What better opportunity to ride quiet country roads and witness farmland with fields of flowing grain, dairy herds, and horses along with streams and picturesque mountains in the background. This is LEBANON COUNTY, Pennsylvania.
The Best Bike Rides in Lebanon County
Lebanon County offers a wide variety of scenic views and rich historic value. Guess what? The best way to view this is on a bicycle. So, let’s take a deep dive into how to do this. Just go to the Lebanon Valley Bicycle Coalition website: bikelebanon.org/scenic-ride-list/. Each ride has its own unique message about how it contributes to the lure of riding in the Lebanon Valley. Que sheets are also listed with each ride along with a map of Lebanon County color coded for each individual route.
These rides will bring out the best attributes that our area has to offer. You will find horse and buggies along our “Amish Mennonite Farmland” ride. On the “Preserved Farmland Loop” ride, you will see preserved signs for these valuable farms. Beautiful horse farms will be seen in the northern tier of the Valley while in the southern tier herons, egrets, tundra swans, and geese will be observed at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. You can also take a longer ride and do the “Lebanon County Perimeter” using the start at Middle Creek.
A Pit Stop for History
Deep history runs through the Valley which can be seen in Lebanon and some smaller communities like Annville, Myerstown, and Schaefferstown. Many of these communities have heritage walking tours produced by the Lebanon Valley Conservancy, so take a break from the bike and do a short walk and appreciate the rich history. Heritage Trail maps can be found at lebanonvalleyconservancy.org/heritage-trail/.
Weekly Bike Rides with LVBC
All of this is why I love to cycle in the Lebanon Valley. The Lebanon Valley Bicycle Coalition leads a ride on Tuesday evenings from mid-April to mid-September. It is a moderate pace ride in which LVBC tries to accommodate the average road rider. The typical length of the ride is 23 to 25 miles long.
Through participating in this ride for many years, I have developed another scenic ride which most of the Tuesday night riders call their favorite. I’ve named this particular one the “Monroe Valley” ride. Slightly longer at around 27 miles long, it starts at the North Lebanon Township Building located at 725 Kimmerlings Road, Lebanon, PA.
The ride begins heading west before it winds out through Jonestown and later enters the Monroe Valley. The ride then climbs back out of the Monroe Valley before it descends to Mountain Road and continues north of Fredericksburg. Eventually, it winds back through Mt. Zion and returns to North Lebanon Township. The platform used for communicating on the Tuesday rides is called TeamReach under the name LVBC Rides. The Group Code is: RideLv2025.
Most of all I would encourage all cyclists visiting the Lebanon Valley to plan on taking some time to enjoy our wonderful scenic roads. You’ll be amazed by what we have to offer.
– Written by Ron Birch
About Ron Birch
Ron Birch was born and raised in Lebanon County. Growing up, he spent much of his childhood exploring the outdoors, often by way of his bicycle. After high school, Birch worked at Gill Rock Drill Co., raised a family, and later earned a degree in business management from Lebanon Valley College. Now in his retirement, Birch is heavily involved with three local nonprofit organizations: the Lebanon Valley Bicycle Coalition, the Lebanon Valley Conservancy, and Lebanon County Christian Ministries. He also enjoys many hobbies such as reading, playing pickleball, and of course, biking.
