Explore the best rated trails in Pottsville, PA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Palmer Township Recreation Trail (Towpath Bike Trail) and Schuylkill Valley Heritage Trail. With more than 68 trails covering 577 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.
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...
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 roughly half-mile long Frog Hollow Trail currently begins at Miller Road and follows a creek south between two subdivisions before dead ending at a point near French Creek. The crushed stone trail...
Part of Milford Township's growing network of greenways, the Unami Creek Trail extends from a parking lot off Kumry Road, winding northeast behind developments, to Allentown Road. Another branch of...
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...
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The Palmer Township Recreation Trail (a.k.a. the Towpath Bike Trail) is a terrific community asset for Palmer and Bethlehem township residents and a great destination for visitors as well. Three modes...
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 popular Lancaster Junction Trail follows the former Reading and Columbia Railroad, which transported iron ore and coal from Reading to the Chesapeake Bay via the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal...
Tatamy Trail begins in West Easton and heads north to Tatamy Borough, primarily along a former railroad corridor. On its southern end, it meets the Palmer Township Recreation Trail, which connects the...
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...
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 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...
Part of Manheim Township's growing greenway network, the paved, multi-use trail begins at the access road to the Manheim Township Community Park and loops around athletic fields and a playground at...
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 South Bethlehem Greenway is a linear park that follows a former Norfolk Southern rail line through the southern neighborhoods of Bethlehem. The paved pathway begins just north of Lehigh University...
The Wyomissing Creek Trail offers a pleasant tree-lined route along its namesake waterway in West Reading. At its eastern end, you can connect to an 18-mile segment of the Schuylkill River Trail that...
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...
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...
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...
Currently, over 10 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...
Reading's Neversink Connector Trail is a short paved pathway that branches off the Thun Trail, a 18-mile section of the Schuylkill River Trail. It begins near the Reading Area Community College and...
Part of Manheim Township's growing greenway network, the paved, multi-use trail begins at the access road to the Manheim Township Community Park and loops around athletic fields and a playground at...
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 Swatara Rail-Trail uses the corridors left behind by a canal and a railroad to snake around an Appalachian mountain in eastern Pennsylvania, passing through the forests of Swatara State Park most...
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 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....
Even before the a trail was developed, the residents of Stockertown were enthusiastically walking along the former railroad corridor that cut through the borough. Now, 1.1 miles of packed cinder...
Part of Milford Township's growing network of greenways, the Unami Creek Trail extends from a parking lot off Kumry Road, winding northeast behind developments, to Allentown Road. Another branch of...
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...
Although currently less than a half mile in length, the Royersford Riverfront Trail is a lush, shaded linear park situated between 1st Ave. and the Schuylkill River. Highlights on the paved trail...
Northwest Corridor Linear Park is a short paved pathway that winds its way among the city streets just northeast of the city square. The pathway functions as community park for residents of downtown...
The Union Canal Trail runs along the Tulpehocken Creek from the city of Reading up to Blue Marsh Lake in Leesport. The trail makes up a segment of the 71.7-mile Schuylkill River Trail in southeastern...
You’ve heard of the Steel Belt and the Sun Belt. The 6.7-mile Plainfield Township Recreation Trail passes through an area known as the Slate Belt. The quantity and quality of local slate made this...
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 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...
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 Rim Trail offers a 2.2-mile route in Hibernia County Park, following a former railroad bed along the West Branch Branywine Creek. This southeastern Pennsylvania excursion is one of a handful of...
Tatamy Trail begins in West Easton and heads north to Tatamy Borough, primarily along a former railroad corridor. On its southern end, it meets the Palmer Township Recreation Trail, which connects the...
The Blue Marsh Lake Multi-Use Trail loops around a manmade reservoir just outside of Reading in southeastern Pennsylvania. The trail has a mixture of surfaces (hard-packed dirt, grass, gravel and...
The Ironton Rail Trail connects nearly a dozen parks and two dozen historical sites in east-central Lehigh County. The rail-trail comprises a 5-mile loop around Coplay and Hokendauqua on the Lehigh...
Tatamy Trail begins in West Easton and heads north to Tatamy Borough, primarily along a former railroad corridor. On its southern end, it meets the Palmer Township Recreation Trail, which connects the...
The Perkiomen Trail provides so many interesting historical and natural sites along its 20.6-mile length that visitors may have to ignore some of the trailside distractions to reach the other...
The Ironton Rail Trail connects nearly a dozen parks and two dozen historical sites in east-central Lehigh County. The rail-trail comprises a 5-mile loop around Coplay and Hokendauqua on the Lehigh...
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...
The Swatara Rail-Trail uses the corridors left behind by a canal and a railroad to snake around an Appalachian mountain in eastern Pennsylvania, passing through the forests of Swatara State Park most...
