Читать книгу Rail-Trails Pennsylvania. The definitive guide to the state's top multiuse trails онлайн

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The path is mostly crushed limestone, though sections in Shippensburg and Newville are asphalt, as are numerous road crossings along the way. The trail is open dawn–dusk, and bicyclists are required to wear helmets. Also, equestrians must keep to the grass alongside the trail, except at road crossings.

If you start in Shippensburg, visit the railroad museum in an old boxcar at the trailhead. Or take advantage of several restaurants and diners located near Shippensburg University. For history buffs, a dozen Civil War and agricultural history signs are posted along the route.

Shippensburg, settled in 1730, was the first community in the Cumberland Valley and was home to a fort during the French and Indian War. Three blocks from the trailhead in downtown, which was occupied by Confederate forces, Civil War historical markers are common.

The Blue and South Mountains of south-central Pennsylvania flank the trail’s namesake valley.

Leaving town, you’ll pass the Shippensburg University campus and arrive at another trailhead at Shippensburg Township Community Park in 1 mile. The trail is wooded for the next 2 miles and then opens up for wide-ranging views of farms and pastureland on the way to Newville. You might see an Amish family with a horse and buggy as you cross roads along the way. Also, the trail council is known for employing goats to consume invasive weeds growing along the path.