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The trail winds through Pennsylvania's northeastern mountains and along the banks of the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers. The coal industry and other goods helped to fuel America's 19th century industrial revolution. Beginning in Luzerne County, the D&L Trail passes through towns, dormant industry, farmland, and alongside remnants of the Lehigh and Delaware canals. It continues through Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties before ending in Bucks County. The northernmost part of the D&L Trail is located in the Wyoming Valley with trailheads in Georgetown, White Haven, Lehigh Tannery, Rockport, Jim Thorpe, Weissport, and Parryville. It features free-flowing rivers that cut steep gorges through lush woodlands and seem as wild and untouched as they were when pioneers first arrived. There are traces of coal mining's dramatic impact on the land and its people, as well as remains of an extraordinary 19th century transport network consisting of "gravity" railroads, "bear trap" locks, and hand-dug canals. In mining terms, the D&L Trail begins in this anthracite "mother load". The Wyoming Valley in Luzerne County was home to major supplies. It's where the mine-to-market process started. The legacy of this land is one of intense mining, industry, natural beauty and a rich mix of ethnic cultures. When complete, the D&L Trail's northern starting point will be near Wilkes-Barre. Right now, the trail stops four miles north of White Haven. Plans call for the trail to proceed north, passing the village of Mountaintop along the former Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad line. From White Haven south to historic Jim Thorpe, the trail follows 21 miles of uninterrupted rail-trail through Lehigh Gorge State Park. This section is popular with whitewater paddlers who come to challenge the Class I & III rapids, and off-road bicyclists who ride the path spring, summer and fall. Each season offers distinctions including laurel blossoms, the vibrant foliage of fall, rail excursions and waterfalls. Naturalist John J. Audubon explored this area in the 1820s when he came here to sketch wildlife. Visitors continue to marvel at its scenery. Plans are underway to link the trail from Lehigh Gorge State Park, through the must-see, historic town of Jim Thorpe, and back across the Lehigh River where the trail is already usable between Jim Thorpe and Parryville. The Appalachian Trail intersects the D&L Trail at Lehigh Gap. A note to trail users: due to road modernizations, a break in the trail currently exists between Parryville and Lehigh Gap. Concepts for re-establishing this section are under consideration.
For Full Details on This Trail Still in the Making Click Here!
