The Capital Area Greenbelt and Tour de Belt Celebrate 25 Years
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Asia Tabb
Aired; May 16th, 2025.
In the heart of Harrisburg, there’s a hidden gem — 24 miles of scenic trail connecting neighborhoods, natural spaces, and historic landmarks. It’s called the Capital Area Greenbelt, and it’s more than just a path. At the center of its most festive celebration is Tour de Belt, the annual bike ride that brings thousands of riders together and highlights the Belt’s significance.
To understand how the Greenbelt came to be, you have to go back over a century.
“Just imagine what Harrisburg looked like in 1901,” said Dick Norford, Public Relations Director for the Capital Area Greenbelt Association. “There were two paved streets. The automobile wasn’t the norm. The city was ugly — sewage in the river, drinking water from the same place.”
That changed thanks to a visionary woman named Mira Lloyd Dock — a college-educated environmentalist in an era when that was rare.
“She gave a talk called Wake Up, Harrisburg at the Board of Trade,” Norford explained. “She had just returned from Europe, where she saw cities with green boulevards and public parks. That inspired Harrisburg to raise $1.1 million — a huge sum at the time — to clean up the city.”
City leaders hired landscape architect Warren Manning, who had worked with Frederick Law Olmsted on Central Park. Instead of one central park, Manning envisioned a series of green spaces connected by a “tree-lined boulevard.” Over time, that idea evolved into what we now know as the Greenbelt.
But interest in the trail faded during the world wars and the Great Depression, and car culture led people away from walking paths.
“It sat dormant for decades,” said Norford. “The trail became overgrown — a forgotten project.”
Then, in the 1990s, arborist Norm Lacasse revived the vision and helped form the Capital Area Greenbelt Association (CAGA), with the goal of completing and maintaining the full loop.
Becky Schuchert, a dedicated CAGA volunteer and past president, has been part of that journey for more than 30 years.
“I’ve always been interested in environmental issues,” Schuchert said. “The Greenbelt was the perfect way to contribute.”
One of her favorite spots is the historic Cameron Parkway. “It’s just a curving trail that follows Spring Creek. Old-timers used to drive their cars out there and picnic. Some still complain they can’t do that anymore,” she laughed, “but I just smile and nod.”
Listen to the podcast for the entire conversation.