Find the top rated birding trails in Back Mountain, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Close by, convenient...ample parking....clean & serene My new go-to for a walk with my dog after work on a nice day
Started at the trail end near Phoenixville did 11 miles towards Oaks. It was a beautiful day and not many people on trail. Most of the way the views were great and trail was very wide. Some hills but not to bad.
Nice drive up out of the Susquehanna Valley, easy to locate trailhead with good parking. Trail is level, (signs say bikes okay on rail grade only - today we are on foot). Trail is wooded, a couple of side loops for interpretive and conservation information. There were 6 or so inches of snow with a frozen crust that broke through every 6th step or so, but it was quite enjoyable, and this early March Saturday afternoon we had it all to ourselves. We will come back later this spring and see how it looks with leaves. I held back one star because I prefer more rugged trails, but today this was just the thing.
Eros (Standard Poodle), myself and a friend walk this trail for 5 miles every morning before sunrise. We feel so fortunate to have this awesome trail in our backyard. The grounds are well groomed the and the Kirby park portion is lite. Would love to see the light post continue to Rutter Ave.
Beautiful Winter Trail - - - Brian Z does an awesome job of grooming.
I rode my hybrid bike (no suspension, drop bars, 700c tires) from the trailhead at Simpson to Luciana Park in Lanesboro. I carried two 24oz water bottles, a full gallon of water in a jug, and some tools/spare parts (which were fortunately unnecessary). I tracked the ride with Strava, and all the data presented here is based on information recorded there. Before reading the rest, let me say that this is the first trail I've completed, and I plan on trying to do it again next year (unless I get too busy trying other trails)
I did the ride from south to north because the trail is a really nice crushed gravel from Simpson to Ararat. This section of the trail is 18.6 miles long and mostly uphill (starting at 1146' above sea level at Simpson, and peaking at 2057' in Ararat). All in all, I barely noticed the uphill climb for most of the length of the ride. There are some nice spots to stop and take pictures, including a few bodies of water, some bridges, and there is the sandwich shop in Union Dale that's got really good food.
North of Ararat, the trail is much rougher, and much easier to deal with going downhill (Luciana Park is 919' above sea level, 19.8 miles north of the trail's high point). There are sections that have been greatly improved from loggers leveling the trail to get their equipment through, but there were also spots I had to get off my bike and walk.
I think the northern half of the trail has much more to offer as far as the scenery goes. Especially between Ararat and Starrucca, and of course the Starrucca Viaduct (at Luciana Park) is worth seeing at least once. Hopefully the northern half of the trial is upgraded sooner rather than later.
Overall, the trip took me 5+1/2 hours, including about an hours worth of breaks spread throughout (including a meal break in Union Dale). I did end up drinking a little over a gallon of water over the course of the ride. Due to the lack of suspension or padding, my wrists were fairly sore by the end of the ride.
Great for a moderate bike ride, did and out and back in about 2.5 hours. Started in Easton where the North/South Trail meets the East/West Trail. Nice combination of different trail optionsz
Nice ride along this part of the trail. Beautiful views of the Lehigh River and along the canal. Some color on the foliage is looking awesome. Road our EBikes round trip 29 miles.
Beautiful section for a long run in the morning. Very serene and peaceful
Great ride on a great trail. It was in near perfect shape with the unpaved sections nice and packed and smooth. There were hardly any sections with deep or loose TSA, trail surface aggregate. Keep in mind there is some double track as you approach Reading but my handcyclist friend said it wasn’t too bad. But be aware if you’re riding a trike if pulling a trailer with kids. Beautiful, uncrowded trail with great river views especially at the bridges.
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