Conewago — a short farmland return

Conewago — a short farmland return — detailed guide

Source review: 2026-10-11. A dated source review does not guarantee current-day conditions.

A two-mile ride on the southern end of the Conewago Recreation Trail, starting at its Route 230 parking area and returning before the trail's sloped Mill Road crossing. This is a compact outing on a separated former railroad, with farmland, creek scenery and a crushed-stone surface.

Checked October 11, 2026. This written entry is complete with the qualifications below. A fresh access check and website integration remain before publication.

Ride at a glance

• Suggested ride: approximately 2 miles, out and back. Follow the trail from the southern mile-zero entrance to mile 1, then retrace it. Parking approaches and the actual turnaround change the distance slightly.
• Surface: crushed stone. Suitable for an ordinary bicycle with tires that handle compacted stone; rain, loose material or washouts can change the ride. This is not an all-asphalt outing.
• Terrain: the county describes the trail as well-graded and level, with a paved, sloped exception at Mill Road. This outing turns back before that exception. Maximum slope and elevation gain are not measured here.
• Start: the designated Route 230 / North Market Street trail parking area east of the Conewago Creek bridge, northwest of Elizabethtown. Use the county's map rather than the parks office address.
• Hours: dawn to dusk, subject to posted restrictions.
• Fees: the reviewed trail page lists no ordinary entry or parking charge. A current fee-free guarantee was not independently established; follow posted information. Special-event charges are separate.

The outing

Park in a marked public space at the trail's southern entrance. Walk your bicycle through the vehicle area and locate the signed trail and mile-zero starting point. Ride north toward the Lebanon Valley connection, staying on the main Conewago trail.

Use the manager's mile markers to turn around at mile 1, before proceeding toward Mill Road. Stop clear of the traveled path, then return along the same trail to the starting lot. Do not cross Route 230 or extend into neighboring nature paths to complete this outing.

The county reports six street crossings on the full trail. This short return avoids the mapped Mill Road crossing and its sloped paved approach; it does not claim a surveyed absence of every driveway, maintenance entrance or vehicle encounter. Obey any crossing signs encountered, and shorten the ride if access or conditions differ from the map.

The full trail is a separate option. Current county material describes approximately five miles, while older brochures and the planning directory use 5.5 miles. That discrepancy does not determine this mile-zero-to-mile-one outing. No Lebanon Valley mileage is included here.

Rules and practical details

Ordinary bicycling is explicitly permitted. Keep right, announce passes and travel single file past other users. Expect walkers and horses; the county instructs horse riders to use a walking pace. Leash pets, remove pet waste and carry out litter. Alcohol is prohibited.

Do not treat the county's accessibility policy as blanket e-bike permission. It explicitly limits device access to people with mobility disabilities and describes electric devices no wider than 36 inches with output no greater than 300 watts. Confirm the applicable rule with the manager if bringing an e-bike.

Bring drinking water. Current drinking-water and restroom availability at this lot was not verified. Wet stone, storm damage and temporary restrictions require an access check before the ride. The county alert category returned no trail notice during this review; that is not an on-site all-clear.

Maps and sources

County trail page and rules · County October 2024 trail map · County accessibility policy.

The linked map is the navigation reference. No surveyed GPX, precise parking-stall coordinate or measured maximum grade is supplied. No video is needed for this entry.