Find the top rated running trails in Hagerstown, 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.
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Level, thin tiny crush stone on packed earth trail. Rolls easily, just a step below paved. From small old town of Newville through woods and farmland 10 mile ride to small university town of Shippensburg, with a couple small villages on the way. Horse path is next to bike/pedestrian path. You may see horses and riders on path. You will see farms, barns, cows, sheep, horses, cats, birds, assorted other animals, louse distant mountains. You will smell manure. It is not 15.8 miles. It is 10 miles from park at Newville to Shippensburg. You can add a couple miles by going east from Newville to a dead end. It's a nice ride. In Newville you can park at the park at Cherry & McFarland Streets
Please make sure you have bike lights, flashlights etc… those tunnels are dark!!
This is probably the most I could handle on a bike ride. We rode the GAP and C&O back to back like many do in 8 days. It was great fun but the C&O is noticeably rougher, fewer port-a-Johns and very scarce potable water sources. On our 7th day from Williamsport to Brunswick we ran out of water midway and rode the remaining 25 miles without water. Fortunately the shade offered by the beautiful canopy of trees made it bearable. We made sure to load up on extra water on our final day. The mix of loose sand that caught us by surprise & the larger stones on the trail made for a more challenging ride than expected. On the one rainy day we had from Cumberland to Little Orleans, some of the puddles we encountered offered a new sense of “oh dear” as we didn’t know how deep the hole we were riding thru when there was no room to go around the puddle.
Perfect day for a ride and on the first day of Fall. Trail and views were breathtaking!
Biked from Hancock to Little Orleans and return on August 30, 2025. Distance: 34.5 miles. Stopped for lunch at Bill's Place in Little Orleans and got good food and friendly service. The paved portion of the trail is in excellent condition -- thanks to the Maryland Park Service for recently repaving the trail. The only negative is the 3-mile detour on the C & O Canal towpath around the abandoned Indigo tunnel. The towpath detour is unpaved and has a rougher surface than the trail. The nearly one-mile long tunnel was closed in 2010 to protect a handful of bats allegedly living inside. The tunnel is an engineering marvel that should be seen and experienced by humans. Opening it to trail users would help the economically depressed Western Maryland area. For example, the equally-long Blue Ridge Tunnel in Afton, Virginia, draws about 50,000 visitors annually since it was reopened in 2020.
We started at Lake Needwood which had great parking. The trail is not well maintained. It is bumpy most of the way south. It looks like there has been some attempt to patch the asphalt but the transitions were not smoothed out so many jarring bumps. Also tree roots have pushed up the trail which is not unusual but given all the other bumps it was annoying. Also be aware that from Lake Needwood - it is downhill so if you are returning to the same spot, you will have an uphill climb which is not too bad.
there are some really old bridges that go over the C&O. the highlight is the paw paw tunnel. better to walk through it. once you hit little orleans, i suggest going on the western maryland trail. it is fully paved and nice.
hancock is a great town
I love going on this trail when riding my bike to work. It's so nice to ride without cars being beside you. When going out early you can see all kinds of wildlife out.
The trail is in good shape. They have completed an extra few miles at the end that are fully paved. There are many benches to sit and multiple entry points. There is a brief ride on streets. The bathroom works and there a a few port o potties. I liked it
I try to bike here every year and look forward to the added 2 miles or so connecting Red Cut to Saxton. Riders should note it's not the smoothest trail, the section north of Tatesville is 4 miles of slight uphill southbound that taxes in the summer heat, and if you like human interaction you will be disappointed. Also, when passing though Hopewell, remember this, I HOPE I can find the trail, WELL, I guess I'll just ride until I find it. The southern end is indeed down a nondescript gravel road off Rt 915 leading to Coopers Sawmill Rec area and a private seasonal camp. The northern end continues from Broad St, and in any event the town is so tiny you won't get completely lost. So enjoy the solitude this hidden trail can provide, and if you like busy paved trails, then Pittsburgh has much to offer you.
My wife and I rode from Newville to Shippensburg today. It was @ a 10 mile ride to the Shippensburg Trailhead. We continued for 2 more blocks on Earl St to King St. On the corner of Earl & King is the King St Diner, good and good prices.
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