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13 D&L Trail

Counties

Bucks, Carbon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Northampton

Endpoints

Jefferson Ave. between Prospect St. and Canal St. (Bristol) to Lehigh St. at Woodlawn Ave. (Mountain Top)

Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous; please refer to the interactive maps on the websites listed on page 59 to bridge the gaps.

Mileage

143.8

Type

Rail-Trail/Canal Towpath

Roughness Index

2

Surface

Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

The D&L Trail runs for more than 140 miles through Eastern Pennsylvania, from Philadelphia’s northern metro area to Mountain Top in the Appalachians. It follows historic canal and railroad routes at the core of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, where natural resources and human ingenuity combined to power the nation’s Industrial Revolution.

The trail follows the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers through Bucks, Northampton, Lehigh, Carbon, and Luzerne Counties. After several gaps are closed, it will be the longest rail-trail in the state at more than 160 miles. This national recreation trail is included in five regional trail system projects: the Circuit Trails, which will connect 800 miles of trail in Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey; THE LINK trail network in the Lehigh Valley, working to connect more than 500 miles of trails; the Northeastern Pennsylvania Trails Forum; the September 11th National Memorial Trail; and the East Coast Greenway, which will run from Maine to Florida.

It’s a good idea to visit the official trail website (delawareandlehigh.org) before heading out to check on local conditions. You’ll find valuable information on detours, lodging, dining, shuttles, and other services. While directions to and from on-road sections of the trail are marked in many cases, it’s best to refer to the website’s detailed collection of maps and detour information for each trail gap before making a long-distance trip. A portable GPS device is also recommended.

Delaware Canal State Park Segment: 59.0 miles

The southern section of the D&L Trail from Bristol to Easton passes through the linear Delaware Canal State Park for nearly 60 miles. This is the longest section of trail, with only minor interruptions. The crushed-gravel surface follows the towpath that dates to the early 1800s, when Bristol was chosen as the terminus of the canal that carried huge shipments of anthracite coal to drive regional industries.

Travelers through here will find canal locks, aqueducts, and other historical structures and homes. Between Bristol and Morrisville the trail passes near Levittown, an early example of the modern American suburb. Dining and lodging are available in many towns along this route. The tree-lined waterway supports bald eagles, herons, and ospreys, as well as smaller bird species and other wildlife. Walleye, bass, and shad thrive in the Delaware River.

Technically, the starting point for the trail begins at Bristol Lions Park (100 Basin Park, Bristol, Pennsylvania); however, a gap currently exists between the park and the trailhead at Jefferson Avenue (near Prospect Street), making the Jefferson Avenue trailhead the best place to begin your journey.

One short gap, requiring some general route finding and road crossings, occurs in the first 3 miles. At Lincoln Highway/Bridge Street in Morrisville, about 9 miles along the route, a blockage on the trail requires a detour. Three former gaps—at Tullytown by the Levittown Town Center, at Tyburn Road in Morrisville, and at the CSX rail corridor just farther north of Tyburn Road—were resolved and formally opened in 2019 through efforts by the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor and partners.

Washington Crossing Historic Park marks the site where George Washington gathered troops before embarking on the famous crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War.

A side trip across the Calhoun Street Bridge in Morrisville leads to New Jersey and the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail, which runs along the Delaware River for almost 73 miles. Back on the D&L Trail, Washington Crossing Historic Park, a major attraction, lies 8 miles up from Morrisville. It marks the spot where General George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware on Christmas night in 1776 for a successful surprise attack on British forces.

As you arrive in New Hope, cross PA 32/River Road/Main Street, and take a sidewalk for about 300 feet to a short flight of steps back up to the canal path. The trail goes through downtown, which features dining and specialty shops. A popular stop here for exploring local history is the Locktender’s House (which serves as an interpretive center) and Lock 11.

From downtown New Hope, the trail follows the canal 35 miles to Easton, where it turns to head up the Lehigh River from its confluence with the Delaware.

