Ron Stief, program director for the Lititz recCenter, is a fan of the Warwick to Ephrata Rail Trail. "My wife and I ride it a couple times a month," said Stief, who lives in Lititz. "We do the 8-mile ride ... grab a piece of pizza in Ephrata and do the ride back. It's a cool way to spend a weekend afternoon." Stief likes the opportunity to visit Ephrata as well. "It gets me to a restaurant in Ephrata I might never go to," he said.

That spirit is behind Stief's wish to open the trail to downtown Lititz via a connection on Oak Street. While that dream is still a few years off, cyclists and others can follow Lititz streets from Oak to Front Street and to Lititz Springs Park.

The trail opened in 2018 with the completion of a bridge that spans the stream where Warwick and Ephrata townships meet. "It was a nice ceremony to officially connect the two 4-mile sections to make it 8 miles," said Stief. He noted that the trail reaches into three communities, connecting Warwick and Ephrata by passing through Akron. Part of the trail in Warwick is paved. It changes to gravel and then back to pavement in Akron. Stief pointed out that the gravel area is not plowed following winter storms. "Cross-country skiers can use it," he said, adding that a number of Lititz-area residents enjoy the sport and that the usage makes it a four-season trail.

Stief estimates that trail usage is split about 50/50 between cyclists and pedestrians, including runners, hikers, and walkers. There is a bike share facility located at the Warwick Township Municipal Campus along the trail and run by Bike Works of Lititz. "You can get a two- or four-hour rental," said Stief, who added that the transaction can be completed online at http://www.lititzbikeworks.com/rental/railtrail. "You can tell these bikes are getting used," he said, pointing to the mud on the tires of one two-wheeled vehicle.

The trail is open from dawn to dusk year-round with availability for walking, biking, and jogging. Horses and snowmobiles are prohibited. More information about the trail may be found at https://warwickrecreation.org/trails/wert. To ask specific questions, call 717-626-5096, ext. 237.

Looking around the parking lot at the Warwick Township Municipal Campus at 315 Clay Road, Lititz, Stief remarked on how much the trail is used by area residents. He noted that only about a half-dozen cars in the nearly full parking lot belong to township employees. "It's 1:27 p.m. on a Tuesday, and I have seen four or five bikers and a handful of walkers," he said.