Ride side-by-side the whole way. Good hard surface for mountain bikes, just a very few soft sandy spots along fields. Pretty flat (a degree or two) except for a few road crossings.

Can start downtown Shippensburg, or we usually start a mile East at the Shippensburg Township Park to avoid walker congestion. Wide path with no power lines, can ride side-by-side the whole way. Very scenic on the bike, when there are banks on the side they can be typically seen over if on a bike. Quite a bit of tree tunneling to pedal through. There is also quite a bit of unprotected trail, so would not recommend riding on hot summer day with sun directly overhead. Especially true past Newville.

Have done this trail a dozen times over 5 years, it is consistently good with light traffic once you get away from the University. Good old/Amish/Mennonite farm scenery with animals, there is a one mile section with views of the mountain range 10 miles away. Stunning. This is one of the prettier trails we've done in the last 10 year.

Facilities along way. A great old ice cream shop with a non-working soda fountain in Newville. Be sure to go inside, though they also have picnic tables outside.

Recommend early spring through late fall, avoid hot summer when the corn is tallest and the sun directly overhead. Benches and sufficient picnic tables along the way, though nearly all are in direct sun in summer.

By the River in Harrisburg, it’s a great paved trail. The northern section by the River departs the River and winds through houses to 6th Street to join with Fort Hunter. That part overall is nice. The rest of the loop has varying trail surfaces and crosses roads and some biking is in traffic.

It’s a fantastic trail, scenic by the River and we saw wildlife and it’s in superb condition.

On 10/22/20 my friend and I rode the above stretch. It was absolutely beautiful! We were cautious due to the mornings heavy fog and all the damp leaves on the ground. Made the paths edges somewhat difficult to see. The trail was extremely smooth until you get to the Brunswick Waste Treatment Plant, where you share the dusty and bumpy road with big trucks coming and going from the plant. Pot holes were terrible there. But once back on the trail, it was a smooth sail. I believe it was around a 28-mile ride for us.

We did about twelve miles of the western part. Really pretty. We will be back!

Ever since we found out my trunk bike carrier works on our SUV late this summer, we've fervently explored biking trails around the Harrisburg area before the season's over.  One of the first things that came to mind would of course be the Capital Area Greenbelt.  It's a 23 mile route interconnecting paved paths, crushed-stone trails, and public roads.  We've only explored 3 different segments of the Greenbelt.  

The first is City Island and Riverfront Park. Start by looping around the small island which is less than a mile but think of it as a warm up. You also get to see some touristy highlights such as the Pride of the Susquehanna Riverboat, Water Golf, and City Island Railroad.  Then cross the picturesque Walnut Street Bridge, turn left on to my favorite segment so far, the Riverfront Park. This paved segment runs for 3 miles alongside the Susquehanna River all the way to Vaughn St.  Along the way you get to see many sculptures and historic landmarks. Some highlights include State Street, Governor's Mansion, Peace Garden, and Sunken Garden. And if you're open to excursions, take detours and check out the Capitol Complex and Italian Lake.

The second segment we've been frequenting without realizing it's part of the Greenbelt - Wildwood Park. I've had a 5-star review on it. It's one of  my favorite parks in the Harrisburg area.  I've read that there's a new 1.5 mile segment connecting from Wildwood Park to Fort Hunter.  I can't wait to check that out!

The third segment we just tried today, the Andrea Ave Spur.  It's not part of the main loop but still part of the Greenbelt. I guess you can think of it as an extension, much like the Fort Hunter segment.  This one starts out on a crushed-stone path but soon turns into a fully paved trail. It's only 2.3 miles to the main loop near the Farm Show complex, but it's hilly and punishing at times.

This is a different experience than, say, a rail trail which is more secluded and allows you to be soaked with nature.  Here you do not completely leave civilization. Another negative aspect is that many sections insolve public roads.  I'm not sure I should venture the southeast portion of the Greenbelt, based on the map... 

This 22 mile rail trail begins in York and ends at the PA-MD state line. The trail goes alongside the railroad that was built in the 1800's and was in use through 1972. The crushed stone trail makes the soothing crackling sound. It's perfect for biking, even for road bikes.

On this delightful sunny brisk mid-September day, we put out the bike carrier and deployed our bikes for a 13 mile round trip ride. We parked our car at Brillhart Station parking lot, which was big but surprisingly jam-packed. We biked from Brillhart Station to Hanover Junction Station, passing through Howard Tunnel and Seven Valleys along the way. We saw farm lands, corn fields, a tunnel, creeks, and rocky hills. We spent some time taking pictures around the Howard Tunnel which is the oldest continuously used railroad tunnel in the US. We spent even more time at the Seven Valleys parking lot which has a lot of picnic tables to consume our snacks, and 3 colorful giant bicycles which present another great photo op. We stopped at the Hanover Junction Station which has a few interesting outdoor sculptures. It has men's and women's restrooms; however, they were closed perhaps due to COVID-19. Fortunately, there's a Porta John next to the picnic tables.

We had a great time experiencing this segment of the Heritage Rail Trail between Brillhart and Hanover Junction.

A hidden gem of diversity and a lot of calmness in many areas. Our first ride on it was in Sept. Labor Day, sunny and 80’s. Looking forward to riding again this fall.

The surface of mostly loose stone dust took a little getting used to as not packed like most rail trails. Was not a fan of the 2 miles of packed bouncy gravel road with potholes, but was doable. Rode from Tatesville to Riddlesburg and back 21.4. Thankfully, small port-a-pot at each end.

We were on gravel bikes (lower tire pressure) which did great. Didn't see anyone for a long time and the ones we saw were on mountain bikes.

Nice to see kept up mowed sides and enjoyed going through the cutout rocks. Some areas had grass in the middle but was mowed. My group thought in areas it was not quite the level trail as described, but we figured the trail variety of surface and scenery made it seem that way. Will do again as it's a great well kept trail, but with a different perspective of what the trail surface actually is.

It was a beautiful day so I decided to do some pedaling. I started near the New Freedom train station and headed north. After arriving in York, I discovered that once crossing a few streets, the trail continued so off I went. I rode to the trail's northern tetminus at Rudy Park. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy! I rode through the park and then decided to head back south. Upon arriving back at New Freedom, I decided to continue south. I rode to the southern terminus to a small parking lot south of Ashland road, turned around and headed back north to New Freedom. Beautiful ride.