Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Philadelphia, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Located about 25 miles east of Philadelphia, the Pemberton Rail-Trail is an excellent example of grassroots activism resulting in the creation of a community-based rail-trail. The Pemberton Rotary...
This 2.4-mile paved trail provides a quiet, scenic escape northwest of Philadelphia, from Encke Park at Radnor-Chester Road to the shopping center at Sugartown Road and Route 30. The trail travels...
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The paved Power Line Trail carries users between residential neighborhoods, parks, schools, and other destinations in Horsham Township. The 5.5-mile utility--easement trail also heads north to green...
The Michael Castle Trail offers a scenic 12-mile route along the north shore of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in northern Delaware. The trail is named after the former governor and US...
Caution: On April 12, 2018, a fire severely damaged the Martic Forge Trestle, which runs over Pequea Creek and River Road on the Enola Low Grade Trail. Access to the trail going west from the Route...
The Union Transportation Trail follows the path of the former Pemberton & Hightstown Railroad, which began operating in 1868. The original purpose of the railroad was to allow local farms and dairies...
The Johnson Trolley Line has two sections, north and south, which are split by Interstate 95; there is talk of building an overpass to link the two segments. The Trenton-Princeton Traction Company ran...
The Landsdown Trail runs 1.8 miles between Lower Landsdown Road and W. Main in Clinton. The trail passes among open fields, woodlands and wetlands and provides access to the South Branch of the...
Since it opened as a railroad spur in the 1800s, this pretty trail has always been about connections. In 1834 the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad launched the spur to carry goods from Bristol,...
The Warrington Township Multi-Use Trail spans nearly 3 miles on the west end of town. The trail is part of an effort to make the community more pedestrian-friendly, connecting major points of...
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The Palmer Township Recreation Trail (a.k.a. the Towpath Bike Trail) is a terrific community asset for Palmer and Bethlehem township residents and a great destination for visitors as well. Three modes...
Saucon Rail Trail connects four communities: Hellertown, Lower Saucon Township, Upper Saucon Township, and Coopersburg. The trail has a slight 1% grade traveling from north to south and is easy for a...
The Pennypack Trail travels through wooded parks in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties along Pennypack Creek, which derives its name from a local American Indian term for a slow-moving creek....
Camden's Cooper River Park is found on both the north and south shores of Cooper River Lake. The urban park is open daily from dawn to dusk and offers a paved loop path for bikers and pedestrians, as...
The South Bethlehem Greenway is a linear park that follows a former Norfolk Southern rail line through the southern neighborhoods of Bethlehem. The paved pathway begins just north of Lehigh University...
At one time an important thoroughfare for commerce carried by canal barges and railroad cars in southeastern Pennsylvania, the Schuylkill River corridor now accommodates walkers, bicyclists, and...
The Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT) offers more than 19 miles of pathway on a developing loop through public and private land in Lawrence and Hopewell Townships, about 5 miles north of Trenton. The...
The Chester County Parks & Recreation Department opened this trail in 1979 on part of a former Pennsylvania Railroad right-of-way. Today the 2.6-mile trail attracts more than 125,000 visitors each...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous; please refer to the interactive maps on the websites in the Related Content section. The D&L Trail runs for more than 140 miles through...
The Cynwyd Heritage Trail connects the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA’s) Cyn-wyd Station to Bala Cynwyd Park, the historic West Laurel Hill Cemetery, and Westminster...
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The Trolley Line Trail is a 2.5 mile paved pathway between Rabbit Hill Road and Penn Lyle Road in West Windsor. The trail is on the right of way of the former Fast Line electric trolley that connected...
This pleasant, flat rail-trail parallels Capoolong Creek through the Capoolong Creek Wildlife Management Area for nearly 4 miles. The surface is varied, so the trail is best suited for hiking or...
Caution: On April 12, 2018, a fire severely damaged the Martic Forge Trestle, which runs over Pequea Creek and River Road on the Enola Low Grade Trail. Access to the trail going west from the Route...
Since it opened as a railroad spur in the 1800s, this pretty trail has always been about connections. In 1834 the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad launched the spur to carry goods from Bristol,...
Constructed in 2012, the Gravity Trail is one of the newer additions to the extensive network of trails and greenways that criss-cross the Greater Reading metro area. The trail's unusual name comes...
Spanning more than 70 miles, the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail is the longest completed multiuse trail in the state and is described by many as the crown jewel of New Jersey trails. A...
