Heritage Rail Trail: Hanover Junction to New Freedom and back

**Check back to see if the date or start time has changed. This ride will be postponed (possibly replaced with another ride) if the chance of rain is above 49%, or wind speed or wind gusts are above 15 mph (per Accuweather) **

TRAIN OR BUS STOPS
Unknown
PARKING ADDRESS
Hanover Junction Railroad Station
2433 Seven Valleys Rd,
Seven Valleys, PA
PARKING AND MEETUP SPOT
Park near to Hanover Junction Railroad Station. There are a few small lots near the station with available parking spaces. There's also street parking on Front Avenue and North Front Street.
Meet us at the front of the station. After check-in, we’ll do an icebreaker question.
BIKE ROUTE SUMMARY Ride map
This trail starts further north in York, PA but this route starts further south at the historic Hanover Junction Railroad Station (built 1851) in York County, PA.
We’ll ride south towards New Freedom, PA which has about a 3% incline. We’ll see interpretive signs, museum displays, shaded picnic areas, wooded sections, occasional views of Codorus Creek, maybe a vintage steam or diesel train chugging past us, the quaint town of Glen Rock, and the New Freedom Station.
Once in New Freedom, we’ll regroup and take an optional one-hour break. Participants have the option to return, stay for a picnic snack/ lunch, or stay for a meal at a nearby option.
After taking a break, we'll head back on a gentle downhill, toward the start. But we’ll cycle past the start about one mile to enjoy the amazing wine slushies at Four Springs Winery. It's right on the trail. After that we'll head back to Hanover Junction Station. We may go inside to see the museum before heading back.
TYPE OF BIKE: Any kind of bike frame and tires. The entire trail is crushed and packed stone, so skinny bike tires aren’t recommended. We ride similar trails with our thicker road tires and are fine. Ensure it is the correct frame size for your height so you can get maximum output. Participants are responsible for ensuring their bike tires, brakes, and chain are in good condition and they have a spare tire on hand. Organizers can try to help but aren't responsible for everyone's bike conditions.

SKILL LEVEL: All levels can enjoy this trail. It is well marked and has a gentle incline on the way south.
PACE: It’s up to you. However, the event organizers have fit legs (avg. 10-15 mph). And some of us like to do a cardio workout at some point. We make stops at tricky points on trails and to regroup every 2-4 miles. Since trails can sometimes be crowded, we don’t have expectations of being able to go very fast.
· If you prefer a faster pace than the lead riders, you can make stops to wait for them to catch up.
· If you’re not sure what your avg. speed is, be prepared to use a nav app to ride solo in case you don’t catch up to us at our stops.

DISTANCE OPTIONS
Participants can choose to return at any point. These are just suggestions.
OPTION A: Bike 3.5 miles to Glen Rock and then return. Water fountain, shaded picnic tables, Glen Rock Mill Inn (great for snacks or lunch)
OPTION B: Bike 7.5 miles to Summit Grove Campground. Restrooms, shaded areas, playground, quiet nature spot.
OPTION C: Bike 9.9 miles to New Freedom, PA, +456 feet (gentle incline) and return to the start. The organizers plan to do this option.
OPTION D: Bike option C and continue south on the NCR trail to add extra miles.
OPTION E: Bike option C, return to the starting point and then continue further north to add extra miles.
BATHROOMS
Hanover Junction Railroad Station
Town of Glen Rock retail establishments
Town of New Freedom: Public restrooms near the train depot.
BIKE RENTALS AND REPAIR
Whistle Stop Bike Shop, New Freedom, PA
FOOD & DRINK INFO
Seven Sports Bar & Grille, New Freedom
Vortex Brewing Company, New Freedom
Paesanos, New Freedom
Bonkey’s Ice-cream, New Freedom
Four Springs Winery, 50 Main St, Seven Valleys, PA
OPTION TO SOCIALIZE AFTERWARDS
Suggestions are welcome
HISTORY OF THE TRAIL
See this website: York County Heritage Rail Trail.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Bring: Water bottles, snacks, biking gloves, bike bell, bike lock, helmet visor, sunglasses, bike tube, pump, patch, first aid kit, mobile phone with nav app installed (e.g., Google maps, we use RidewithGPS). If you get leg cramps during or after a ride, take electrolytes before and during your ride (or add salt and magnesium to your water). A change of clothes for your ride home or a car seat cover to absorb sweat.
Clothing: Wear biking gloves and durable clothing so that if you do fall, your skin is protected. Avoid wearing all black, all grey, all dark brown, or all dark blue, which blends in with pavement, especially while riding through a shady segment. Consider wearing something lighter to help others notice you.
REQUIREMENTS
Participants must wear tightly secured helmets when on their bike.
Be proactive to avoid a fall/crash and minimize injury:
· Keep a distance between yourself and other bikers. If the biker ahead of you suddenly stops, you should be able to avoid hitting them.
· Don’t make stops on the trail. Pull over to the side and use hand gestures to let people know you’re slowing down to make a stop.
· Yelling out “Passing on your left” and/or ringing a bike bell as you approach people ahead of you, so they don’t inadvertently move in your line of travel.
· Slowing down to wait, rather than speeding up when trying to pass people at the same time walkers/bikers are approaching you from the opposite direction.
· Avoid potholes and debris and slow down when approaching bumps
· When approaching road crossings and iffy situations, triple-check before crossing and don’t let yourself be distracted by talking, etc.
· Ensure your helmet is tightly secured so that it won’t move if you hit the ground.
MEETUP POLICIES
Participants should understand that biking is an inherently dangerous activity, and an accident could happen at any time. Participation is at your own risk.
An RSVP of “Yes” to an event is your digital signature acknowledging that you have read, understood, and agree with Meetup’s and MD Rail Trail Biking’s policies, esp. section 6 “Release” and section 8.2 ” Limitation of Liability,” found at https://www.meetup.com/terms/

Group rules