated near the south end of Lititz borough, the half-mile long Butterfly Acres Park Trail follows a restored wetland and small stream, connecting two neighborhoods. A smaller segment, which is...
Although relatively short at 1.8 miles, the Muhlenberg Rail Trail extends the ability of residents to exercise or visit local parks, schools, and businesses under their own power. The asphalt trail...
Named for a development just outside Quakertown, the 1.5-mile Walnut Bank Farm Trail links the borough with nearby Veterans Park and will form a link in the greenway that will eventually link...
The Frankford Creek Greenway, which opened in 2018, offers a 1.2-mile paved pathway, running from Aramingo Avenue and Wheatsheaf Lane to Delaware Avenue and Lewis Street. At its southern end, it...
TRAIL CLOSED: As a precaution to help limit the spread of COVID-19, the local managing authority has temporarily closed this trail to non-residents. As you walk along the Elephant Swamp Trail, it’s...
Located in northern Manheim Township, the Brighton-Reidenbaugh Park Trail is a link in the suburban Lancaster County municipality's growing network of multi-use trails. The trail consists of 3...
The first section of the Elizabethtown Connector Trail officially opened in May 2015. Although just shy of a mile this trail provides such beautiful scenery that you'll feel like you could stay...
The Parkside Trail is one segment of the larger Camden Greenways network, a proposed system of trails currently under construction. When complete, the greenway will follow portions of the Delaware...
This trail is not offically part of the Lancaster County Park system. It runs next to the Conestoga River at Sunnyside. The one end of the trail is at Lancaster County Central Park. Although there is...
Liseter Trail is a multipurpose recreation pathway in Newtown Square, west of Philadelphia. The mile-long trail skirts the edge of the Liseter subdivision on State Route 252/ Newtown Street to 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...
While the Lebanon Valley might be best known for its chocolate and distinctive bologna, iron ore is what put the region on the map in the 1700s. The 18-mile Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail—and the...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous; please refer to the interactive maps on the websites in the Related Content section. The D&L Trail runs for more than 140 miles through...
Just short of a mile in length, the Mill Creek Trail follows the south bank of the stream for which it is named in the suburbs east of Lancaster. Paved with a surface of compact woodchips, the...
Traversing the Delaware/Pennsylvania border along the scenic White Clay Creek, the Charles Bailey Trail offers a pleasant, wooded hike for those willing to travel somewhat off the beaten path. The...
The 7.1-mile Warwick-to-Ephrata Rail-Trail runs from Ephrata west to Lititz in Warwick Township, following the former Reading and Columbia Railroad, which began service in 1863. The Lancaster Junction...
Went on a very sunny, hot (upper 90s) day. Trail is completely paved. Lots of shaded areas. Great historical scenery and info. The only area that sort of freaked me out was riding past the rod and gun club. In certain areas, I could see gaps in the barriers. Yikes! But otherwise, very fun, easy ride!
Yesterday I rode the section of trail from the trail head at the west end of the 21st street bridge in Northampton to the Gap above Slatington. The round trip was a little under 24 miles. The terrain to the gap is mostly up hill with a gain of 475 feet. Most of the trail is in deep shade which made the heat tolerable. The entire atmosphere is really great. This section of the D&L trail is in very good condition. The fine stone base is well compacted yielding a nice hard surface. It may have rained recently because there was almost no dust. There is a nice little park area in Slatington with rest rooms and a food trailer only a short distance from the trail. I didn't stop this time, but plan to stop for food on my next ride. I only have one complaint about this section of trail. There are a couple of gates where the trail crosses country roads. The gates are closed and have poles on both sides to block motorized vehicles. The polls are too close together and pose a hazard to people on bicycles. Other than that, this and the Lehigh Gorge section are my favorite sections of the D&L trail.
Fully paved trail with lots of shade throughout. Worked well for us on this August day with temperatures in the low 90’s. We parked at the Chestnut St lot / trailhead. We just did the 5+ mile loop portion. Took us 48 mins with a few stops and an easy pace. Well maintained.
First mile bumpy but fine, last two narrow and all natural. The 7 miles in between are really enjoyable, gravel & decommissioned road. Can cross bridges on both ends to ride Bear Hole trail . Didn’t ride this time, but took both bridges over the Swatara creek. Trail is canopied the whole very, lots of Creek views - scenic ride.
One of several segments of multi-use trail that extend along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, the Port Richmond Trail parallels Delaware Ave. for 2 miles, connecting the neighborhood for which it is named to nearby Bridesburg.
If you're looking for either a serene journey through nature, like the K&T Trail to the north, or a bustling trip past trendy eateries, shops and historic ships and submarines that have been repurposed for museums, like the Delaware River Greenway to the south, look elsewhere. Trail users will instead pass through a section of the Port of Philadelphia, with its tank farms and pipeline hookups at the Kinder Morgan oil and petrochemical terminal, and the freight cranes and shipping crates at the Tioga Marine Terminals. If they're lucky, one or more hulking freighter or tanker ships may be berthed at these shipyards.
Moving north, trail users will pass the massive concrete structure of the old Richmond Power Plant. The coal fired generating station was closed in 1985 and scenes from the sci-fi movie "12 Monkeys" were shot there a decade later. Despite sitting idle for nearly 40 years, the plant's imposing, gothic design, topped with rusting smokestacks and pipe work remain a sight to behold.
