Find the top rated mountain biking trails in Elkton, whether you're looking for an easy short mountain biking trail or a long mountain biking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a mountain biking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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This is one of the best trails around. Paved. Short stretch onto a couple of blocks in Marietta with little to no MV traffic. Very scenic, along river, through woods and fields, along cliffs. Winding through woods, strait ways through fields and a park. Close to level, slight rise and fall along river. Well maintained. Super ride. I saw reviews from electric bikers but really they should stick to public streets. Better yet, buy a motorcycle or some other licensed motor vehicle.
Nice wide open relatively flat trail. It is after all a rail trail. After the 22 mile mark it turned pretty rough. Large gravel,mud…. I turned back….was hoping to take this to the end near gap. I do enjoy this rail trail. Well maintained nice country & river view for first several miles
A detailed description of this trail can be read from my August 2016 review. It is still a pretty trail offering a good workout! As mentioned in my title, most of the wide open views of the trail have disappeared due to the growth of foliage. In fact, I didn't even recognize the trail! After crossing over Valley road, the trail is almost continuously ascending to its endpoint. On my first outing on this trail, the Valley trailhead parking lot and the half moon section of the trail on the northwest side of Valley road was gravel. It is NOW asphalt. There is a lot more vegetation along the trail making it difficult to see the creek from which the trail was named after. The trail is well maintained. One interesting observation on this outing is that the 0.81 mile section from the Water Street Trailhead (Spring Township York Water treatment facility) to its terminus has posted signs of "Temporarily Closed to Pedestrian Traffic". I don't know the reasoning for the temporary closure. The trail was wide open without any impediments or obstructions. If fact, this section was one of the prettier pieces of the trail.
We started this path from the Conowingo dam parking lot. We had to move through a group of turkey vultures to get to the trailhead. It was a beautiful fall day and the trail was clear of most debris. There are quarter mile markers. While we were out, several bikers were also on the trail. We took several side trails to the river to see other wildlife and to get some sun. The deep canopy of the trail blocks much of the sun making this an easy stroll in 80 degree weather.
Nice trail for a short Sunday ride. "Grand opening" was on September 7, 2024. Bridge is complete over Manoa Road. Trail is all asphalt, no crushed stone or wood chips. Ample parking at southern end in Lanerch Shopping Center.
We camped at Indian Rock Campground right along this trail. It was a lovely comfortable ride with our mountain bikes. The Howard Tunnel was neat too. We highly recommend this trail.
Beautiful quiet rail trail that we have added to our favorites list.
Great trail. Love the new bridges and smooth black top.
When I first started riding the Chester Valley Trail, the connection to the SRT was only a concept. So I would ride from King of Prussia to Exton, parking at the park and ride lot. It is mainly flat and mostly wooded, but there are a lot of road crossings, the most dangerous one is right after entering Chester County, where an exit ramp from Rte 202 has cars not caring about stopping at the trail, which has a walk sign. There have been signage improvements in a lot of the other trail crossings, taking some of the risk out of it. It is paved, and the only steep part, and hardly that, is around the Vanguard Headquarters. There is a park at Exton, with water and restrooms. In addition, unlike many trails, it is considered a commuting trail so there is winter maintenance. That makes about a 25 mile round trip to Exton and back. Since then, the trail now connects to the SRT. Connecting, one has two very steep bridges to go over, and other less steep parts approaching King of Prussia. That part of the trail is mainly in the open, and road crossings are signal controlled. It goes along Rte 202 in Chester County, and there are sound barriers, so when the trees are in leaf, it actually is muted in noise. In Fall colors, it is gorgeous. And in hot weather, cool, especially in the Chester County portion. A positive is it is flat, but a negative are the many road crossings. I have found a mix of riders and walkers but it seems few riding clubs traverse the trail, so riders will not be zooming by one. In the summer, on weekends, there is a recombinant bike group for handicapped people who you may meet, starting from the Exton Park.
I basically do the trail from Oaks to Schwenksville. From where I start my bicycling on the SRT, that is a 45 mile round trip. For years, there was sewer line replacement along the river, which resulted in a temporary line along the early part of the trail, but when they finished, a large portion was resurfaced with firmly packed gravel, making for easy riding. It is shaded, so cool on hot days. The two road crossings early on (Cedar Mill and Arcola) can be a bit tricky, but it seems signage for motorists has helped, and for crossing Rte 29, there are overhead flashers, which really help. Sections that used to be less fun after rains have seen asphalt laid, which is helpful. There is a small cafe in Schwenksville that can be nice to visit. The trail is not usually crowded, with more walkers than bicyclists. There is water and rest rooms at both Lower Perkiomen Valley Park and Central Perkiomen Valley Park. One can also access the Audubon Trail to get to the James Audubon Center from Lower Perkiomen Valley Park.
I actually started at the fishing pier and went through the pond-side trail. Was on a bicycle. Realized I wasn’t supposed to ride on the trail half-way through. Oops. Anyhow I enjoyed that part of the trail on my bicycle as it was good for my beginner trail skills. Did end up on the gravel road towards the end. Anyhow I enjoyed it, not thrilling, but was nice none-the-less.
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