Jennifer's List of Bike Trails » Urban

Schuylkill River Trail

Jennifer Hodgdon — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:16:47 +0000

The Schuylkill River Trail is planned to run the entire length of the Schuylkill River, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Pottsville, about 140 miles, with a mix of paved and packed-gravel surfaces. Several sections are now complete, including a 22-mile paved stretch that runs from Philadelphia to Valley Forge (shown here). Check the web site (link above) for up-to-date information.

Sacajawea Heritage Trail

Jennifer Hodgdon — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:14:39 +0000

The Sacajawea Heritage Trail runs for 23 miles along both sides of the Columbia River, in Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick, Washington. The Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau publishes a map of the trail. Jeff King recommends the route as a nice ride.

Alameda Creek Regional Trail

Jennifer Hodgdon — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 17:53:00 +0000

The Alameda Creek Regional Trail, part of the East Bay Regional Park District, based in Oakland, California, follows ALameda Creek 12 miles between Fremont, California, and San Francisco Bay. There’s an unpaved trail on the north side of the creek, and a paved trail on the south side, and the Park District publishes a detailed map.

Delta de Anza Regional Trail

Jennifer Hodgdon — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 17:01:25 +0000

The Delta de Anza Regional Trail, part of the East Bay Regional Park District, based in Oakland, California, currently runs 15 miles from Concord, California, to Oakley, California. They plan to extend it to 25 miles, eventually, and they have a detailed map available.

Erie Canal Heritage Trail

Jennifer Hodgdon — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:54:07 +0000

The Erie Canal Heritage Trail runs on an old towpath for about 85 miles along the Erie Canal, from Lockport, New York, to Palmyra, New York. Future sections are under construction, and the plan is to link trails together so you could cycle the entire 500+ miles of the canal. Here are a few web sites about the trail :

New York State Canals (official site: short description, list of where to camp on linked page, construction updates)
Parks and Trails New York (advocacy organization: overview of history and future plans, also has detailed description of cycling the trail in “guided tour” sections)
Classic Buffalo (maps, photos)
nycanal.com (rough map, short description, directions to trailheads)

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal

Jennifer Hodgdon — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:05:39 +0000

The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park has a 185 mile towpath, which is available for cycling. It runs from the Washington, D.C., area to Cumberland, Maryland, along the C&O Canal (which parallels the Potomac River). In Cumberland, it connects to the Great Allegheny Passage, which runs from there to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Clearwater and Snake River National Recreation Trail

Jennifer Hodgdon — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:00:53 +0000

The Clearwater and Snake River National Recreation Trail, maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers, is a 7 mile trail that runs from Lewiston, Idaho, and Clarkston, Washington, to Asotin, Washington, along the Clearwater and Snake Rivers.

Boise River Greenbelt

Jennifer Hodgdon — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:38:56 +0000

The Boise River Greenbelt is a 9-mile trail along the Boise River in Boise, Idaho, that continues out of town another 7 miles to Discovery/Lucky Peak State Park.

Here are some photos that Jeff King sent of a recent ride. Click on photos to see larger versions. Thanks, Jeff!

Spokane River Centennial Trail / North Idaho Centennial Trail

Jennifer Hodgdon — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 21:06:18 +0000

The Spokane River Centennial Trail winds 37 miles along the Spokane River from Riverside State Park in Spokane, Washington, through the downtown Spokane area, and then back out of town and east to the Idaho border. There it becomes the North Idaho Centennial Trail, which continues another 24 miles to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

I-90 Trail

Jennifer Hodgdon — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 18:35:57 +0000

The I-90 Trail of the Seattle, Washington metro area parallels the Interstate 90 highway from Seattle to Bellevue. Parts of it are right next to the freeway, and parts wind through parks, but it is mostly useful for commuters trying to reach downtown Seattle from the east side of Lake Washington (and vice versa).