The Cumberland Valley, one of Pennsylvania’s most beautiful areas, has long captured the hearts of nature enthusiasts. Visitors from throughout the nation have discovered a rich natural history while wandering through the countryside and ridges of the Appalachians.
Preserving this beauty and history is the mission of the Cumberland Valley Rails-to-Trails Council (CVRTC). CVRTC is an all-volunteer, non-profit, charitable corporation dedicated to conservation, historic preservation, recreation and alternative transportation in the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania through the development of multi-use trails along former railroad corridors and other areas. CVRTC is qualified as a tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions and dues (less the value of premiums, if any) are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. It is our pleasure to share our annual financial statements on our Financial Information page.
Members are entitled to receive Trail-Gram, to attend and vote at membership meetings, to attend board meetings and to seek election as directors. Member involvement in all aspects of the organization is needed. To join CVRTC or to volunteer along the trail, click here.
CVRTC owns the land that contains the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail. Conrail owned the land under the railway and it did not contain any right of ways. When CVRTC received deed to the land from Conrail and from PPL, who received it from Conrail, it became privately owned by CVRTC and is not “public” land. No federal, state, county, local government or any government authority controls the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail. CVRTC allows public access to the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail subject to it’s established trail rules.
CVRTC depends on local membership dues and contributions for its operational funds. CVRTC receives no funding from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), a separate national organization; Although CVRTC is closely allied with RTC and shares many objectives, CVRTC membership dues do not entitle CVRTC members to membership in RTC. CVRTC encourages all its friends and members to join RTC at https://www.railstotrails.org/
History of the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail
Formed in 1992, CVRTC has spent over thirty years developing the former Cumberland Valley Railroad into an improved multi-use trail to serve all ages and abilities.
The first 11-mile section of the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail from Shippensburg to Newville in Cumberland County was donated to CVRTC by Conrail in 1995. Around the same time PPL purchased the corridor between Newville and Carlisle in order to install a high power transmission line. CVRTC purchased the old railroad corridor between Newville and Carlisle from PPL in 2011. Unfortunately, PPL had previously transferred three parcels to adjoining land owners before the sale to CVRTC leaving CVRTC without a continuous corridor between Newville and Carlisle.
The first ten miles of trail opened between 2004 and 2006, becoming one of the region’s premier recreation destinations. It was another decade of hard work before a new bridge over Fogelsonger Road and the last mile of trail into downtown Shippensburg were finished in 2017. At the same time, a bridge over Big Spring Avenue and an underpass under Centerville Road in Newville were built completing the original 11 miles.
The trail continues to expand, with a one-mile section of trail starting at Allen Road in Carlisle completed in 2017. 2018 saw two additional miles of trail open from Centerville Road to Greenhill Road in Newville starting the PPL extension toward Carlisle. A two-mile section of trail was completed in 2022 from Springview Road to McAllister Church Road with parking facilities at Springview Road and crossing Greason Road in the center.
In addition, CVRTC has partnered with Shippensburg Township, the Rotary Club of Shippensburg, the Shippensburg Historical Society, and other groups to develop the Shippensburg Station trailhead, which includes a comfort station, the Cumberland Valley Railroad Museum in a refurbished Penn Central Boxcar, a refurbished B&O hopper car, the Steam Plant Sculpture Path, and soon the Conrail Railroad Museum.
The original section of Cumberland Valley Rail Trail saw a new surface applied to the trail from the Shippensburg Township Park to Oakville and was completed in the spring of 2022.
The trail is now complete from the downtown Shippensburg at the edge of Shippensburg University to Greenhill Road past Newville, approximately 13 miles, a 2 mile section centered in the village of Greason, and 1 mile at Allen Road providing a connection to downtown Carlisle. Parking is available at Shippensburg Station, Shippensburg Township Park, Oakville, Newville, Springview Road and Allen Road with restrooms at Shippensburg Station, Shippensburg Township Park and Newville. Completing the remaining sections will connect the business districts of Shippensburg and Carlisle along with the campuses of Shippensburg University and Dickinson College.
Trail enthusiasts can enjoy walking, jogging, bicycling, horseback riding and other non-motorized recreational uses. The trail, which is wheelchair-accessible, has a crushed limestone surface except for the first mile from Shippensburg Station to the Shippensburg Township Park and 1/2 mile at the Newville trailhead which are paved. All of the road crossings between these two points have been graded to meet ADA specification and paved if it is a long grade.
Trail users will appreciate a variety of settings as the trail traverses wooded areas and farmland between the historic towns of Shippensburg and Newville. A shaded picnic area in the village of Oakville provides a pleasant rest stop along the way.
Into the Future
2023 will see the phase two resurfacing project of the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail from Oakville to the Newville Trailhead.
CVRTC is working with the Shippensburg Community Parks and Recreation Authority (SCPRA) to extend the Rail Trail into Franklin County by building a section of trail from the current terminus at Shippensburg Station to the SCPRA headquarters on Orrstown Road. A feasibility study has been completed and funding has been secured. An engineer is currently working on a final design plan.
Our new South Mountain Trolley Greenway committee is starting the long hard process to develop a trail along the route of the former Dillsburg Branch of the Cumberland Valley Railroad between Mechanicsburg and Dillsburg.
The three parcels the CVRTC does not own between Greenhill Road and Allen Road presents a challenge to completing a continuous trail from Shippensburg to Carlisle. We continue to investigate possibilities to make our dream a reality but currently no timeline exists in getting it done. Hope springs eternal.