Columbia-Montour Quarterly Vol. 18: October - December 2025

with the SUSQUEHANNA GREENWAY Hiking into History

by Alana Jajko

Col u mbia and Mon t o ur

co u n t ie s

a r e

r ich

w i t h bo t h na tur al bea uty

and

st o r ied

p a sts ,

and no w he r e i s

t ha t

mo r e e v iden t

t han on

t hei r

tr ail s.

F r om

r ail co rr ido rs

t ha t

p ionee r ed

Ame r ica ’ s

fi rst

r ail - t o - tr ail con v e rs ion s

t o

p a t h w a ys

once

tr a v eled b y

coal ba r ge s

and

Wo r ld Wa r

II

t ank s ,

t he s e

tr ail s

offe r

mo r e

t han e x e r ci s e — t he y

pr o v ide a jo ur ne y

t h r o u gh hi st o ry.

Hike rs ,

jogge rs ,

and c y cli sts

can e xp lo r e

s cen

ic fo r e sts

and

r i v e rs ide s ,

w hile

st e pp ing di r ec t l y

in t o

t he

r egion ’ s

r ema r kable he r i t age .

Hess Loop Trail Building Connections to the Nation’s First Rail Trail

The 3.8-mile Hess Loop Trail follows wooded paths and quiet creek crossings, including a scenic covered bridge, while tracing a piece of American trail history. Part of the loop overlaps with the J. Manley Robbins Trail, recognized as the first rail trail in the United States. Once part of the Reading Railroad line, this route now invites hikers, joggers, and families to experience where rail travel first gave way to recreation.

DANVILLE, PA

The Susquehanna Greenway is a corridor of trails, parks, conserved lands, river accesses, and communities that follows the

Susquehanna River through Pennsylvania. Stretching for over 500 miles, it provides opportunities for outdoor recreation, including hiking, biking, and paddling, while linking people to the river’s natural beauty, cultural heritage, and vibrant river towns.

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