This 2.4-mile paved trail provides a quiet, scenic escape northwest of Philadelphia, from Encke Park at Radnor-Chester Road to the shopping center at Sugartown Road and Route 30. The trail travels...
The Palmer Township Recreation Trail (a.k.a. the Towpath Bike Trail) is a terrific community asset for Palmer and Bethlehem township residents and a great destination for visitors as well. Three modes...
The Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT) offers more than 19 miles of pathway on a developing loop through public and private land in Lawrence and Hopewell Townships, about 5 miles north of Trenton. The...
Located in Media Borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Ridley Creek State Park encompasses over 2,600 acres of woodlands and meadows. The park is only 16 miles from Center City, Philadelphia, but...
Visitors to northwestern Philadelphia can acquaint themselves with the parks that surround Wissahickon Creek on a nearly 9-mile system of multiuse trails. In the north, the Wissahickon Trail (also...
Tyler State Park, located in Newtown, Pennsylvania, covers over 1,700 acres on the grounds of an old farm in a charming woodland setting. The park features a network of interconnected trails,...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous; please refer to the interactive maps on the websites in the Related Content section. The D&L Trail runs for more than 140 miles through...
The Union Transportation Trail follows the path of the former Pemberton & Hightstown Railroad, which began operating in 1868. The original purpose of the railroad was to allow local farms and dairies...
The Warrington Township Multi-Use Trail spans nearly 3 miles on the west end of town. The trail is part of an effort to make the community more pedestrian-friendly, connecting major points of...
The Michael Castle Trail offers a scenic 12-mile route along the north shore of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in northern Delaware. The trail is named after the former governor and US...
The Perkiomen Trail provides so many interesting historical and natural sites along its 20.6-mile length that visitors may have to ignore some of the trailside distractions to reach the other...
The paved Power Line Trail carries users between residential neighborhoods, parks, schools, and other destinations in Horsham Township. The 5.5-mile utility--easement trail also heads north to green...
The Chester County Parks & Recreation Department opened this trail in 1979 on part of a former Pennsylvania Railroad right-of-way. Today the 2.6-mile trail attracts more than 125,000 visitors each...
At one time an important thoroughfare for commerce carried by canal barges and railroad cars in southeastern Pennsylvania, the Schuylkill River corridor now accommodates walkers, bicyclists, and...
The Trolley Line Trail is a 2.5 mile paved pathway between Rabbit Hill Road and Penn Lyle Road in West Windsor. The trail is on the right of way of the former Fast Line electric trolley that connected...
The Cynwyd Heritage Trail connects the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA’s) Cyn-wyd Station to Bala Cynwyd Park, the historic West Laurel Hill Cemetery, and Westminster...
Visitors to northwestern Philadelphia can acquaint themselves with the parks that surround Wissahickon Creek on a nearly 9-mile system of multiuse trails. In the north, the Wissahickon Trail (also...
The Union Transportation Trail follows the path of the former Pemberton & Hightstown Railroad, which began operating in 1868. The original purpose of the railroad was to allow local farms and dairies...
The Rim Trail offers a 2.2-mile route in Hibernia County Park, following a former railroad bed along the West Branch Branywine Creek. This southeastern Pennsylvania excursion is one of a handful of...
This pleasant, flat rail-trail parallels Capoolong Creek through the Capoolong Creek Wildlife Management Area for nearly 4 miles. The surface is varied, so the trail is best suited for hiking or...
The Chester County Parks & Recreation Department opened this trail in 1979 on part of a former Pennsylvania Railroad right-of-way. Today the 2.6-mile trail attracts more than 125,000 visitors each...
Saucon Rail Trail connects four communities: Hellertown, Lower Saucon Township, Upper Saucon Township, and Coopersburg. The trail has a slight 1% grade traveling from north to south and is easy for a...
Spanning more than 70 miles, the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail is the longest completed multiuse trail in the state and is described by many as the crown jewel of New Jersey trails. A...
Since it opened as a railroad spur in the 1800s, this pretty trail has always been about connections. In 1834 the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad launched the spur to carry goods from Bristol,...
The Johnson Trolley Line has two sections, north and south, which are split by Interstate 95; there is talk of building an overpass to link the two segments. The Trenton-Princeton Traction Company ran...
The Pennypack Trail travels through wooded parks in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties along Pennypack Creek, which derives its name from a local American Indian term for a slow-moving creek....
