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Trail Day Essentials
Pennsylvania is one of the best states in the country for rail-trails. Old railroad lines and canal towpaths now carry riders along rivers and through mountain gorges, from Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River Trail to the Great Allegheny Passage out of Pittsburgh, and the hills of central Pennsylvania hide some of the best flow trails in the East.
We’ve grouped the trails below into four regions: Philadelphia and Southeast Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, Central Pennsylvania and Dutch Country, and the Lehigh Valley, Poconos and Northeast Pennsylvania. Each card lists the trail’s surface, length and type, with a link to the map, directions and the official trail page, so you can pick a ride that fits your bike and your legs.
Pennsylvania Bike Trails Map
All 16 Pennsylvania Bike Trails at a Glance
Sort by any column or search by trail name, county or region. Lengths are in miles; click a trail name to jump to its details.
| Trail | Region | Counties | Length (mi) | Surface | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schuylkill River Trail | Philadelphia & Southeast Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester, Berks & Schuylkill Counties | 82.9 | Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Boardwalk | Rail-Trail |
| Chester Valley Trail | Philadelphia & Southeast Pennsylvania | Chester & Montgomery Counties | 19.2 | Asphalt | Rail-Trail |
| Perkiomen Trail | Philadelphia & Southeast Pennsylvania | Montgomery County | 20.6 | Crushed Stone, Asphalt | Rail-Trail |
| Forbidden Drive (Wissahickon Valley Park) | Philadelphia & Southeast Pennsylvania | Philadelphia County | 5 | Gravel | Greenway |
| Great Allegheny Passage | Pittsburgh & Western Pennsylvania | Allegheny, Westmoreland, Fayette & Somerset Counties | 150 | Crushed Stone, Asphalt | Rail-Trail |
| Three Rivers Heritage Trail | Pittsburgh & Western Pennsylvania | Allegheny County | 26.6 | Asphalt, Crushed Stone | Rail-Trail |
| Montour Trail | Pittsburgh & Western Pennsylvania | Allegheny & Washington Counties | 63 | Crushed Stone, Asphalt | Rail-Trail |
| Ghost Town Trail | Pittsburgh & Western Pennsylvania | Cambria & Indiana Counties | 53.3 | Crushed Stone | Rail-Trail |
| Pine Creek Rail Trail | Central Pennsylvania & Dutch Country | Tioga & Lycoming Counties | 62 | Crushed Stone | Rail-Trail |
| Allegrippis Trails | Central Pennsylvania & Dutch Country | Huntingdon County | 33 | Dirt | Mountain Bike |
| Lower Trail | Central Pennsylvania & Dutch Country | Blair & Huntingdon Counties | 17 | Crushed Stone, Asphalt | Rail-Trail |
| Enola Low Grade Trail | Central Pennsylvania & Dutch Country | Lancaster & Chester Counties | 29.15 | Crushed Stone, Ballast | Rail-Trail |
| Heritage Rail Trail County Park | Central Pennsylvania & Dutch Country | York County | 27.4 | Crushed Stone, Asphalt | Rail-Trail |
| D&L Trail (Lehigh Gorge) | Lehigh Valley, Poconos & Northeast Pennsylvania | Carbon, Luzerne, Lehigh, Northampton & Bucks Counties | 144.7 | Crushed Stone, Asphalt, Gravel | Rail-Trail |
| Switchback Railroad Trail | Lehigh Valley, Poconos & Northeast Pennsylvania | Carbon County | 12.8 | Dirt, Gravel, Ballast | Rail-Trail |
| Lackawanna River Heritage Trail | Lehigh Valley, Poconos & Northeast Pennsylvania | Lackawanna County | 17.9 | Asphalt, Crushed Stone | Rail-Trail |
Philadelphia & Southeast Pennsylvania
A long river trail out of Philadelphia past Valley Forge, two paved suburban rail-trails that connect to it and a car-free gravel road through a wooded city gorge. 4 trails.
Schuylkill River Trail
The Schuylkill River Trail is Pennsylvania’s best-known city-to-country ride, with about 82 miles open along the Schuylkill River from Philadelphia’s Schuylkill Banks and Bartram’s Garden out past Manayunk, Valley Forge, Phoenixville, Pottstown and Reading toward Frackville.
It’s paved from Philadelphia to Oaks and through Reading and Pottstown, with crushed stone on the more rural stretches. There are still a few gaps and on-road links, especially north of Reading, so the Philadelphia-to-Valley Forge section is the easiest place to start.
