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A group of rail bikers on a tour in York County.

A rail bike being pedaled on a railroad in York County.

A four-person rail bike sits on historic railroad tracks in southern York County.

Rail bikers pedal through the historic Secret Valley in Berks County.

A group of rail bikers on a tour in York County.

A rail bike being pedaled on a railroad in York County.

A four-person rail bike sits on historic railroad tracks in southern York County.

Rail bikers pedal through the historic Secret Valley in Berks County.

Rail biking — pedaling a steel-wheeled platform on railroad tracks — is a new outdoors pastime sweeping the country, and two of the three places to do it in Pennsylvania are located next to Lancaster County.

Both York and Berks counties have opened rail biking experiences in which people of all ages can pedal leisurely through the countryside and historic landscapes.

I recently traveled to western Maryland for my first rail biking trip and was totally smitten. My wife and I sat upright in seats cannibalized from a boat that were mounted on an open-air aluminum platform fitted with four steel wheels. We propelled ourselves forward with bicycle pedals and braked when necessary with hand brakes made for motorcycles.

For 10 miles, about 30 of us, spaced apart, rode on rails laid 175 years ago. Unlike riding a bike, we didn’t have to steer or keep our balance, freeing us to admire the mountains and wooded ravines on each side.

A refreshing breeze from riding the rails countered the hot summer air and the metal wheels clickety-clacked over the rail joint, just like being on a train. The rhythmic movements lulled us into serenity.

Many of the rail biking excursions sprouting across the country share the tracks with vintage railroad trips that have been operating for years, though some follow abandoned rail corridors.

To my mind, late summer and the upcoming autumn foliage would be a splendid time to try out this new adventure. Here are details of the two rail biking offerings in our backyard.

This 4-mile round trip between Boyertown, Berks County, and Pottstown, Montgomery County, follows a railroad hand-cut through rock by Civil War veterans in the late 1860s. The Colebrookdale Railroad has run excursions on the tracks since 2014.

On the one-hour trip, you will pedal through deep forests, cross bridges, follow creeks and pass vestiges of America’s earliest iron industry. You will see where magnetic rock birthed iron works that supplied cannon balls to George Washington and attracted Thomas Edison in the search for a special ore he needed for an invention.

The rail biking excursion is operated by Secret Valley Rail Bike Explorers, a nonprofit group of women who are working on motor-assisted rail bikes that can be made available to those with autism and other disabilities.

Four-seat bikes cost $155. You don’t have to have four people on the bike. Or you can rent a three-person bike for $120 and a crew member will do the pedaling. A minimum height of 4 feet, 6 inches is required and the maximum weight to ride a rail bike is 250 pounds. Trips are available on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30. All trips depart from 1410 Glasgow Road, Pottstown. For available dates, to order tickets and for more information, go to colebrookdalerailroad.com; 610-367-0200.

There are three rail biking tours to choose from. The Countryside Tour is a 7-mile round-trip ride from Stewartstown to Anstine Village in southern York County on the historic Stewartstown Railroad, a short line and passenger railroad built in 1884. The trip goes through thick woodlands and across an early iron railroad bridge. Deer and other wildlife are frequently seen. In Anstine, a turntable will be used to turn the bikes around. The cost is $129.99 for a bike that seats up to four people.

The Howard Tunnel Tour is a 7-mile up-and-back ride from Seven Valleys on the North Central Railway to the tunnel, the second-oldest railroad tunnel in the United States and through which Abraham Lincoln’s coffin was transported in 1865. The ride is through scenic farmland, Colonial stone houses and old villages that date to the 1700s. The cost is $129.99 for a bike that seats up to four people.

The New Freedom Excursion is a 16-mile, five-hour round trip from Stewartstown to New Freedom and includes a section on the North Central Railway that hasn’t been used since damage from Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972. The route passes through scenic farmland and dense forests and by an old industrial area, train stations and rail spurs that once served bustling factories. It includes time to eat and walk around New Freedom. The cost is $299 for a bike that seats up to four people.

For all tours, riders must be at least 4 feet tall and weigh no more than 250 pounds. Tours run mostly on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30. For tour availability, to order tickets and more information, go to americanrailbike.com and click on “excursions”; 717-993-4213.

Ad Crable is an LNP | LancasterOnline outdoors writer. Email him at acrable@lnpnews.com.

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