Explore the best rated trails in Reading, 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 156 trails covering 934 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.
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...
Philadelphia’s Rail Park is an exciting project developing across Center City, which will connect several neighborhoods and provide access to Fairmount Park and other cultural attractions. The 3-mile...
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...
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...
Named after Dr. Ulysses Simpson Wiggins, a prominent doctor in Camden in the early 1900s, the Ulysses Wiggins Waterfront Park Promenade extends for 1.2 miles from the Ben Franklin Bridge to the...
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...
Named after the local couple who spearheaded efforts to build the pathway, Sorenson's Way is a paved sidepath trail that runs chiefly alongside Valley Road in the northwest Delaware community of...
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...
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...
The Cynwyd Heritage Trail connects the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA’s) Cyn-wyd Station to Bala Cynwyd Park, the historic West Laurel Hill Cemetery, and Westminster...
The Joseph Plumb Martin Trail offers a pleasant, paved loop through Pennsylvania's Valley Forge National Historical Park. Nestled against the wooded Schuylkill River, the park provides a wealth of...
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 Warrington Township Multi-Use Trail spans nearly 3 miles on the west end of town. The trail is part of an effort to make the community more pedestrian-friendly, connecting major points of...
A gorgeous addition to the area’s trail network, Wilmington Riverwalk (sometimes called the Christina River Walk) allows pedestrians and cyclists to experience Wilmington’s renovated urban development...
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...
As of late 2017, approximately 1 mile of the Pencoyd Trail has been completed. The paved, multi-use trail begins at Main Street and an on-street segment of the Schuylkill River Trail next to the UA...
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...
The Lake Galena Park Hike & Bike Trail (alternatively the Peace Valley Park Hike & Bike Trail) offers 6 miles of blacktop along the shores of Lake Galena, just north of Doylestown in eastern...
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...
The Skippack Trail traverses a township of the same name in eastern Pennsylvania, about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Its western end connects to the Perkiomen Trail, a 19-mile north-south route...
Cobbs Creek Trail runs through the borough of Lansdowne, just west of Philadelphia. The paved pathway offers a scenic route along its tree-lined namesake creek from the 63rd Street Station to Cobbs...
A work in progress, the Red Clay Creek Trail currently extends along the east branch of the creek for which it is named in Kennett Square. The trail, which has a crushed-stone surface of varying...
The Yorklyn Bridge Trail is a paved, multi-use greenway that connects the Auburn Valley State Park with the nearby village of Yorklyn Mills in the scenic hills of northern Delaware. The trail...
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 Mill Creek Greenway is a paved, multi-use pathway that runs through nicely wooded grounds in suburban New Castle County. The trail follows a portion of its namesake creek, winding its way along...
The Upper Bucks Rail Trail opened in November of 2020, the culmination of more than a decade of work to turn the vision into a reality. The trail occupies the former Bethlehem branch of the...
The 202 Parkway Trail, part of The Circuit (Greater Philadelphia's trail network) connects three towns—Montgomery, Warrington, and Doylestown—on its 8.4-mile route paralleling the scenic byway. The...
A work in progress, the 2.5-mile Uwchlan Trail currently extends from the Struble Trail off the intersection of Dowlin Forge and Shelmire roads, north along the Shamona Creek and primarily following...
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...
The Senator Patricia M. Blevins Pedestrian Path is a short but well-paved pathway that runs between the Delaware town of Elsmere's Fairgrounds Park and Maple Avenue Park, giving local residents a safe...
Although the Neshaminy Creek Greenway is only about a half mile long, big things are in its future. One day, the greenway could span as much as 33 miles, reaching the Delaware River. Currently, the...
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...
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...
The Schuylkill Valley Heritage Trail passes through the rolling green hills of the Schuylkill River Valley, from just outside of Tamaqua to Middleport. The trail runs immediately adjacent to US...
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 Schuylkill River West Trail will one day span 15.5 miles beginning in downtown Philadelphia and heading northwest through Lower Merion Township, West Conshohocken, Bridgeport, and Upper Merion...
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 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...
This is a pleasant one mile community trail which begins right at the center of Red Lion, PA. The main trailhead is on Main St. at the restored MA&PA train station, which now is home to the Red Lion...
The Warrington Township Multi-Use Trail spans nearly 3 miles on the west end of town. The trail is part of an effort to make the community more pedestrian-friendly, connecting major points of...
The Warwick Township Linear Park Trail is a joint project of Warwick Township and Lititz borough. The pathway extends from Market Street north, following the Santo Domingo Creek, to Newport Road....
The Broad Street Greenway in York is anchored by the Alexander D. Goode Middle School at one end and Hannah Penn Middle School at the other. The bike-ped corridor parallels Broad Street in the heart...
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...
Caution: On April 12, 2018, a fire severely damaged the Martic Forge Trestle, which runs over Pequea Creek and River Road on the Enola Low Grade Trail. Access to the trail going west from the Route...
Philadelphia’s Rail Park is an exciting project developing across Center City, which will connect several neighborhoods and provide access to Fairmount Park and other cultural attractions. The 3-mile...
Located in Worcester Township, the Zacharias Creek Trail is a an easy walk or ride along water, through riparian woods and across green fields. The trail begins on Green Hill road (where there is a...
The Pennsy Trail is a short, but sweet rail-trail located in Haverford Township, to the west of Philadelphia. The trail's southern and northern ends are currently broken up by Manoa Road, with the...
The nearly 3-mile long Chester Creek Trail is finally a reality after nearly two decades of planning. Phase 1 of the multi-use trail was opened to the public in late 2016. It follows the path of the...
Over 5 miles in length when all branch paths are counted, the Sellersville/Perkasie & East Rockland Twp. Bicycle & Walking Path System is a ribbon of asphalt that links several parks, open space...
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...
Lykens Valley Rail Trail is approximately 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...
The Auburn Valley Trail is a paved loop trail that runs through Delaware's Auburn Valley State Park, just south of the Pennsylvania state line. The trail offers a smooth, wide path for cyclists and...
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...
The Chester County Parks & Recreation Department opened this trail in 1979 on part of a former Pennsylvania Railroad right-of-way. Today the 2.6-mile trail attracts more than 125,000 visitors each...
The Manayunk Bridge Trail opened in late 2015 to great fanfare, and for good reason: the trail, which crosses the Schuylkill River, Schuylkill Expressway (Interstate 76), and active train tracks,...
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 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 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...
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...
Currently open in two disconnected segments, the State Route 141 Sidepath is a paved trail that follows the side of its namesake roadway along the edges of Wilmington, Delaware. Favoring function over...
Shaded, paved, and very flat, this trail meanders around the East Branch Brandywine Creek. Not too busy except on weekends.
The connection of this short trail to the Valley Forge extension to the full Schuylkill Trail system is now complete! Just yet one more extension off the Schuylkill system as of Aug 13 2022
Going east past Quarryville is interesting to say the least. Nothing has been done to make it a trail. Weeds are knee high and the path is literally a bike tire wide. Gates are up to keep cars off the trail. You would need to hoist your bike over the gate to proceed. I tried to get to atglan to go to victory brewery but it can’t be done. Bart township hasn’t done a thing for years to live up to their responsibility to keep the trail rideable
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
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!