The Jonathan Eshenour Memorial Trail

Derry Township owns and maintains a paved trail that runs about thirteen and a half miles through most of the township. It is named for Jonathan Eshenour, a young member of the community who was fatally injured in a biking accident.

It is the thing about Hershey that does not show up in any of the brochures, and it is one of the first things I point out to anyone looking at houses here.

What it actually is

Mostly asphalt, with a short stretch that follows the streets through downtown. It runs from Middletown Road near Hummelstown to South Lingle Avenue near Palmyra, and the township lists a trailhead at Bullfrog Valley Pond.

It is not a wilderness trail. It threads between neighborhoods, parks, and commercial blocks, which is exactly what makes it useful. You can get somewhere on it.

Where it goes

The trail links Shank Park, which has sports fields, a playground, and an eighteen hole disc golf course, with Bullfrog Valley Pond, which has a pond, a pavilion, and grills and is the quieter of the two.

It also runs along the Hershey Medical Center campus. If you are moving here for a job at the hospital and you like riding, this is worth a look before you decide how many cars you need.

Why it matters when you are house hunting

Living near the trail affects how much you actually use the outdoors, which is not the same as how much you plan to. It is a reasonable tiebreaker between two similar houses, one of which is four hundred feet from an access point.

Ask which access point a house is near. Then go walk from the house to it before you decide the answer is close enough.