We rode from two hours away to try this trail. We wanted to ride the eastern end near Lykens. It was very difficult to find the parking areas which are not marked. The description of where to park on Trail Link was not very detailed. We finally saw a piece of the trail by the Library and parked in a small lot by the trail. We checked with the librarians on trail information and got some info from the girl at the desk. We started riding and soon discovered the small signs and arrows which lead you through alleys to try to avoid riding on main streets. Finally we came to four miles of fairly decent trail. The fine grit was nice and packed and rode like asphalt. There were a few light washouts where heavier stone shone through. The color was beautiful for later October. It would have been nice to have some mile markers and general signage explaining the trail. I hope they will continue adding to the trail and post notifications to such.

I will start by saying I did this with a gravel bike. Mostly used to flat rail to trail. This was fun because it had some abandoned road hills mixed styles of surfaces. Completed 13 or so mile loop including the bear hole trail. Very scenic. Started my trip from the campground north of the park.Can’t wait to do it again.

Mt. Gretna is very long, shady, hill, but with a tolerable grade ... which is great highlight. Most of the trail is crushed stone, with some paved sections in Cornwall & Lebanon; lots of shady sections. Unfortunately it dead ends at rt. 422 (read reviewer joelkring's comments about the sections north of rt. 422, but it means riding the streets).

Have made it as far south as Prospect Rd on the Conewago Recreational Trail. In Lebanon, there is an offshoot trail, just south of Wilhelm Ave. It leads to South Hills Park & the VA Medical Center. And South Hills Park has a 9.5% grade, which dwarfs Mt. Gretna.

Trail heads: Only Lawn & Cornwall have port-a-johns, so those are the best to park the car.

Bad road crossing, from a trike's perspective: Butler Rd. Bikes & pedestrians will have no problem, but trikes & wide strollers need to duck under the crossbar.

Chester Valley Trail & the Perkiomen Trails are also nice riding.

Wish list for this trail: 1) Connect it to the NW Lancaster County River Trail, 2) Connect the northern sections in Lebanon, and 3) Get rid of that stupid narrow gate at Butler Rd.

I’ve been on portions before without knowing! As the previous post from a few years ago signage on the east side of Hershey is poor. GPS or good ole fashioned pen and paper to make turn by turn easy!

My first trail since coming back to PA late this summer. Nice crushed gravel mostly tree lined trail along the Swaty. Took a quick 6.5 mi out and back on a smooth and relatively empty weekday morning. Nice parking and access from the state park. I didn’t see the marked parking on the south side near the KOA so drove further up. Will definitely come back and explore the other improved trails in and around this area!

First, I appreciate this trail being there.

A lot of the trail is right next to route 11, so if you are looking to "get away from things" this may not do it for ya. The part by the route 239 bridge is overgrown - not maintained at all - so we had to ride on the road through a traffic light and find our way through the town to get back on the trail.

The trail was mowed and week killer of a sort was put down which made the trail at least 8 feet wide. Wide is good.

We started at Riverlands Park and went 5.5 miles before turning around. It just got a bit too bumpy for our party.

I would recommend this to those who like to ride distance, do not mind riding over some bumps, rocks, and grass, and do not mind circumnavigating some inconveniences - like riding on the highway and some land slides by Shickshinny (3 of them).

Other than that we enjoyed it.

Rode this trail today, 42.02 miles in total out to the reservoir and back. Parked at the Ellendale trailhead, fits about 4 or 5 cars. If you continue up the dirt road about 1 mile, there is a bigger trail head that fits a whole lot more cars and is the actual start of the trail.

Couldn't decide whether to bring my mountain bike or gravel bike, decided to go with my gravel bike. If you are a recreational rider, and used to well maintained rail trails on hybrids or road bikes, this probably isn't the place for you. I got by just fine on my gravel bike, but the surface changes ALOT. Hardpack, fine gravel, cinder, bigger gravel, and big rocks randomly. Be prepared to slow down if you are bombing down the trail. Also, there were a few trees down in the middle of the trail, and countless branches all over. Also lots of ruts. You will be just fine if you take it slow.

If you really want to bomb down this thing at a fast pace, I recommend a plus tire mountain bike, with at least a front suspension fork, tubeless tires of course to help soften the ride. It's very rough, especially at the Ellendale end.

All in all, I will definitely ride this trail again, and most likely bring my MTB next time. It's secluded, serene, peaceful, and the scenery is beautiful. I rode almost 4 hours starting at 7am and saw next to no one on this trail. If you need to get away from people for a while, this is your place.

Also, please be prepared and bring hydration, tools, spare tube, tire levers, etc, and know how to work on your bike. Wouldn't want to get caught 20 miles from your car here with a broken bike.

Great trail. I rode the trail during the hottest days of the summer. I started early in the day in Wellsboro. There was a lot of shade from the trees.

This trail is pretty long. You can plan a weekend trip to do the whole trail and visit the communities of Northern Pennsylvania. A definite bucket list destination for hikers and bikers!

Great trail that goes through the heart of Mifflinburg and takes you through wooded areas, meadows, fields and old farms. Another highlight was stopping at Rusty Rail Brewing Company which is right on the trail. What an amazing restoration of a beautiful old factory. I can't wait to go back.