Trail facts
- Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Boardwalk
- About 82 miles (some gaps)
- Rail-Trail
- Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester, Berks & Schuylkill Counties
- Cycling
Chester Valley Trail
The Chester Valley Trail is a 19.2-mile paved rail-trail on an old Reading Railroad corridor, running from Exton through Malvern and King of Prussia to Norristown.
It’s wide, smooth and fully paved, and since 2023 its eastern end has connected to the Schuylkill River Trail in Norristown, so you can ride from the Chester County suburbs all the way into Philadelphia. A westward extension toward Downingtown is under way.
Trail facts
- Asphalt
- 19.2 miles
- Rail-Trail
- Chester & Montgomery Counties
- Cycling
Perkiomen Trail
The Perkiomen Trail is a 20.6-mile rail-trail along Perkiomen Creek, running from the Schuylkill River Trail at Oaks north through Collegeville and Schwenksville to Green Lane Park.
It’s mostly crushed stone with some paved sections, and the creek, farm fields and small towns make it a peaceful add-on to a Schuylkill River Trail ride. Northern sections have closed after flooding in the past, so check current conditions before heading to Green Lane.
Trail facts
- Crushed Stone, Asphalt
- 20.6 miles
- Rail-Trail
- Montgomery County
- Cycling
Forbidden Drive (Wissahickon Valley Park)
Forbidden Drive is a car-free gravel road that runs about 5 miles along Wissahickon Creek through Wissahickon Valley Park, an 1,800-acre wooded gorge inside Philadelphia, from Northwestern Avenue to Lincoln Drive.
It’s flat and easy, with stops like the historic Valley Green Inn and Livezey Dam along the way. The park has more than 50 miles of trails, and mountain bikers can ride the Yellow and White trails, while some others are for hikers only.
Trail facts
- Gravel
- About 5 miles
- Greenway
- Philadelphia County
- Cycling
Pittsburgh & Western Pennsylvania
The famous Great Allegheny Passage, Pittsburgh’s riverfront trails, a rail-trail loop with tunnels and viaducts and a ride past old coal-mining ghost towns. 4 trails.
Great Allegheny Passage
The Great Allegheny Passage is one of the best long-distance bike trails in the country, running about 150 miles from Point State Park in Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, where it meets the C&O Canal Towpath to Washington, D.C.
It follows old railroad grades along the Youghiogheny River and over the Eastern Continental Divide, with the Big Savage Tunnel, high viaducts and trail towns like Ohiopyle, Confluence and Meyersdale for overnight stops. Most of it is crushed limestone with a gentle grade the whole way.
Trail facts
- Crushed Stone, Asphalt
- About 150 miles
- Rail-Trail
- Allegheny, Westmoreland, Fayette & Somerset Counties
- Cycling
Three Rivers Heritage Trail
The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is Pittsburgh’s riverfront trail network, with 26.6 miles of paths along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers that meet at Point State Park.
It’s the easiest way to see the city by bike, passing the North Shore stadiums, the Duquesne and Monongahela inclines, the Hot Metal Bridge and Station Square. At its southern end it connects to the Great Allegheny Passage.
Trail facts
- Asphalt, Crushed Stone
- 26.6 miles
- Rail-Trail
- Allegheny County
- Cycling
Montour Trail
The Montour Trail is a 63-mile rail-trail (including spurs) that curves around the western and southern suburbs of Pittsburgh, from Coraopolis on the Ohio River to Clairton on the Monongahela.
It’s mostly crushed limestone, with tunnels, trestles and big viaducts along the way, including the 900-foot McDonald Trestle. The National Tunnel is closed for repairs with no reopening date, so a short detour is needed there.
Trail facts
- Crushed Stone, Asphalt
- 63 miles
- Rail-Trail
- Allegheny & Washington Counties
- Cycling
Ghost Town Trail
The Ghost Town Trail is a 53.3-mile crushed-stone rail-trail in Indiana and Cambria counties, made up of a 32-mile main stem from Black Lick to Ebensburg and a 20-mile extension.
It’s named for the coal-mining towns that once stood along the old railroad lines, and you’ll pass the remains of several of them. Near Vintondale, the well-preserved Eliza Furnace, an iron blast furnace from the 1840s, is the trail’s best-known landmark.
Trail facts
- Crushed Stone
- 53.3 miles
- Rail-Trail
- Cambria & Indiana Counties
- Cycling
Central Pennsylvania & Dutch Country
The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, flowy singletrack above Raystown Lake, a river rail-trail through the Juniata Valley and two trails through Lancaster and York County farm country. 5 trails.
Pine Creek Rail Trail
The Pine Creek Rail Trail runs for more than 60 miles through Pine Creek Gorge, the “Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania”, from near Wellsboro south to Jersey Shore on an old railroad bed along the creek.
