Contact   Lou Schleifer

Join us as we ride 4 different Rail Trails in PA, spend our rest day strolling through Longwood Gardens, and then ride along the Jersey Shore!

Here are some photos from my visits and/or recon rides to all of these places, in no particular order:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/E6FfFBwLWQa9qroD6

Some Key Details About this Tour

1. Although 'Gravel' is the first word in the Tour's name, the fact is that you don't need a gravel bike to do this Tour, even though I'll be bringing mine.  If you have even 32mm tires with tread on them--you should be fine. That said, I would advise 35mm tires with tread, to play it safe.  Please see the last two pics in the photo album, which show the trail surfaces (the typical, and the one-off anomaly).  And please see my mechanic's comments on tire size, at the very bottom of this Tour description.
2. Also, take note: we won't have a single noteworthy climb on this Tour.  But we will definitely experience headwinds on occasion (especially on Days 5 & 7), as well as some long--but quite gradual--inclines on Days 3 and 4.
3. As to the mileages: Except for Day 2, which is a 1-way ride, all of these rides are out-and-back rides, and can easily be shortened, if needed.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 (Saturday): We drive out to Jim Thorpe PA, and check into our hotel for the 1st of 2 nights.  We'll have a Happy Hour at Molly MaGuires, and a group dinner (venue TBD).

Day 2 (Sunday), Lehigh Gorge Trail: 36 miles of trail riding (we will ride in one direction only). Surface: Pea gravel or hardpack dirt. Along with our bikes, we'll be shuttled up to Glen Summit.  From there, we'll ride the D&L Trail--along the 'Lehigh Gorge Section'--back to Jim Thorpe.  This is along the river almost the entire way, and we'll see a few waterfalls, and probably also some rafters and kayakers. If we're lucky, we might even see the sightseeing train that runs near the Trail for a short stretch.

Day 3 (Monday), Stony Valley Railroad Grade: Trail is 22 miles in length (end to end), and ends at a Reservoir. Surface: Gravel, and even rocks along some stretches.  On this morning, we'll check out of our hotel in Jim Thorpe and have a long drive to reach the trail head.  But it's well worth the effort, as this is a beautiful gravel trail that climbs ever so slightly as it shoots straight through a heavily wooded area.  It is adjacent to a stream at sometimes, and it ends at a reservoir which should be a great spot for a lunch break (although I didn't get that far in my recon ride).  After we're done, we'll have a short drive to our hotel in Harrisburg, where we'll stay for just one night.

Day 4 (Tuesday), LVRT & Conewago RT: Trail is 20+ miles in length (end to end), but with breaks in it.  The southern portion is contiguous for 15 miles, and that's what we'll ride. Surface: Pea gravel or smooth blacktop. We'll check out of our hotel in Harrisburg and drive to a strategic trail-side parking lot, located on the Conewago Rail Trail.  From there, we'll ride northeast (and slightly uphill) until the trail becomes the Lebanon Valley Recreation Trail, and we'll continue heading north past Cornwall (a  nice possible lunch stop) and past the Lebananon Valley Exposition Center (which has Porta-Johns) .  On the return, we'll stop in the Trail-side town of Mount Gretna, which has restaurants, shops, arts and crafts shows, its own lake with a beach, and of course, ice cream!  When we get back to our cars, we'll pack up our bikes and drive a short bit soutwards to Strasburg PA--an area popular with the Amish--and check into our hotel for the 1st of 2 nights.  We'll have a group dinner in Lancaster (Katie's Kitchen, a popular Amish restaurant, is one good option).

Day 5 (Wednesday), Enola Low Grade RT: Trail was 22.5 miles in length (end to end) when I did my recon ride in June 2026, but should be closer to 29 miles after a 2026 resurfacing project is finished. Surface: Pea gravel, or smooth blacktop. We'll ride the Enola Low Grade Trail, the western 6.5 miles of which is along the Susquehanna river.  We'll get the excellent view overlooking the river from the bridge.  We'll see the restored Caboose, and read all about what was considered at the time to be an audacious plan to build this line in the first place.  Construction included extensive blasting of the granite cliffs bordering the northern banks of the river. In fact, the excavation required to build this line was second only to the construction of the Panama Canal, at that time.  But this line turned out to be the most critical and profitable one in the entire history of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company; it was a freight train superhighway.  If there even is a grade along this trail, I couldn't really detect it; the trail name is indeed justified.  But the eastern headwind was impossible to miss.

Day 6 (Thursday), Longwood Gardens: Rest Day / Travel Day.  We check out of our hotel in Strasburg PA and drive about one hour east to Longwood Gardens. We'll spend a few hours here.  Often called America’s greatest horticultural display, Longwood spans 1,100+ acres of rolling Brandywine Valley meadows, four acres of heated indoor glasshouses, and the newly unveiled $250M West Conservatory. Whether you're strolling through 10,000 plant varieties or catching the 10,000-gallon-per-minute choreographed fountain shows, it is an absolute must-see. We'll depart in the afternoon and drive east towards Philly, where we'll have a group dinner (venue TBD).  Once finished, we'll drive a bit further to reach our last night's lodging, in East Windsor, NJ.

Day 7 (Friday), Jersey Shore: 39 (long) / 25 miles (short). Surface: Road/bike-lane/paved-trail riding.  We'll check out of our hotel in East Windsor, and drive a short stretch east to Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park. We'll ride north to Sandy Hook, and explore the park and the views of the ocean, the bay, and the places beyond (including the Highlands, and the NYC skyline).  We'll then double back, and have a group lunch in Sea Bright. Those pressed for time can end the ride upon reaching Seven Presidents Park (25 miles).  The rest of us can continue south past the Park, taking in the beautiful view of the beach from a restricted-access road, and seeing the lavish and meticulously landscaped mansions in Deal and Allenhurst.  We'll get as far as Asbury Park, where we'll do a scenic loop, and then head back north towards Seven Presidents Park (39 miles).  The Tour ends there.

Proper Tire Selection for this Tour

Before I added Day 3 to the itinerary--which is easily the most rugged surface of the entire Tour--I showed my bike mechanic a photo of the pea gravel that was typical along the other Rail Trails (see the next-to-last photo, that shows my right bike shoe on the trail surface), and here's what he had to say: If you can manage 40mm tires on your bike, they'll let you ride with the lowest pressure and provide the very best traction and comfort.  But 35mm could certainly work, even though they would have to be ridden at a higher pressure.  Even 32mm could work, but it would require the highest pressure of all. Moreover, as you consider these skinnier tire widths, not only will the required pressure increase, but so too will the need for having some tread on the tire to maintain traction on loose gravel.  He recommends GravelKing Panaracer tires, which all have tread and come in a range of sizes.

To see the very worst of the trail surface on Day 3, please look at the very last photo, that shows my left bike shoe on the trail surface.  Even with this ride incorporated into the mix, his advice may still hold.  But I would strongly recommend that you aim for 35mm tires with tread, at a minimum, if you can manage it.

Of course, the maximum tire size that your rims can handle can still be limited by the type of brakes on your bike and/or the clearance provided by your fork (front wheel) and seatstays (rear wheel).  The website below is helpful in getting an initial estimate of the proper tire pressure for both front and rear wheels. 

https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure

 

Contact   Lou Schleifer