Find the top rated trails in Sunbury, 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.
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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...
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...
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 Susquehanna Bikeway offers more just over 3 miles of pathway connecting the north-central Pennsylvania communities of Williamsport, Loyalsock Township, and Montoursville. On its west end, the...
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 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...
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 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 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...
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...
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....
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...
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 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 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...
The Conewago Recreation Trail in northwestern Lancaster County parallels Conewago Creek over most of its length, as it passes through farmland and forests. A unit of the Lancaster County Department of...
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 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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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Included in the seven-mile network of trails in Little Buffalo State Park are two small sections of rail-trail. Together they are called the Newport and Sherman's Valley Railroad Trace. The...
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...
One of the premier rail-trails in the Northeast, the Pine Creek Rail Trail in Pine Creek Gorge offers travelers a spectacular 62-mile journey through the area commonly referred to as the Grand Canyon...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
Originally conceived by landscape architect Warren Manning (a disciple of Frederick Law Olmsted), the Capital Area Greenbelt is a 20-mile ring of parks and trails circling the Pennsylvania capital...
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...
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...
We started at Glen Onoko parking lot, easy flat couple of miles back across the river to the Scenic Rail station and then a steep 200 ft climb up Packer Hill Ave to the start of the South trail. This trail is easy, has a hard packed surface and is suitable for most bikes able to handle the odd rock. The ride to the lake took us about 35 mins of gentle uphill (total of about 300 ft climb). The trail then crosses the road and starts climbing steeper all the way into Summit Hill (another about 45 mins and 400 ft of climbing). We stopped in town for a snack and beer, and on the return ride took the North trail (fork well marked). This trail is mostly also a good hard surface, with a couple of fallen small trees that need to crossed. Most of the trail is relatively flat, other than 2 steep sections near the end, the first a short drop where the "bridge to clouds" used to start, and then a longer (half a mile?) steep rocky switchback section starting at far end of original bridge location. Both these section are rideable by an experienced mountain biker, but could be a walk if nervous or if on any other type of bike. Speaking of walking there is a section a couple of miles from the end that you need to portage your bike across a narrow ledge. This is not a major challenge for most, but there is a bypass trail that can be used - we did not check it out but it is clearly not rideable due to growth on the trail. All told the return trip took us 70 mins, and that included a quick stop at the viewpoint.
Much of trail has no maintenance. Was great trail not now!,,,,,
My wife and I entered on the 54 side and road across and back. The 54 side of the trail has logging going on currently and was muddy in spots. Next time I will start on the 42 side and maybe go halfway and back. The trail map does not show the restrooms in the middle or the 42 trail head. A great easy ride with enough grade not to be boring.
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.
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.
This was my very first Rail Trail I have ever completed since I bought my new bicycle. It was a blast! There was a lot of beautiful country land, farm animals, rock walls, and a creek that looked like it might have some trout in it. The parking spot Google maps had taken me to was a spot right off of highway 743 which I do not recommend. It was too close to the highway and dips down which made it very nerve-racking to back up and out of right into the busy highway. I suggest finding the very beginning of the trail for better parking.
I am also a Pokemon Go fan, and I play when I'm out trailing. There was 2 Gyms, about 3 or 4 Pokestops along the way, and tons of Pokemon spawning.
I highly recommend this trail for beginners. It was very easy.
Happy Trailing!
I don’t recommend for small children. My 13 year old son and I did the whole thing and we liked it. Some places were not kid friendly due to busy roads. It had a nice variety of wooded trails and city. The ride along front street is a nice finish with the river view and flat sidewalk with minimal road crossings. Stick to the river section if you have small ones.
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. 👍
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.
We started at City Island and knew it was a 20 mile loop. We are comfortable with that distance but are used to rail trails. (My husband and I love biking rail trails.)This definitely is not a rail trail. To us,it seemed like lots of hills and biking upgrade.Also had to bike on some busy roads. If you enjoy a challenge and don’t mind biking on roads, you will be OK. Do not recommend for families.Signage must have been improved since some earlier reviews. The only place we were confused was close to the farm show buildings where you need to use the pedestrian underpass.
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