Walk, hike, ride: Central Pa’s trails are expanding

Aug 7, 2023

Remnants of old structures and long-gone communities. Ancient cemeteries. Geological rarities. Places offering mountain-to-mountain views across valleys. Unexpected curiosities to contemplate or research later.

Not to mention exercise, peace of mind and health.

All those and more can be found again and again on the vast and constantly improving array of trails available to central Pennsylvanians.

The offerings include one of the ultimate trails in North America — the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail extending from Maine to Georgia. The region enjoys a special relationship with the AT: it’s home to the halfway point, located in Cumberland County, as well as the Appalachian Trail Museum, located nearby in Pine Grove Furnace State Park.

A multitude of Appalachian Trail access points, often with parking and sometimes long-term parking, provide great opportunities for day or multi-day hikes in multiple central Pennsylvania counties.

But that only scratches the surface.

The region is also home to miles and miles of other hiking and biking trails. Some are remote and rugged. Some are near towns, with easy access to parking and restrooms. Many offer access to people with disabilities.

Most exist in a state of continual improvement, almost exclusively led by volunteers. Ambitious new projects — a trail between Mechanicsburg and Dillsburg in Cumberland County, for example — are in the planning stages.

Here’s an overview of some recent trail expansions and new trail proposals:

The Cumberland Valle

Rail Trail

The Cumberland Valley Rail Trail spans about 20 miles between Shippensburg and Carlisle.

Recent improvements include two museums housed in former rail boxcars, with one devoted to the former railroad and one devoted to the trail itself. They’re located at the southern end near Shippensburg University. That area also features a new comfort station and newly-paved parking lot along with artwork. It’s home to monthly first Friday events featuring food and beer trucks and musical entertainment.

Other recent improvements involve the opening of new segments of trail between Newville and Carlisle, including a one-mile segment ending at Allen Road on the edge of Carlisle and connecting to a different trail on Carlisle’s west end.

The stretch between Newville and Carlisle remains a work in progress, with the trail interrupted by several sections of private property.

However, Jim Hoeffler, a volunteer for the Cumberland County Rails-to-Trails Council, believes ownership changes or changes of heart will eventually allow continuous access to the former railroad corridor or allow connecting paths on nearby land.

He stresses it took decades to finish the Appalachian Trail, which once diverted hikers over public roads in Cumberland County before landowners granted access.

“Anything that’s worth doing just takes time. So it could be a couple more years … likely more than that, but it will eventually happen,” Hoeffler predicts.

The council is also studying the feasibility of an extension from Shippensburg to Chambersburg.

And an even grander possibility exists: extending the trail from Chambersburg to Hagerstown, Md. and linking it to the Great Allegheny Passage, a trail connecting Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.

It will take a lot of work and overcoming of obstacles. Still, Hoeffler, who is 67, believes it could happen during his lifetime.

The Cumberland Valley Rails-to-Trails Council is a non-profit run by volunteers who handle maintenance and improvement projects on the trail. That’s the case with many trails throughout the region, with organizations typically partnering with government entities along with local organizations and businesses.

Hoeffler says there’s significant collaboration, with the older organizations sharing expertise with the new.

That kind of collaboration is fueling another grand vision for the Harrisburg region: a trail from Mechanicsburg to Dillsburg. The South Mountain Trolley Greenway would cover eight miles.

The vision arose about seven years ago within an informal group. The group eventually reached out to the Cumberland Valley Rails-to-Trails Council, which took it in and guides it on topics such as gaining non-profit status, fundraising and negotiating easements from landowners.

“That’s how these things start,” Hoeffler says. “In a couple of years, there will be a very nice trail over there.”

As it stands, greenway organizers are looking for people willing to donate time and financial support.

Here’s more information on other recently upgraded trails in the region, along with information about a few others that make a good starting point for people looking to familiarize themselves with the region’s trails.

But it’s only a starting point — the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources says the state has 650 recreational trails covering 12,000 miles. Search up a map of Michaux State Forest, for example, and find days worth of trails to explore, along with an old fire tower, a remote municipal reservoir, multiple vistas, and assorted historical sites and oddities to puzzle over. Trails also can easily be found online or just by being curious and on the lookout.

The Letort Spring

Garden Preserve

In 2018, the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy acquired a 40-acre former watercress farm along LeTort Spring Run just south of Carlisle. Since then, it has created a network of trails connecting a parking area to assorted ecological habitats and a historic barn and springhouse. A recently-opened section of trail extends about a mile south from Spring Garden Street to Heisers Lane.

Moreover, the preserve is adjacent to the LeTort Regional Authority Nature Trail, which extends to LeTort Park in Carlisle more than two miles away. This trail can be accessed at multiple points in Carlisle and offers a wide, all-weather path that’s accessible for people with disabilities.

Lebanon Valley Rail Trail

The Lebanon Valley Rail Trail is a grandaddy of rails-to-trails conversions in central Pennsylvania, along with the York County Rail Trail. Begun in the mid-1990s, it covers about 20 miles in Lebanon County, passing through communities including Lebanon, Cornwall and Mt. Gretna. All the while, supporters continue to dream and plan big.

A project begun in February, for example, will create about two miles of trail and a new city park in Lebanon. It’s expected to be finished by May, 2024. The project is being funded almost entirely with state grants. There are other plans for assorted new trail segments and improvements, with supporters continually planning, raising money and acquiring land. The ultimate goal is 43 miles of trail in Lebanon County connecting to Lancaster, Schuylkill and Dauphin counties, including a link to Swatara State Park and the Stoney Valley Rail Trail.

Capital Area Greenbelt

For a substantial, varied trail that offers easy access to a large, local population, it’s hard to beat the Capital Area Greenbelt, consisting of a 20-mile loop through various commercial and residential areas as well as parks and natural areas in and around Harrisburg.

The Northwest

Lancaster County

River Trail

The hiking and biking trail covers 14 miles along the Susquehanna River. Begun more than 20 years ago, the final segment opened last year. At a ceremony, a speaker offered words which, in spirit, could apply to any of the region’s trails, which are free and open to everyone.

“The Northwest River Trail is a symbol of health,” said Brandon Tennis of the Lancaster County Conservancy. “It provides equal access to fresh air, exercise, and solace in nature. It traverses natural landscapes and the last remnants of Lancaster County’s great Susquehanna floodplain forests. It connects people to destinations shaped by periods of time too large to even grasp. It connects people to the river.”

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