RailTrailWxRailTrailWx
E-bikingBikingWalkingRunningHikingBirdingCross-country skiingand more
The Muhlenberg Rail Trail is a short, flat neighborhood path in Muhlenberg Township, just north of Reading in Berks County. It runs about two miles from the Mount Laurel Road trailhead in Temple south to the Montrose Avenue trailhead in Laureldale, following the old East Penn Branch corridor of the Reading Railroad and staying close to 11th and Rosedale Avenues for much of the way. Houses, playgrounds, and light industry sit on either side, with a broken line of trees along the edge. The grade is level end to end, so it suits an easy spin, a family outing, or a run before work. Parking lots sit at both ends, and the trail is open from 8 a.m. to dusk.
Muhlenberg Rail Trail
Your comfort. Prognosticated.
-Cory
In a typical year the Muhlenberg Rail Trail has about 121 to 170 days of excellent weather for popular activities such as hiking, dog walking, birding, running, e-biking, biking, and walking, with April, May, and October the best months.
Hourly comfort scores for the next 15 days of weather, tuned to your activity and your own thresholds.
Plan your visit to this trail. Get the best windows for a comfortable outing.
Enjoy the Muhlenberg Rail Trail!
In half of past years, color along the Muhlenberg Rail Trail peaks October 29 to November 8, typically around November 2. The trail has 36% deciduous coverage, with the majority being northern red oak, red maple, yellow-poplar, chestnut oak, black oak, and sweet birch.
The Reading and Lehigh Railroad was chartered on March 9, 1856, to join Reading with Allentown, and it changed its name to the East Pennsylvania Railroad in April 1857. The line opened on May 11, 1859. It gave the Philadelphia and Reading a link from its Schuylkill Valley main line at Reading east to the Lehigh Valley, and beyond that a route between Harrisburg and New York City. The Philadelphia and Reading leased the road in 1869 and ran it as its East Pennsylvania Branch. Trains left Reading, climbed out of the Schuylkill valley through Temple, and headed for Allentown. Muhlenberg Township grew up along the tracks, and Temple and Laureldale both took shape as railroad-side communities north of the city. The Reading Company went bankrupt, and in 1976 its lines passed to Conrail. The through route survives today as the Norfolk Southern Reading Line, but the corridor beside Rosedale Avenue in Laureldale and Temple was let go, and Muhlenberg Township turned it into the Muhlenberg Rail Trail. The township keeps the trail as part of its park system, and it is listed as a priority for walking and biking in the township's recreation planning. Berks County Public Libraries added a StoryWalk along the northern half mile from the Mount Laurel Road trailhead.
None
