Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Reading, 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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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.
Constructed along the route of an old rail line that once served several slate quarries, the 3.3-mile Slate Heritage Trail celebrates one of the resources that once played a prominent role in the economy of the Lehigh Valley.
Much like the nearby Ironton Trail is an outdoor, linear museum devoted to the iron and cement industries, the Slate Heritage Trail treats users to ruins of the local quarries, most notably the NY Tunnel Quarry, so named because the tunnels mined into cliffside reminded the owner of the NY subway system. Slate heaps left from other quarrying operations can be seen off the trail further west and the towns that the trail connects, Slatington, Emerald and Slatedale, all attest to the role that the grey rock played in the development of the region.
The trail's route through a wooded greenbelt provides serenity and welcome shade in the warmer months of the year and people can often be seen fishing in the aptly named Trout Creek. The trail has a smooth, asphalt surface through Slatington, the largest and easternmost town, but turns to crushed stone at the quarry east of Emerald. Although the western segment of the trail has been repaired since the floods a couple years back, the surface is pretty loose, so cyclists should be careful. The section from Emerald to Slate Dale is also notable for the lush forests it passes through, giving the feeling of being in rural NE PA to the north rather than the suburban Lehigh Valley.
Other highlights mentioned in earlier reviews include the slate benches, several of which double as memorials devoted to the deceased, the covered bridge situated halfway between Slatington and Emerald and the remains of a demolished RR bridge in the latter town.
Although the trail itself is only a little over 3 miles in length, it links to the much longer D&L Trail on its eastern end and could possibly be extended west toward Jacksonville and Kempton in the future.
We Loved this trail. We got on at the Brillhart Road Parking lot went down the trail through the Howard tunnel, all the way down to the Hanover Junction. It was pretty much all in the shade. There were sections with very low grade ups and downs but the grade was so low you couldn’t see the hills visually, you just felt the difference in your legs. There was also minimal street crossings and they were all super small back roads with minimal traffic, which was great for my kids.
This was the second time I visited this trail. But the change in parking location from Quarryville the first time to Red Hill Road in Pequa this time made all the difference. From the that trailhead, you can choose what direction you’d like to enjoy the trail. But I would highly recommend going west towards the Martic Forge Trestle and the beginning of the spectacular views of the Susquehanna to River
I just moved back to the Philadelphia area. The Chester Valley Trail continues to be one of my favorites. I’m a mid-level road biker and this trail suits me well. The CVT is in beautiful shape: lots of trees and the western half in particular is very bucolic. Yes there are road crossings and some traffic noise, but honestly, the tree cover and the quality of the trail make up for any issues. I also like it because it’s not as busy as the SRT (another excellent ride and great for faster riders or the Perkiomen)
It’s a simple riverside greenway. It’s a little hillier than I expected for a riverside trail, but it’s in good shape and not too hard to ride. Most of the river view is blocked by shrubbery, but you can still see it, and it’s pretty nice. The trail was a bit crowded on a Monday evening.
It’s along the bed of a would-be expressway, and therefore there’s really nothing to see. I averaged 12 mph, and it felt slow. It’s in outstanding shape and looks new, but the perfect shape combined with the lack of scenery made it utterly boring. At least it had a fun downhill.
It’s effectively a widened sidewalk along a suburban boulevard opposite from a commercial shopping center. I’m sure it’s functional in that way, but it’s not really a *trail.* I’ll still give it 3 stars though because it’s in perfect shape.
It’s very short, but a good ride while it lasts. The Oregon Pike crossing is daring. Other than that it’s just a simple high-quality short-trail.
Pretty straightforward; not much to say. Just watch the tight switchbacks north of the tunnel if you’re on a bike or something with wheels.
In all honesty, I rode this entirely too fast. The trail is quite narrow, enough so that I had to pull over to let another cyclist continue in the other direction. That said, I still had a lot of fun blazing the downhills. Lots of root-bumps as well. Some of the hills are pretty aggressive for bikes.
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