Lower Lehigh River Segment: 16.7 miles

The D&L Trail follows the path of the Lehigh Canal from Easton to Bethlehem and Allentown, the most populated section of the trail. Barges primarily hauled coal and iron from mines and foundries upriver beginning as early as 1818.

The Mansion House Bridge provides a pedestrian crossing over the Lehigh River leading into Jim Thorpe.

The pathway is paved at the beginning of this stretch but later is surfaced with crushed stone. Just before crossing the Lehigh River on the Hill Road bridge 2.3 miles past Easton, history buffs might enjoy continuing straight to Hugh Moore Park, home of the National Canal Museum, where visitors can ride a mule-drawn canalboat.

About 6 miles farther down the trail from the bridge, you’ll find the Freemansburg Canal Education Center, located in a restored mule barn from 1829. The historical site features a canal lock, lock tender’s house, and the ruins of a gristmill. Passing through neighboring Bethlehem, you’ll have a clear view of the towering Bethlehem Steel chimneys across the river. Once a major steelmaker, the site is now home to an entertainment and cultural events venue named SteelStacks. This section of trail ends at Canal Park in Allentown.

Following the bend in the river north begins an 8-mile gap in the trail, where most of the route, except for a 0.5-mile path through Allentown’s Overlook Park, is on shared roads.

Middle Lehigh River Segment: 31.7 miles

An unimproved, but open, 1.4-mile section of the D&L Trail runs along the east side of the Lehigh River in Catasauqua and North Catasauqua. The path resumes at the intersection of Canal Street and West 10th Street in Northampton at a trailhead it shares with the 6-mile Nor-Bath Trail. (An interesting side trip is the Ironton Rail Trail, across the river in Coplay, where nine towering obsolete cement kilns are preserved in Saylor Park.)

From the Northampton trailhead, the D&L Trail is paved for 1.3 miles through Canal Street Park and crosses the Lehigh River on the PA 329/West 21st Street bridge (bicyclists are encouraged to walk). On the west riverbank, the crushed-stone pathway—which follows the former railbed of the Lehigh Valley Railroad—travels upstream around a few bends through lush forests and towering cliffs with breathtaking views of the river. In 11 miles you’ll reach Slatington, where you’ll find the Slate Heritage Trail junction; both are named for the abundant slate deposits mined here.

Across the Lehigh River via the PA 873/Main Street Bridge is the 3.9-mile Walnutport Canal Spur that passes through Walnutport, where old locks, a lock tender’s house and museum, and ruins of an aqueduct are visible.

Lehigh Gap and Lehigh Gorge State Park Segment: 24.9 miles

Staying on the main D&L Trail for 2 miles after the Main Street Bridge, you’ll enter the narrow Lehigh Gap. The Lehigh River and a highway also squeeze through the Kittatinny Ridge water gap, and the Appalachian Trail crosses the river here too. You’ll pass the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, which sits on a 750-acre toxic cleanup site left behind by a zinc processing company. This area represents an environmental success story, as it has been revegetated and returned as a habitat for native birds and wildlife.

From the nature center, it’s another 7 miles to Weissport. Note the 1-mile-long section of shared roadway on Riverview Road between East Penn Township and PA 895. Lehighton to Weissport has another 1-mile on-road segment that heads north on Lehigh Drive and then east across the river at Bridge Street to a section of trail heading 1.7 miles south to Parryville or 3 miles north toward the borough of Jim Thorpe. Just before crossing the river, you can also head 0.5 mile north to Lehighton on a spur that provides access to the downtown area, where you’ll find a variety of restaurants and the headquarters for the Lehighton Outdoor Center, a biking and whitewater rafting outfitter.

On the east side of the river, the route from Weissport formerly ended just before Jim Thorpe, requiring local shuttle services to serve trail users passing through. Through a partner effort, a new pedestrian bridge, completed in the summer of 2019, enables users to seamlessly cross from Weissport west over the Lehigh River into Jim Thorpe on off-road trail, where trail users can head north along the river to Lehigh Gorge State Park and beyond.