The crushed-limestone surface and gentle grade make it easy riding, and the gorge walls, waterfalls and wildlife make it one of the most scenic rail-trails in the East. It’s especially popular in fall, when the forest colors peak.
Trail facts
- Crushed Stone
- 60+ miles
- Rail-Trail
- Tioga & Lycoming Counties
- Cycling
Allegrippis Trails
The Allegrippis Trails sit in the hills above Raystown Lake, south of Huntingdon, with 33-plus miles of smooth, fast and flowy singletrack built for mountain bikes.
Trails are color-coded like ski runs, green, blue and black, and none of the climbs are very steep or technical, so it’s a great place for newer riders as well as anyone who loves flow. Expect lake views from the ridges.
Trail facts
- Dirt
- 33+ miles of singletrack
- Mountain Bike
- Huntingdon County
- Mountain biking
Lower Trail
The Lower Trail runs about 17 miles along the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River between Alexandria and Williamsburg, on an old railroad line that followed the route of the Pennsylvania Canal.
It’s shaded, mostly crushed limestone and very peaceful, with river views and canal remains along the way. A short section between mile markers 9 and 10 is closed for bridge repairs, so check the status before you go.
Trail facts
- Crushed Stone, Asphalt
- About 17 miles
- Rail-Trail
- Blair & Huntingdon Counties
- Cycling
Enola Low Grade Trail
The Enola Low Grade Trail is a 29-mile rail-trail across southern Lancaster County, running from the Susquehanna River near Turkey Hill east through Amish farm country to Atglen.
Its highlight is the Safe Harbor Trestle Bridge, a quarter-mile-long bridge high above the Conestoga River with views of the Susquehanna and glass panels in the deck. The surface is crushed stone, so a hybrid or gravel bike works best.
Trail facts
- Crushed Stone, Ballast
- 29.15 miles
- Rail-Trail
- Lancaster & Chester Counties
- Cycling
Heritage Rail Trail County Park
The Heritage Rail Trail runs 27.4 miles on the old Northern Central Railway through York County, from John C. Rudy County Park through downtown York to the Maryland line, where it continues as the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail.
Along the way you’ll pass the Howard Tunnel, a 370-foot stone tunnel from 1838 that’s one of the oldest railroad tunnels in the country. It’s mostly crushed stone, with paved sections north of York.
Trail facts
- Crushed Stone, Asphalt
- 27.4 miles
- Rail-Trail
- York County
- Cycling
Lehigh Valley, Poconos & Northeast Pennsylvania
A gorge ride from Jim Thorpe, the old gravity railroad that inspired the roller coaster and a river trail through Scranton’s coal country. 3 trails.
D&L Trail (Lehigh Gorge)
The Delaware & Lehigh (D&L) Trail runs about 145 miles from Mountain Top near Wilkes-Barre down through the Lehigh Valley to Bristol, following old canal towpaths and railroad lines.
Its most scenic stretch is the 24-mile ride through Lehigh Gorge State Park between White Haven and Jim Thorpe, with waterfalls, rafters on the Lehigh River and a crossing of the Nesquehoning Trestle. There are no services for 22 miles, so stock up first. Many riders shuttle to White Haven and ride downhill to Jim Thorpe.
Trail facts
- Crushed Stone, Asphalt, Gravel
- About 145 miles
- Rail-Trail
- Carbon, Luzerne, Lehigh, Northampton & Bucks Counties
- Cycling
Switchback Railroad Trail
The Switchback Railroad Trail follows the route of the Mauch Chunk Switchback Gravity Railroad for 12.8 miles between Jim Thorpe and Summit Hill. The railroad was built to haul coal, later carried tourists and is often credited with inspiring the roller coaster.
The southern Down Track has a hard-packed surface most experienced riders can handle, while the northern Back Track is rocky and steep, with a tough final descent, so it’s best on a mountain bike.
Trail facts
- Dirt, Gravel, Ballast
- 12.8 miles
- Rail-Trail
- Carbon County
- Mountain biking
Lackawanna River Heritage Trail
The Lackawanna River Heritage Trail follows the Lackawanna River through Scranton and the old coal towns of the valley, with 17.9 miles open between Taylor and Carbondale and more planned.
It isn’t one continuous path yet, with separate Scranton, Mid Valley and Carbondale sections and a few on-road links, but the riverside stretches are pleasant and the northern end connects to the D&H Rail-Trail.
Trail facts
- Asphalt, Crushed Stone
- 17.9 miles
- Rail-Trail
- Lackawanna County
- Cycling
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