Bike Routes in New Castle County, DE and Chester County, PA

There are some great bike routes in Northern New Castle County and Chester County, PA. Although many of these roads have little or no shoulders, if you are careful and ride them at the right time of the day you can stay safe. I am a big advocate of having a mirror on my bike or on my helmet. I see people riding without mirrors and sometimes without helmets and honestly, I just don't get it. Delaware law says that children under 16 must be wearing a helmet while riding. My personal opinion is that it should be applied to everybody. Most serious injuries or deaths are related to head injuries which can be prevented.

The Delaware Bicycle Council was formed in 1990 and includes appointed members from DELDOT, the Delaware State Police, Greenways Trails and quite a few others. The overall focus is to promote safe riding conditions and bike lanes for any new roads or renovations. There is a focus to eventually have connecting bike trails and lanes extending all the way down into Sussex County. The Delaware Biking Council is a wealth of information for bicycle safety and laws, bicycle clubs, events and programs and much more. Other than main roads, there are other bike routes in New Castle County, DE and Chester County, PA. In Brandywine Hundred there is a huge mountain bike trail along the Brandywine Creek that runs into Chester County. There you'll see some gorgeous countryside and a very enjoyable ride that's about 14 miles long. The local contact would be Woodlawn Trustees at 655-6215. There is also a mountain bike trail in the Pike Creek DE area that is in the Middle Run Natural area. It's a loop that's about 7 miles long. The contact would be New Castle County Parks at 302 395-5720. Another great trail is in Iron Hill Park in Newark, DE. This area was once the site of a huge mining operation and there are some serious hills to tackle. 

There are bike maps available from DELDOT for New Castle, Kent and Sussex Counties. You can also get some good maps at local bike shops and there are plenty. Some of the main ones are Dunbar Cyclery in North Wilmington, Bikeline in North Wilmington and Newark, Wooden Wheels in Newark and Henry's in the heart of Pike Creek. If you're into road biking or mountain biking there are some nice bike routes in northern New Castle County and Chester County, PA that you will love! If you're new to the area and you're looking for other area attractions click here.

Here's a few of my favorite bike routes in New Castle County, DE and Chester County, PA . Some of them I made up and some were introduced to me. There are many alternative loops within these routes that you can use to add miles (or shortcuts) and it's easy to do three covered bridges all in New Castle County in one 25 mile ride!