Nearly two years ago my wife and I were looking for a new home. Nothing ever really caught our eye until a particular listing popped up one day on the MLS which ended with the descriptive text of "access to local bike trail."
Access to local bike trail? How can that be part of the house description? Great I thought...that must stink, bikes whizzing by your home at all hours of the day. No thanks!! But...something inside me, something about the way the pictures were taken, got me to believe that wasn't the case.
The trail seemed like it had to be set back from the home, away from it, maybe deep into the back yard...but close enough to want to easily grab my bike from the garage and get some exercise.
After two years, my wife and I are glad we looked at that home. Unbeknown to us, that bike trail actually turned out to be an old historic 9 mile piece of railroad, called the Ironton Railroad. This railroad, after it was abandoned in 1984 was subsequently purchased and converted into a beautiful public trail for all to enjoy.
While my wife and I were fortunate enough to purchase a fine home located in a wonderful community, we got extremely lucky to have also gained personal access to, right from our back yard, a well kept, clean, and almost entirely paved trail.
It's not often you find such special features when purchasing a home, but I'm here to tell you, it does happen!
Ironton Rail Trail Facts:
"The former Ironton Railroad has been transformed to provide a safe, year-round recreational opportunity for local residents and visitors. A part of the Rails-to-Trails movement sweeping the nation, the Ironton Rail-Trail was developed by the municipalities of Whitehall, Coplay, and North Whitehall. Located in the Lehigh Valley, this regional spur of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor is one of most popular multi-use trails in the area.
The 9.2 mile trail follows the Coplay Creek eastward from North Whitehall through the 110 acre Whitehall Parkway to where the creek flows into the Lehigh River. Here the trail turns north along the river to Coplay where it heads westward forming a unique 5.5 mile loop on itself before running under MacArthur Road (Rt. 145).
The wide, flat, gentle grade of the trail combined with easy access provides an outdoor recreation opportunity for people of all ages and physical abilities. The Ironton Rail-Trail promotes family recreation and improves the quality of life for local residents. Here you'll find open space to enjoy nature, observe wildlife, and increase environmental awareness.
The Ironton Railroad began operation on May 24th, 1860 to connect the iron ore mines near Ironton with the Lehigh Valley Railroad. In 1882 the railroad was purchased by the Thomas Iron Works to transport coal, iron ore, and limestone. As the iron industry waned, the Ironton Railroad owed its survival to shipping the products of the local cement mills. The railroad was abandoned in 1984. Purchased in 1996 from Conrail, the Ironton Rail-Trail preserves an important part of Lehigh Valley history."
Official Website of Ironton Rail Trail
Official Trail Map
Official Whitehall Township PA Website
For a while, I thought that most of my internet leads were dead. Faceless email addresses living in anonymity,
they need to be all moved in 8 weeks. We need to look at more homes this week!
Central A/C
