I was driving around Lemoyne the other day, and I noticed that PennDot has put up signs for a new BikePA bicycling route.
So, I turned on the GPS and followed the signs to see where they went. The route goes almost the whole way to Gettysburg, connecting Route J with Route S.
PennDot hasn’t updated their maps in ages, but OpenCycleMap always delivers the goods.
Once you get out of Mechanicsburg, it’s a very scenic ride. It runs for about 30 miles through farms and apple orchards. There are a couple of enormous hills, so be sure to wear comfy shoes for pushing your bike uphill.
Here’s a GPX file of the route, in case you’d like to put it in your GPS or mapping software.
The other day I saw J1 signs going south through Steelton.
Yeah I’ve traced J1 from the East Mall to Elizabethtown. I think it goes to Lancaster and meets up with Route S.
I might go check it out this weekend if I get time.
I’ve been looking at doing a 70 mile out and back to Gettysburg, but using the old Gettysburg Pike starting just south of Dillsburg. There are a few other routes logged on Bikely.com.
That orchard route is some beautiful scenery, but you’re right about the hills – they would do me in quick.