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 Wyomissing Creek Trail offers a pleasant tree-lined route along its namesake waterway in West Reading. At its eastern end, you can connect to an 18-mile segment of the Schuylkill River Trail that...
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...
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...
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...
Reading's Neversink Connector Trail is a short paved pathway that branches off the Thun Trail, a 18-mile section of the Schuylkill River Trail. It begins near the Reading Area Community College and...
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...
Every year, tens of thousands of people take to the Capital Area Greenbelt looping around Harrisburg to play, exercise, and commute. The greenway completely encircles Pennsylvania’s capital city as it...
Part of Manheim Township's growing network of multi-use greenways, the Manheim Township Bikeway begins off Kissel Hill Road, immediately north of the intersection with Landis Valley Road. Heading...
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 Palmer Township Recreation Trail (a.k.a. the Towpath Bike Trail) is a terrific community asset for Palmer and Bethlehem township residents and a great destination for visitors as well. Three modes...
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...
Part of Milford Township's growing network of greenways, the Unami Creek Trail extends from a parking lot off Kumry Road, winding northeast behind developments, to Allentown Road. Another branch of...
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...
Part of Manheim Township's growing greenway network, the paved, multi-use trail begins at the access road to the Manheim Township Community Park and loops around athletic fields and a playground at...
Great trail that goes through the heart of Mifflinburg and takes you through wooded areas, meadows, fields and old farms. Another highlight was stopping at Rusty Rail Brewing Company which is right on the trail. What an amazing restoration of a beautiful old factory. I can't wait to go back.
This is an amazing trail for mountain biking, hiking, and walking. There are many different places to park. The state hill boat ramp has a bathroom with a paved parking lot. This is a hidden gem in Berks County, PA. Wear orange during hunting season when using the trail.
Started at the Farm Show. Only went about 2.5 miles North then back. All paved and well marked. the HCC had a fair amount of traffic. one section has a narrow path. need to be careful of the walkers with ear buds in!
On Sunday Aug. 4, we started at the root beer barrel (Cornwall parking lot) and rode north on the trail then turned left at Chestnut Street, go about 0.9 miles and turn right on 22nd Street (it may have a different name at this end of the street) go 0.1 mile and cross US 422 at a traffic light onto the parking lot of the Lebanon Valley Mall. Head toward the north-west corner of the parking area then turn right on 25th street. Wait for the green light to go through the RR underpass, the trail will be on your left. Cross the road then turn left along the new parking lot and follow the new trail for about 1.8 miles to Long Lane. Adds about 7 miles, 3 miles on roads that at least on a Sunday morning were not too busy. Great addition to an already good trail.
Biked from North to South, White Haven to Jim Thorpe, July 2019. Trail is gradually downhill. But you still have to pedal. You will see some old locks along the trail. There really isn't much else to see. The Lehigh River would be on your left and it's over the hillside and through the trees so if you are looking for a riverview the entire trip, it's not going to happen over the Summer. Buttermilk Falls is near the Rockport access. You pass through Glen Onoko just before Jim Thorpe. In Jim Thorpe there are various places to eat and interesting history to see. Spend time in Jim Thorpe if you get a chance.
This trail is good for running, hiking, and casual mountain biking but is not as well maintained as some other trails. It was a little difficult to get to the trail as it’s off a gravel road and very isolated. The trail surface, while generally good, can be inconsistent. Watch out for snakes! We saw quite a large rattler, that luckily minded his own business.
With more gaps being closed every year, the 40-year goal of constructing a continuous, multi-use trail that will run the length of the Schuylkill River from the coal country of the Poconos southeast to the marshes of South Philly is close to being a reality.
As of mid-2019, over 71 miles of trail have been built, enough to classify the system as the unified Schuylkill River Trail, as opposed to a series of stand-alone greenways regarded as separate projects.
Rather than rehash the description above, I'll just note that, like other long-distance greenways, the Schuylkill River Trail has a lot to offer for hikers, cyclists, parents pushing young kids in strollers and roller and inline skating on the paved sections. Most of the trail follows old rail corridors or canal towpaths, ensuring a level trip with few slopes, as well as numerous reminders of the river's history as a major transportation route, a roll that can still be seen today by its close proximity to major highways like Routes 61, 422 and I-76 and active rail lines that freight trains often rumble along. Although most of the mills and other factories that used the coal and lumber shipped down the river for raw materials and sent finished product to the port of Philadelphia are now gone, their legacy also lives on whether as ruined hulks, historical markers or as repurposed apartment houses or office buildings. Some of the many historical sites on or near the trail include the vintage car museum and Yuengling brewery in Pottsville, an old canal tunnel turned rock cut south of Landingville, the railroad museum in Hamburg, Daniel Boone's birthplace near Douglassville, Morlatton Village, a Swedish village that was one of the firstthe Phoenix Iron Works museum in the old foundry in Phoenixville, a restored segment of canal in Mont Clare, Valley Forge National Historical Park, an old movie studio just east of Valley Forge, the Philadelphia Art Museum and Bartram's Garden, the oldest botanical gardens in the US, along with many others.
