Find the top rated mountain biking trails in Willow Grove, 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 a well maintained beautiful trail. We parked at the trailhead at Levan’s road -nice pavilion and restroom to use. When you come to the loop at the end of the spur going right will avoid the hill people mention. It’s not extreme by any means but it will get your heart rate up a bit. We saw quite a few friendly people riding , walking and running. Loved the signage along the trail sharing the history in this area. April thru October check out the Chuckwagon drive in Ironton. Excellent sandwiches and ice cream.
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.
Just short of 3 miles in length (counting the southern segment not included on RTC's map extending from Union St. south to the intersection of Main and Spring streets), the Monocacy Way is one of the Lehigh Valley's shorter greenways. However, it more than makes up for this short length by connecting several major historical sights, spanning from the 18th century to the 1930's.
Notable sights along the pathway include the Bethlehem Waterworks, Moravian Tannery and the buildings comprising the Colonial Industrial Quarter. Located just north of the trail's southern terminus, these preserved buildings all date from Bethlehem's earliest days as a Moravian settlement and show what life was like in the Colonial era. Interpretive signage provides a detailed history of the town's early industries as well as the beginnings of its public waterworks.
Heading north of Union Street, trail users learn about the agricultural side of life in early Bethlehem at the Burnside Plantation. Comprised of the original farmhouse, several barns and a garden, the plantation was leased by the Moravians to numerous farmers well into the 19th century. Now owned by Lehigh County, it's a great example of an early American farm and is also used for a variety of events, volunteer projects, historic tours and venue rentals.
After crossing Schoenersville Road, the trail heads further north, passing between an active RR line to the left and a sheer rock wall to the right. This cliff is a remnant of the John T. Dyer Quarry, which was abandoned in the 1920's. The crumbling, concrete tarmac located nearby was once the base of the crusher building.
The trail splits into three separate branches immediately north of the quarry. The smooth, asphalt bikeway veers west, heading up Monocacy Hill and linking with Illick's Mill Road at the Bethlehem Municipal Ice Rink, while a crushed stone trail crosses the RR tracks and follows the foot of the hill to the trailhead at Illick's Mill. The third route consists of a dirt footpath that follows the west bank of Monocacy Creek through the woods, also coming out at the trailhead.
Sitting across Illick's Mill Road from this trailhead is the 19th century stone grist mill for which the road is named for. Situated immediately off the trail, the mill has been restored and currently houses the Appalachian Mountain Club's Mid-Atlantic Conservation Office.
Also bearing the name of the mill is an adjacent park built in the 1930's by the Depression-era Works Progress Administration. Stone benches in this park still bear the stamp of the WPA, a New Deal program, and the original pavilions and even a couple brick fireplaces remain in use nearly a century later.
However, the most notable features of Illick's Mill Park are the dam at its north end and the ornate suspension bridge that serves as the trail's northern terminus. Originally built so a section of the Monocacy Creek immediately upstream could be used as a natural swimming pool, the dam is now noted for the Asian-style pavilions located on either side and is a popular place to observe waterfowl. The bridge, meanwhile, is noted for both its stone piers and the locks placed on the railings by couples pledging their love to one another.
The trail is also noteworthy for its beauty and serenity, especially north of Union Blvd, though even the urban southern segment offers cool shade and steers clear of major roads and other noisy areas. Nature lovers will appreciate the segments in Illick's Mill and Monocacy parks as well as the boardwalk that passes over the banks of the creek south of Burnside Plantation.
Although I disagree with other reviewers who claim the trail is "outdated" and is inferior to other greenways, it could use some improvements. The trail is little more than a mud and grass track in the vicinity of Burnside Park, while the asphalt surface in Illick's Mill Park has badly deteriorated. The section from Union Blvd. south to the Broad Street Bridge is also little more than a gravel and dirt sidepath and it's actually easier for cyclists to use adjacent Old York Road, a lightly traveled side street. Finally, the lower trail and footpath through Monocacy Park are both poorly marked and cross the RR tracks at steep grades that are also unmarked. Trail users should stop, look and listen at these crossings since the line is still in use.
Nonetheless, these shortcomings are greatly overshadowed by the beauty and history of this splendid trail.
Loved every minute of this short bike around the lake. Paved (a bit of rough pavement at one point but majority was very smooth) and one good hill.
Great trail but it makes you drive with cars going 45mphom some parts
I walk these trails often. It’s one of my happy places.
Living in Middlesex county are and getting into biking it’s good long path and safe. Has lot bumps as other reviews and lots stops with street crossings. Started at Gerard St and made it down just past Keansburg area roughly 14 miles round trip. Hard to keep fast momentum or consistent pace with stops but as a beginner it’s great place to ride safely
We rode the south segment (Freehold to Big Brook Park), 12 miles RT. It was lovely for a leisurely ride. But with many street crossings and twists in the trail, as well as bumps from roots, it’s not great if you are looking to get any consistent speed. Also, we went in Labor Day, so lots of foot traffic and families riding in groups. Nevertheless, we look forward to trying the other segments.
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.
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.
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