![pottstown iron horse bike ride pottstown iron horse bike ride](https://thunderoutreach.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/thunderbandlogo.jpg)
I still think that was the right move, but I neglected to take into account that the day on which I planned my ride was July 4th. My decision was to start the ride from Danville, because it's one of the densest centers along this trail and the trail passes right through the heart of its downtown district. Other than the few bridges that the trail crosses and a handful of underpasses for crossing major roadways, the trail is pancake-flat.Ī word about the starting point of the ride is in order here. You may observe from the elevation profile plot shown above that this entire ride takes place within about 300 feet of elevation difference, and there are no repeated ups and downs even within that modest range that would boost the total climb of the ride in any way. That would be an understatement for this trail.
![pottstown iron horse bike ride pottstown iron horse bike ride](https://bikeimages.blob.core.windows.net/bikeimages/116d45e4-b769-4512-881f-4881ea1c16fb.png)
You would expect any trail that follows an old railway to have very gradual elevation change. The trail also gets its name from its association with trains. The website explains that Iron Horse Trail follows the path of a Southern Pacific rail line that went out of use in 1977. Such a long trail cutting right through fairly populated areas owes its existence to an old railroad right of way. In fact, the trail already seems to have grown in length between the time I did this ride and the time I've posted it on this site: the website announces that a 1.8-mile stretch from the Dublin BART station south to Santa Rita Road was opened in August 2014.
#Pottstown iron horse bike ride full
(I think a few trail segments branching off the main stretch and a handful of disjointed segments not yet connected to the core trail account for the difference between those figures.) Think about that: this is a paved, casual trail whose full out-and-back traversal would result in a half-century ride! Eventually, the trail will be extended to Livermore and its total mileage will reach 55 miles, according to the website. The trail's website currently quotes its total length as 32 miles, though I can measure only about 26 miles on its main span. The length of the ride could be enough for a low-key workout for an experienced cyclist, while more casual bikers can still tailor this to their own needs by picking any portion of the trail they desire, without feeling obligated to complete the entire route. The route shown on this page is my approximation of a "reasonable" Iron Horse ride and it covers the portion of the trail leading north from Danville, which adds up to around 14 miles one way. Iron Horse Trail is the longest paved trail in the Bay Area that I'm aware of, stretching from Pleasanton to Concord.