As one would also expect, the trail passes through a wide array of landscapes on its route. From the lush, remote forests of Schuylkill County, to the rural farmlands of Berks County, to the more suburban Montgomery and Chester counties and finally heavily urban Philadelphia, as well as smaller cities Reading and Pottstown and numerous towns along the route, the trail offers users a microcosm of Pennsylvania.
The trail is paved with crushed stone on most of its rural and remote segments from its northwest terminus outside Pottsville to the eastern end of a restored canal near Oaks, and asphalt in Reading, Pottstown and on most of the stretch from Oaks to its current southeast end at Bartram's Garden in South Philly. No review of the trail would be complete without mentioning the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk segment, which extends over the river itself in Center City Philadelphia.
Although most of its surface is smooth and user-friendly, some of the shorter segments, including the one that parallels Route 61 just south of Pottsville and a little-used one near Felix Dam Park in the north Reading suburbs, are in need of improvement. The westernmost segment of the Thun segment of the trail from Route 183 to Reading Community College, although paved with asphalt, also needs repaired and better overall maintenance. The subpar status of these sections of trail. along with vandalism in parts of Reading and the fact that some of the remaining gaps in the trail are not easily detoured, prevents me from giving the trail a 4 or 5 star rating.
Fortunately, efforts continue to close these gaps and it looks like the trail may be completed in the next decade or so. Plans are currently under way to complete the long-stalled restoration of an old RR trestle south of Auburn in the next year or two, a pedestrian bridge over a steep gap over Route 724 east of Monocacy is currently in the planning stage, a trail bridge spanning the Schuylkill River next to the new Route 422 bridge east of Pottsville has been completed in anticipation of constructing the "missing link" between Pottstown and Parker Ford in 2020 and work is currently under way on the repurposing of an old RR swinging bridge over the river in South Philadelphia, which will connect the Greys Ferry Crescent and Bartram's Mile sections to one another.
In addition to bringing the Schuylkill River's status as a transportation corridor into the 21st century by connecting numerous towns and cities, the trail has also helped revitalize the economy of a region that was hard hit by the decline of steel, coal mining and other heavy industries in the last few decades. With connections to the East Coast Greenway and future Schuylkill-Susquehanna Passage and 9/11 trails, it has the potential to be an eastern PA counterpart to the Great Allegheny Passage.
The Nor Bath trail is a great but short ride. Beautiful farm land surround the trail. The trail also runs through beautiful parks. The only downside of the trail is the busy roads you have to cross. Not for younger riders because of this. But a very enjoyable ride
I biked this trail eastward from RT54 to its eastern terminus at RT42 on 6/22/2019. This is NOT a flat trail as both Google and some other reviews describe. It is a roller coaster of a trail. There are places that I slowed down to 8MPH ascending the hills and then hit over 22MPH descending the hills. At approximately mile 4.1, I encountered the western edge of the McWilliams Reservoir and paralleled this for a while to its eastern edge. Near the eastern end of the trail, I encountered Kline's Reservoir. Absolutely gorgeous! If you are one that likes to have an easier return trip versus the outbound ride, then I suggest you start from RT54; the western end. I averaged 12.19 MPH on the outbound trip and averaged 12.87 MPH overall; i.e. I moved a lot faster on my eastbound return trip. The surface of the trail is NOT your typical crushed limestone but rather a very hard pressed stone & dirt trail. There were times that one was biking right next to the edge of the reservoirs. Worth the trip. If you don't have the time to do the entire trail but want to catch the awesome vistas, I suggest that you start at the eastern end @RT42 and travel westward about 3.69 miles to the western bank of the McWilliams Reservoir.
Trail is along the Susquehanna River following the railroad from Falmoth to Columbia. The Northernmost section goes through the woods and is a little rough but getting to the North end let's you see an old lock which was part of the canal system. Starting in Bainbridge and going South the trail is asphalt suitable for road bikes. If you go on the weekends, the foot traffic is pretty heavy. For the most part the trail is shaded with sections going along open fields.
I loved this trail, but have had too many run-ins with the bear, at least 2 every few days. I make noise and do what they say to stay safe but they still follow us,I no longer feel safe and will be finding a new place to walk my dog.I hope there is something they can do, maybe relocate them
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