Caution: On April 12, 2018, a fire severely damaged the Martic Forge Trestle, which runs over Pequea Creek and River Road on the Enola Low Grade Trail. Access to the trail going west from the Route...
The Landsdown Trail runs 1.8 miles between Lower Landsdown Road and W. Main in Clinton. The trail passes among open fields, woodlands and wetlands and provides access to the South Branch of the...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous; please refer to the interactive maps on the websites in the Related Content section. The D&L Trail runs for more than 140 miles through...
This 2.4-mile paved trail provides a quiet, scenic escape northwest of Philadelphia, from Encke Park at Radnor-Chester Road to the shopping center at Sugartown Road and Route 30. The trail travels...
The paved Power Line Trail carries users between residential neighborhoods, parks, schools, and other destinations in Horsham Township. The 5.5-mile utility--easement trail also heads north to green...
At one time an important thoroughfare for commerce carried by canal barges and railroad cars in southeastern Pennsylvania, the Schuylkill River corridor now accommodates walkers, bicyclists, and...
The village of Smithville, upon which the Historic Smithville Park (open 8 a.m.–30 minutes after sunset) sits, has a long and colorful past—and some important connections to the history of bicycles in...
The Michael Castle Trail offers a scenic 12-mile route along the north shore of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in northern Delaware. The trail is named after the former governor and US...
I'm basing my rating on comparison to other trails I've ridden. Some sections of CVRT are quite lovely; passing by parks and wooded areas.
Otherwise, the proximity to 202 and the numerous road crossings makes the trail feel choppy and you never really feel disconnected from suburbia. There are two intersections in particular that I found quite dangerous.
First, in Exton, the crossing at Rt. 100 is chaotic! You need to cross roads three times to reach the other side of 100. On top of that, truck traffic is extremely heavy and frequently blocks the intersection.
The other dangerous intersection is at Foundry Way in Malvern. Incoming traffic has the right of way and does not stop. The intersection is large, so by the time you're in the middle of it, traffic is inbound and they barely slow down! Be careful here.
Overall, I think CVRT is more a commuter trail than recreational trail.
My wife and I rode our tandem from Biddle Point westward to Chesapeake City, where the paved trail connects with local streets. The Michael Castle Trail changes name to the Ben Cardin Trail when you cross into Maryland. There are a couple of hairpin turns, so be aware. The marina are at the inlet near Lums Pond SP is a little tricky to navigate the first time through, but the traffic is low (we rode on a weekday afternoon).
There isn't any shade where the trail runs adjacent to the canal (except where bridges cast shadows), but the few areas where it shifts away from the canal do have tree cover. Bring plenty of water if it's a hot day. We didn't see any place to get water along the trail. We passed 2 other trailheads and they did have restrooms, but they are the waterless type.
Terrain is flat except where the trail moves away from the canal - it becomes slightly hilly.
Overall, it is a great ride.
We were hesitant to ride this trail given some of the negative comments, but I have to say they were all wrong! We rode today from New Castle to Wilmington waterfront and back again and it couldn’t have been more fun. Trail head was easy to fine, tunnels weren’t too dark, we barely saw the landfill, the industrial section was minimal — and the marshes and canopies of greenery, the bridges were just spectacular. We usually ride the canal, but this trail may just be our new fave. Next time we start in Wilmington and end the ride with a beer and lunch on the waterfront ¿¿
Overall a very positive experience! The trail is quite diverse. We started at the Black Diamond Trailhead near Glen Summit and finally got off at Morrisville with a few interruptions.
Section 1- Glen Summit to Jim Thorpe beautiful downhill easy ride with very nice mostly compacted gravel trails. Jim Thorpe should be renamed Jim Thorne because they are a thorn to get around. Trail closes at bridge and resumes on other side of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The town provides no access to connect the trail. We actually drove down to Lehighton and backtracked the trail from Lehighton to the WWTP.
Section 2- Lehighton to Northhampton. This trail was very nice mostly compacted gravel with a few side bar road sections which were low traffic and fairly safe. Trail was well marked and have regular mileage markers. In Lehighton we parked at the Lehigh Canal Park. From there the trail runs along Bridge St. a short section to get across the River. At the T-intersection of Bridge st. the trail loops down and under to the right. Trail sign shows two directions here but down and under is correct. We got off the trail at Northhampton at the Hokendaqua Creek and resumed at Canal Park at East Allentown, we did not try to forge a path through the neighborhoods. To be honest area seemed quite scary.
