Find the top rated bike trails in Alexandria, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
_52069_st.jpg){kind=spacer}
Did the entire trail with e-bike. Great ride in lowest pedal assist mode! Few areas washed out by recent rains but able to navigate.
I ride my bike on this trail everyday except when it's pouring rain or there is snow on the ground. It was just about perfect until Sunday, November 5th, 2023. One of those ride on leaf blowers started down by Dry Run Road and went to the top near Mullshoe. It blew off most of the pea gravel that was on the trail and exposed the big loose stones and the dirt. After just a little rain last night the trail was a muddy mess. I had to take off my sweat shirt before getting into my car because it was covered in mud on the back of it. By spring the trail will be a disaster.
Constructed through the rural farmlands of western Cumberland County, the 13 mile long Cumberland Valley Rail Trail is one of Central PA's premier multi-use greenways.
The trail follows a portion of the main line of the former Cumberland Valley RR, which connected Harrisburg with VA's Shenandoah Valley and operated from 1837 to 1919, when it was acquired by the Pennsylvania RR. During this time, the RR was notable for running the first passenger sleeper car in the US in 1839 and for transporting troops, weapons and other supplies to the front lines during the Civil War. The line remained active under the ownership of the Pennsylvania RR and its successor, the Penn Central, before passing to Conrail in 1976.
Conrail took the section of line between Carlisle and Shippensburg out of service in 1981 and formally abandoned it in 1995, donating the corridor to the Cumberland Valley Rails to Trails Council. The council developed a multi-use rail trail suited for cycling and foot traffic over the course of the three decades, the most recent being the section through the village of Greason, which opened in early 2023. Most of the trail is paved with crushed stone, though sections in Shippensburg and Newville are asphalt. A parallel dirt path exists for horseback riders.
As of 2023, three disconnected segments of the trail have been constructed (four if you count the 1 mile long Chambersburg Rail Trail, which Franklin County and Chambersburg borough officials eventually plan to incorporate into a planned southern extension).
A little over 11 miles long, the southern section extends from Fort Street in Shippensburg northeast to Green Hill Road just east of Newville. The first mile of this section passes through the campus of Shippensburg University and gets heavy use from students and faculty. An old Penn Central RR car situated immediately north of the southern terminus of the trail has been converted into a small museum and a restored RR signal both serve as tributes to the history of the line. The numerous sculptures and other works of art that line the greenway between Fort Street and Shippensburg Twp. Park, as well as the smooth, asphalt surface and comfort stations with running water and flush toilets, give the first mile more of a suburban vibe than the rural atmosphere prevalent on the rest.
The bustle of Shippensburg and the adjacent college campus quickly gives way to bucolic countryside and the asphalt yields to crushed stone northeast of Shippensburg Twp. Park. A linear woodland of trees and other lush vegetation lines most of the trail from here to Newville, providing cool shade in summer and helping reduce the strong winds that often whip through the valley in winter and peeks of picturesque, rolling farmland and small villages can be seen through the gaps and at several road crossings. Observant trail users will also take note of numerous small rock cuts along this section of the trail.
The trail enters open farmlands on the final 2 miles of the southern section located east of Newville, treating trail users to panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. Similar vistas can be found on the short, 1-mile long middle segment of the trail that extends from Springview Road east through the village of Greason before dead ending just west of McAllister Church Road. Also take note of the old RR freight depot just west of Greason Road. These features offset the fact that these parts of the trail are more exposed to the elements.
Another short segment of the trail, the 2 mile long northern section, begins at Shearer Road in the warehouse district on the west end of Carlisle. This section crosses a wetland to Route 465, following the east side of that road for a half mile, before turning west onto the old rail line just south of Route 641. It follows the old RR to a dead end about a mile west of here. Despite crossing primarily through industrial properties, this segment of the trail is still a pleasant experience, though trail users need to be careful crossing busy Route 465.
The Cumberland Valley Rail Trail's gorgeous scenery and rich history, along with its role in helping to connect Shippensburg University with the adjacent town make it one of Central PA's great greenways. Unfortunately, the gaps that separate the different segments of the trail do not have easy detours and the dead ends on the middle and northern sections require users to backtrack, limiting their popularity. Hopefully, they can eventually be closed and the goal of linking Shippensburg and Dickenson universities will finally be realized.
Anyone who rides Rails to Trails and have been on this trail loved it like we have. The trail is well maintained and there is plenty to see like the history, the fauna and the wildlife. We have not completed MM 18 to Ebensburg yet but we plan to. We don't mark a trail as completed until we ride both ways because the view is so different. And this trail is no exception to that rule. We have done MM 1 to 15, then 15 to 18 to the CI extension to MM 9, to Duman Lake which for a 1/4 mile or so is a pretty nice single track. We plan on coming back in the spring when the rhododendron are blooming. Can't wait!
A few months ago we were camping in the Raystown Lake area and drove to the the trail head at Saylor park in Black Lick. We rode the whole trail to Ebensburg which was about 32 miles. It was slightly uphill that direction. We turned around and rode back to the truck the same day and it was slightly downhill and went much faster. It totaled about 64 miles for the day. So glad we took the time to finally do this ride It was wonderful. Great trail, great condition.
Wasn’t impressed not much scenery and trail just ended.
New to this app, but walked this complete trail in late July from shippensburg to newville, it’s well maintained along with beautiful scenery along the way.
We started at west end of trail at Saylor Park in Blacklick. The parking area beside the baseball field was much to our liking (clean, paved, open and well used). We felt comfortable leaving our camping equipment in the back of the truck. According to the garmin (and our legs), the trail climbed approximately 40 feet per mile up the Heshbon, about 6 1/2 miles from our starting point. From Heshbon to where route 56 crosses over the trail, our turn around point, the trail eased to around 20 feet per mile of climb. Although taxing on the way up, the 10 mile trek back down the hill was well worth the effort expended on the outward half of the ride.
Trail attributes:
The surface consisted mainly of hard packed dirt with fine gravel making for fairly fast and stable riding conditions.
More shade than sun which probably saved us as the conditions were sunny with temperatures in the 90s.
Plenty of views of Blacklick Creek.
Only one road crossing.
Baseline:
Our home trails are Pine Creek and Buffalo Valley.
Our favorite trail is the Northwest Lancaster.
My E bike is pedal assist / no throttle. Needed to see what the bike could do, and what I could do. Started in Grampian, and rode to the outskirts of Clearfield. Quite the downhill into Curwensville. Went about 10 miles and turned around. The last 5 miles was a major uphill climb that I never could’ve done on my regular bike. The E bike and I made it up with no problem. The trail was very diversified and beautiful and I got lots of exercise. Great ride. P.S. I’m 70 years young in case it matters.
Great trail. One of the best in Pennsylvania. Very remote. Nice and shady. Easy grade as it mainly river grade. Paved in sections. And in Williamsburg if you park there you can finish at an excellent ice cream shop.
From ebensburg to Nanty glo it is a smooth down hill descent that is incredible. Once passed Nanty glo it sort of loses its grade and becomes flat or slightly up hill at intervals but at a slow descent, if that makes sense. From Nanty glo to dill town it tested us but was a very nice ride! FYI we are not everyday riders. Just started riding with the kids this year and is our 6th trail. Brings lots of water! I hope one day we can go to the end in blacklick.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Scan the QR code to get TrailLink on your phone
Map Search
