The mountain bike trail system in Trexler Nature Preserve is unlike anything else in Pennsylvania. The system is built in an area that once was an orchard but the trees no longer exist, making the rolling hills look more like a high-alpine meadow. And unlike many other East Coast trails, Trex has very little rock. The dirt is mostly compacted shale, which is fast and smooth, and drains extremely well.

Most of the trails here are built to maximize flow and many contain beginner, intermediate and advanced features. The berms are straight-up works of art. While the smooth terrain appeals to beginner and intermediate riders, the hills are steep and the elevation changes can overwhelm newer riders. That makes e-bikes a popular choice here. The trail system is home to the TrexxxFest enduro race each fall, which is a community-driven stage race and a great way to explore the trails for the first time.

The system really has three areas. Nearest to the parking lot, accessed from Brians Trail, are the Half Pipes and Return of Brians. These are beginner to intermediate flow trails, with some rollers, berms, tabletops and step up and step-down jumps. Keep your eyes up, especially first time riders. Return of Brian’s has larger intermediate features and can be accessed and looped easily using Buck Run and the Teardrop doubletrack.

Broken Arrow descends the southern facing ridge of the North Range. It’s the only trail that runs predominately through tree cover, and boy do those trees fly by. You can really get moving on the long sustained grades. Watch for quick whoops and dips in the trail than buck unsuspecting riders. Fireman’s trail is a mile of undulating classic singletrack that leads from Broken Arrow to the Western spur of the Border trail, a long, exposed Rocky Mountain style fireroad climb back to the North Range lot.

The last trail section is the park’s newest: Jack O’ Diamonds. This black to double-black diamond jump trail has some of the largest features built on public land in Pennsylvania. The segment on the North facing slope is a little mellower, but has some sizable step ups and step downs. The other side is rowdier with 30-foot long tables. Everything has a ride around and you’ll see as many kids on hard tails riding the trail as pros on park bikes. The steep climb on the return trail, and overall elevation change makes trail bikes the most common choice.

All of the maintained mountain bike trails are in the Preserve’s North Range. Another half dozen miles of multi-use trails exist in the Central Range but they are not maintained and their steep grades make many of them better suited for hiking and trail running. Despite its steep pitches and rutty slopes, some mountain bikers who are training for races or just want a lot of hard miles do ride the entirety of the 18-mile long Border trail, which loops the entire park.

Important Note on Parking: The road to the North Range parking lot is steep, narrow, and unpaved, but passable in almost any vehicle. The lot will fill up on weekends. There’s additional spots on the east side of the Schlicher’s Covered Bridge with direct access to Fireman’s trail to the north. Additionally, there is a large lot immediately to the left when you enter the Lehigh Valley Zoo. From there, it’s a short half mile ride down Game Preserve Road to access Fireman’s trail on the far side of Schlicher’s Covered Bridge.