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To reach the Tamaqua trailhead from Interstate 81, take Exit 131 to Highway 54 East. Continue on 54 East until the stoplight for State Route 309 in Rush. Turn right onto 309 South to Tamaqua. In Tamaqua, turn right onto State Highway 209 (West Broad Street). Continue through Tamaqua on 209. Just outside of Tamaqua, turn left at a sign for Schuylkill Valley Heritage Trail and proceed down the short gravel road to the parking area.
To reach the Middleport trailhead, take US Highway 209 into Middleport, where it becomes Union Street. Parking is on Union Street between Washington and St. Clair streets.
Ok for running or walking but surface too soft and rocky for riding. Rode half way and gave up and moved to road. Parallel tracks indicate it's used by 4 x 4s more than bikes. Also, there's not much to look at since it's right by the road.
Very stoney and rough. 2 trails are parallel for part of the journey and 1 is a little smoother in sections. Beside highway.
Great area! Leads to awesome area with great mining history. It may be washed out in some spots *THANKS TO PENNDOT/OR THE ORGANIZATION RESPONSIBLE ** Yeah it is not good for bicycles at all but there are other places to ride as many other miserable ppl mentioned before.. That said its a nice walk, 209 is not thay loud most of the time, leads to 309 south rail trail above north bound 309 tho is only about 4mi one way 8mi both soooo yeah. Don't be afraid to venture off trail bc there os awesome views, streams, trails etcetera. There may be the occasional atv/dirtbike/utv but 85% are very considerate and cautious and DO NOT OR NEVER use the actual sand trail, they stay to the side in grass(cld clrly sea the trackks in grass) and def slow dwn when pedestrians are visible foe safety amd to leep dust down
.. please have fun, be safe, watch for snakes, and thank yakl!!!
I really wanted to give this trail a good review because it is so close to me. But there are too many cons the biggest being the surface which is being ruined by the people using the trail for four wheelers and dirt bikes. I saw 3 different four wheelers the first time I was there. The trail is very rocky and not very scenic. That being said I am grateful for the trail being there for my use and so close by. Please keep motorized vehicles off of this trail!!!!!
Definitely not maintained and to top it off it's right next to a busy road, never going back.
Drove to the Tamaqua trailhead. Concrete barrier blocked the entrance to the parking area which was starting to be overgrown as well as the trail. The only walking/biking that could be done was beside the road. We walked a short distance through tall grass to see the mine entrance. Very disappointed.
Nice enough trail for walking or running, if you don't mind traffic 30' away. Surface is loose sand, large gravel and uneven overall. Made for very rough biking, and I ended up abandoning it and riding on the road's edge.
Checked the beginning and the end of this trail out a couple of days ago and came back to try and grab the new geocaches along this trail. Great fun. Definitely bike-able or walk-able with my touring bike.Various interesting hides off trail and right near the trail. Not a quick bam bam power trail even though it looks like that on the geocaching map. Nice, creative hides and nice variety. Rt. 209 goes right along the trail but is not too noisy, even on this sunny Saturday.
Trail was very wet and slushy not good after rains. trail was pretty plain, nice pole line and coal banks to run downhills on. one run and done but worth the trip.
"Much better biking in area than this path. Close to highway, noisy, and without interesting sights. A line of trees/shrubs between path and road would help."
"This trail, which runs right off the shoulder of Route 209, is not fit for biking. The crushed stone is too soft to support a bike. There is absolutely nothing scenic about the trail. Don't waste your time."
"This trail is terrific ... can't wait until it's complete! Unfortunately, parts of it are sort of washed out, but it doesn't even qualify as a minor annoyance and the trail is still 100 times better than running on the shoulder of a busy highway. While the packed sand base gets very soft in wet weather it can still be traversed -- plus it's good for resistance and for your joints!"
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