Find the top rated running trails in Elizabethtown, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Situated in the rolling hills of southeast Berks and northwest Chester County, the Big Woods Trail will link several parks and historic sites when completed.
A work in progress, the trail will connect the Schuylkill River Trail to the borough of Elverson when completed. As of 2021, three, disconnected segments of the multi-use trail are finished.
The northern segment begins at the Schuylkill River Trail in the village of Monocacy and winds its way up a grassy hillside to Crusher Road. This section is noted for its rolling pasturelands and panoramic views of the valley below.
The middle segment starts a few miles to the south at the Hopewell Iron Furnace National Historic Site off Park Road. The centerpiece of this site is a restored 19th century-era furnace, which was fed by charcoal produced from the trees of the surrounding Big Woods and used to smelt iron from nearby mines. Trail users should check out the grounds before heading southwest on the greenway, which passes through the woods and connects the Historical Site to the adjacent French Creek State Park. This section also connects to the Horseshoe Trail and the State Park's own network of footpaths and follows the south shoreline of Hopewell Lake, ending at the park's main parking lot and recreation complex.
A shorter, southern segment of the trail extends for about a quarter mile along an abandoned rail line in the borough of Elverson. This segment begins at Park Ave. and extends to Route 23 (Main Street), and is noted for several restored historical buildings.
When the trail is eventually completed, it will link the Schuylkill River and Horseshoe trails as well as several other historical sites and open space areas. It may also be extended further south into Chester County via the old Reading to Coatesville rail line.
Yesterday I went on this trail on my full suspension E bike. I discovered my bike was capable. I, on the other hand, am perhaps not capable.After recent storms the steep sections of this trail are washed out and very rough. I think I will stick to rail trails in the future.
This is one of the most secluded rides in a pristine natural setting I have been on in PA. Absolutely quiet with no crowds or traffic to contend with. Rode a couple weeks after tropical storm Ida came through. There was a great deal of flood erosion damage at the Rausch Creek bridge (Appalachian Trail crossing). Considering this, the entire tail bed was in surprising good condition. No standing water anywhere and very few flies or mosquitoes. Only encountered a couple washouts over its entire length. These were easily navigated around though with little effort. The trail is indeed a little rougher at the western Ellendale end but it was evident that many repairs were recently done. Only a matter of time where these coarse gravel fill-ins will eventually smooth out. Used a hard tail hybrid with 29” x 2.25” knobby tires filled to 50#. Ride tolerable for 90% of the time although I did tire of the coarser stone sections at the conclusion of my ride. Due to its isolation and cellphone signal dead zone, I recommend starting at The Coldspring Road access. Although a very steep dirt road, Coldspring Road is in very good condition and accessible to most cars. I highly recommend this as the ultimate “get away from it all” ride.
Ephrata side of trail is paved and clean. Warwick side has Small crushed limestone that just cakes on chains and bikes. This is the only local trail I ride that I have to wash the bike when done.
Another downside is the 11 road crossing that can be very challenging depending on time of day. With 2 of the worst traffic crossings on the Warwick Side.
My husband and I rode the 7 miles out and back today from the Warwick municipal authority parking lot to Ephrata. A lovely ride. Crushed stone and asphalt. Stopped and at Brewsters. We had the pork sandwich, delicious! Recommend this trail.
My husband and I biked the larger section of this trail this weekend and had a great time. Beautiful rolling farmland, nice facilities and friendly people. Looking ahead to them completing this to Carlisle. We will definitely be back to check it out.
We had a great time on this trail. It’s a mixture of gravel, dirt, and boardwalk. I wouldn’t want to go there soon after a heavy rain because there are patchy areas of mud, but nothing you can’t maneuver around. We took my 7 yo ans 9 yo granddaughters and they had absolutely no problems.
Overall a good trail but there are some irritations. The missing section between Lincoln Drive in Wissahickon and Lock Street in Manayunk is very annoying. You have a choice of dealing with the usually heavy traffic on Main street, or bumps, driveways, pedestrians and dogs on the sidewalk. This makes accessing Philadelphia from the north using this trail unsuitable, (or at least very intimidating) for novice/casual riders. Immediately north of that section there is a section on planks that will rattle your teeth loose, then there is a gravel/dirt section that tends to be muddy. This renders the trail undesirable as a commuting route. North of Shawmont Ave. it's good for a long stretch out to Oaks. Parking is not reliably available at Spring Mill or Conshohocken, which also makes the trail much less useful for commuting into Philly, especially on weekdays. The trail tends to get very heavy use, (increasingly so as one approaches Philly) and a considerable fraction of riders go faster than is appropriate.
Well maintained , has park benches to stop and have lunch
This is the best trail I’ve found for skating in this section of PA. It’s long, windy, paved most of the way and only has a few parts where the hills are steep enough to be a potential danger on skates. There are a few wooden bridges that inlines can roll right over but may be sketchy on rollerskates. Also if it rains, I wouldn’t recommend skating until it dries because wet forest litter is like ice. I also wouldn’t go anytime after a wind storm. Otherwise it’s a fantastic trail with lots of rest spots.
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