The trail passes beneath a RR bridge immediately north of the Richmond Power Plant. The steel girders that support this bridge are clearly visible and make it look like it was constructed from a giant erector set. Freight and PATCO commuter trains regularly roll across the bridge.
The trail intersects another local bikeway, the Frankford Creek Greenway, at the intersection of Delaware Ave. and Lewis Street. It then crosses Frankford Creek on a bridge that it shares with Delaware Ave. An older bridge, which originally carried the now defunct Kensington & Tacony RR across the creek, before being repurposed to accommodate cars driving along Delaware Ave., now sits unused immediately downstream. An old traffic signal, now overgrown with vegetation, surreally sits at the north end of the abandoned bridge.
After passing beneath the Betsy Ross Bridge, a major traffic artery linking NE Philadelphia and NJ, the trail threads a route between Delaware Ave. and the route of the old rail line, passing truck terminals and a school bus lot to its northern terminus at Orthodox Street in Bridesburg.
Although the trail's route past industrial properties may not seem particularly inviting at first, it does a great job highlighting the city's heritage as one of the nation's major seaports and transportation hubs, a roll that it continues to hold to this day. There aren't any benches or other amenities on the trail itself, but Pulaski Park near the southern terminus is a great place to relax and offers spectacular views of the river. There aren't many trees along the greenway, making it very hot and sunny in the warmer months of the year,
Plans are currently in the works to link the Port Richmond Trail to the K&T Trail further north and the Delaware River Greenway to the south. Eventually, all of these segments will be joined to form a greenway that will run along most of the city's Delaware River waterfront. When this happens, the Port Richmond Trail will be incorporated into the East Coast Greenway and will also connect to the D&L Trail.
First time on this trail and rode gravel bike - had a blast with all the different trail terrain .. other reviews are spot on. This is a very unique trail! We rode in August, starting in Lickdale at Monroe huge parking area (love the grass spots), since the campground preferred people parking there instead of at their lot. Even though I read the reviews, was still surprised at the distance of the old macadam road (FYI .. it’s easy to move out and has lots of speed bumps & deer jump out). It was fun on gravel bike! As you get close to end of trail you’ll cross Swopes Vally Road .. be prepared if you go the next 1.7 miles (Northern Spur) in the summer, you may experience as we did, way overgrown waist high grass, narrow paths with fun dips before you reach the field by Hampton. Was told there is a really good diner across the street. Plan to go back and glad I had my gravel bike for fun and comfort!
The NW Lancaster County River Trail is my go-to for weekend rides. Notwithstanding the fact that it's only 12 mins from my house, it is as all the other reviews attest to a most pleasant ride. It is almost entirely paved and even part of that one very short section is being repaved as I type this.
It is wide with varied scenery, has very few hills and even those are short and low grade. The entire path is very well maintained and has many portable toilets along the way, two covered picnic areas, tons of park benches, two air pumps, mileage signs, and a rock climbing wall (real rock).
Most of the time you'll be in woods or going past fields that are farmed. In Marietta at Furnace Rd you there's a place to rent kayaks, bikes, and he sometimes has a food stand open (be sure to buy something!). After passing an excavating company and a small water treatment plant you'll see the interesting Mussellman Vesta Furnace Museum. The trail then takes you on E. Front St, where you'll pass a couple blocks of houses and then you cross back over the RR tracks and back onto the trail. If you get hungry there are tons of eateries in the town there. After that, you may notice a sort of sweet food smell in the air on certain days emanating from the Perdue Grain elevator complex I believe ( I could be wrong though).
You won't see any more civilization until you get to Bainbridge (burgers and beer at the Bainbridge Inn) and then another three miles of scenery until you get to the trailhead at the Falmouth Boat Launch. Speaking of trailheads, there are many boat launches and parking areas along the way but most people including yours truly park in the shade under the old bridge in Columbia, and it's a 13-mile ride from there to the end. When you get back there is a popular ice cream stand across from the Columbia Crossing River Trails Center, where you can also park.
My final recommendation is that if you're there on the weekend the earlier you start the less crowded it will be with groups of casual walkers. It's nothing bad but you'll be slowing down while uttering "On your left" a lot.
Following is a link to a video I made recently of one of my rides. It took place shortly after a nasty local storm had knocked down many trees along the trail but they were cleaned up almost immediately. https://youtu.be/i6a2JLxV-n8
Nice paved path that runs all the way around the lake - like the app says though it is NOT a rail trail so it is narrow. On weekends at peak times it’s going to be crowded with walkers, bikers, joggers and little ones as it’s a shared trail. Best times to go are early morning, later evening and weekdays. Many nice spots to stop and have a little picnic lunch/snacks.
I live in the area and this is my Sunday "go to" route. (Rockledge/Byberry portion) 5.25 miles long, well maintained (unless very heavy rains have occurred), plenty of shade and relatively level. It can get a bit crowded on a beautiful day, but not too bad. Plenty of trails in area, but I use this one more often than the others. Nice 10 mile roundtrip with good parking at both ends in Rockledge or at Byberry park entrance.
This trail has it all- paved surfaces, beautiful scenery, a good mix of shade & sun, benches, and porta potties all along the way. Early mornings are best to beat the crowds.
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