Section 3 - Canal Park to Delaware St. Park at Easton - This trail was highly varied and sometimes hard to follow as it intertwines with numerous other trails. Surface varied from gravel to dual lane towpath too paved to single path almost mountain bike course. Hybrid bike was perfect for all would not attempt portions on a street bike. The Palmer townships sections were like paved superhighway compared to some sections.
Section 4 - Easton to Morrisville - This trail was also highly varied from wide compacted gravel to narrow single lane gravel or dirt. Trail at times was poorly marked, especially at the Friend of Delaware Canal property on the south side of New Hope. Here the trails ends abruptly at the top of a stairs which would have been a killer if we didn't get stopped. From here you need to walk bikes down the stairs and along the brick sidewalk along mainstreet for about 500 feet, then try to cross mainstreet to enter what looks like an alley which then returns to towpath.
This section abuts many high end properties with buildings right-up-to the trail. Also has many low clearance bridges requiring either dismounting or ducking real low.
Many beautiful sections along the river early on the trail, once the high-end properties start, not much to see.
This section had very few if any mileage markers to speak of
Several small quaint little towns along the way offering many services, access is somewhat limited.
Access to Washington's Crossing Historic Park was nice.
Overall we rode for three days as we had a pick-up ride at the end of each section.
Aside, you can shunt over to the NJ side via a pedestrian/ bike bridge at Lumberville. Trail on the Jersey side was wide and well compacted gravel for most sections except in the towns where it was similar to the PA side. You can cross back to PA at either Bridge St. in Stockton, NJ or Bridge St. in Lambertville, NJ.
Happy trails.
Trail is in great shape. The only Negative was that their was no signage to help you traverse the incomplete section in Allentown.
Awesome path. Hoping for it to come up and connect to newtown rail trail for continuous trails into center city philly!
I found the campground at Green Lane, so I can combine a bike ride with having a travel trailer for my home base near the trail. I am looking for this combination in my travels.
My friend and I rode round-trip from White Haven to the abandoned railroad tunnel near Great Onoko, 44 miles. It was virtually uninterrupted. The surface is crushed gravel and easy to ride for the most part. For several miles before the tunnel, there are patches of loose gravel so be careful in this section. This part of the trail follows the Lehigh River for most of the way. You can hear the screams of the rafters riding the whitewater. There are many small waterfalls along the way. The abandoned tunnel is worth a walk-through. If you start at the southern trailhead in White Haven, be prepared to start with a lot of people, as this is the location where the bike train and shuttle buses drop off one-way riders. There is a strip mall located at the trailhead if you need snacks or drinks for your ride.
Rode this trail for seven miles from Oaks to Collegeville. First few miles were on smooth pavement, however poor drainage results in large puddles and rivulets of water on the trail in many spots. These conditions last for days after a rainfall.
After pavement ends a short on road stretch leads to a wooded path of various surfaces. Most of the remaining trip to Collegeville was on stones, cinders, mud or a combination of all. Sharp dropoffs to river below and a couple of busy road crossings were unnerving.
Improvements to the surfaces would make this a great ride.
I am only giving this trail three stars, not because the trail is a poor experience, but it is a short trail for me, and there are numerous road crossings. The trail is asphalt all the way, and virtually level. Yes, some slight slopes, but nothing serious. There are mileage markers almost every half mile, and also some signs for points of interest. I started at the King of Prussia park and ride, and biked to Exton and returned. Initially, the trail goes along some very congested real estate, but the sound barriers do muffle the traffic noise so in portions it is very nice, heavily wooded on both sides, and in some places refreshingly cool. In other areas, homes and office parks are along the way. This gives rise to multiple road crossings, and many are signal controlled, especially at major crossings. Around the 8 mile point, the scenery is more open, with farms along the trail. Once one reaches Exton Park Trailhead, where water, restroom and tables are available, unless one wants to go into Exton, there is little reason to travel further. But going further has major road crossings, and one enters into a major commercial area, and about a mile or so past that, the trail simply stops. At the Exton Park, there is a detailed trail sign and also indications of future trails, including the proposed route to link with the Schuylkill River Trail from King of Prussia.
I've only done this trail twice. Not being real familiar with Manayunk at the street level, both times I had to really search to find my way. There are signs along Main Street that point you up the hill on Green Lane, but then nothing. I don't think there is any sign to tell you to go left up Baker St. I also don't remember any signs along the Manayunk Canal trail to direct you up to the Bridge trail.
Once you find how to access the trail, it's wonderful!
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