Hershey, PA - NW Lancaster River Trail (9/20 - 9/25/25)

Starting to reach the end of our northeast US tour, we come to PA to ride some more great rail trails before it gets too cold for the winter. This time we stayed at the Elizabethtown / Hershey KOA Holiday. Now this campground is much closer to Elizabethtown than Hershey, but it was pretty close to the trail we wanted to ride.

The main reason for being here was to ride the NW Lancaster County River Trail. This rail trail is about 16 miles long and runs along the picturesque Susquehanna River. We rode the trail out and back in one day.

One of the great features of these historic rail trails are the artifacts that remain. This is the overgrown Henry Clay Furnace that operated in the 1,800s to create iron ore used to create train rails.

Although this one was fairly short, train tunnels are always one of the best features of rail trails. Although not the case this time, some of the best rail trails may have multiple tunnels that could include the need for flashlights and rain coats. This one is obviously dry and light.

Another great feature we love of rail trails are the views. Many rail trails follow waterways to leverage years of erosion to create a naturally flat pathway good for railroads.

Like I mentioned this before, this trail follows the Susquehanna river that flows into the Chesapeake Bay in MD.

Nothing to do with biking, but going to the Moo-Duck Brewery in Elizabethtown I came across an interesting and tiny men's room that included only a urinal and sink. Glad I just needed to pee.

One thing I didn't know was here is the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg. The museum is located on the highest point of the city with nice views.

I didn't even know there was a national museum for the civil war, but here it is with many exhibits showcasing the many great battles fought during the war. You could spend many hours here seeing all of the exhibits in detail.

One battle that caught my eye was the Battle of Sharpsburg(Antietam), which was the bloodiest single day of the war. We grew up only a few miles from this battle in MD and this diorama showcases the famous fight at the Burnside Bridge.

From here we are going to move north to see another HoF Rail Trail in the Grand Canyon of PA. Check my next blog post to see what we did there...