Written By Silas Chamberlin

Our “Take a Hike!” series will periodically feature a favorite day hike or bike on the D&L Trail.  The second installment is a hike on the trails within Lehigh Gap Nature Center.  The hike utilizes the D&L and Appalachian trails and the network of footpaths that link the two.  This is a difficult hike that gains elevation rapidly, as the trail ascends the side of the Kittatinny Ridge.  The effort is well worth it.  Expect to see lots of wildlife, especially a variety of birds, and spectacular views to the north.  For those of you on bikes or looking for a less daunting challenge, see the optional ride along the LNE and D&L trails.

A footpath ascends the Kittatinny Ridge.

Lehigh Gap Nature Center: D&L Trail to Appalachian Trail

Total Distance: 7 miles round trip
Rating: Difficult
Trail Surface: rolled ballast and footpath
Activities: hiking (for bikes, see optional route)
Trailhead amenities: parking; portable toilet at Nature Center
Click here to download a .pdf map of the trail section.

Park at the D&L Trailhead on Paint Mill Rd. in Slatington and travel north on D&L Trail.

Mile
0.31 – Lehigh Gap Nature Center
1.35 – left onto short “Bobolink Trail”
1.48 – take “Prairie Grass Trail” (footpath – no bikes) and begin rapid ascent
1.8 – left onto “Charcoal Trail”
2.58 – intersection with “North Trail” (blue blazes)
4.5 – left onto “Appalachian Trail” (white blazes) at second radio tower
6.4 – left onto “Woodpecker Trail”
6.6 – right onto D&L Trail at Lehigh Gap Nature Center
Continue south 0.3 mile to trailhead.

Optional (recommended for riders): At 1.48 make right onto “LNE Trail” (rail trail) and continue west.  Note that biking downhill on the Bobolink Trail may be hazardous, due to the rough surface. At 3.22, follow Pine Tree Lane for 700 feet. Make left onto Sunset Drive and then a quick right. Follow paved road for 350 feet towards river. Make a right onto the D&L Trail (rolled ballast). Continue 3.4 miles to trailhead. Round trip: 6.5 miles.

Did you take this hike? Have you been here in the past? Leave a comment and let us know about it! Send your photos to Silas@DelawareandLehigh.org.

The protection of the Appalachian Trail (AT) led to the passage of the National Trails System Act of 1968 and the designation of the AT as our nation’s first National Scenic Trail. In Pennsylvania, the AT follows the ridgeline between Pen Mar in the south and the Delaware Water Gap in the north, intersecting the D&L Trail at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center trailhead.

America’s Wild Spaces: Appalachian Trail
Tuesday, November 10th
8 pm EST
National Geographic cable channel

Don’t miss this exciting new full length documentary America’s Wild Spaces: Appalachian Trail capturing the Appalachian Trail as only National Geographic can. In addition to breathtaking scenery along the entire Trail, you will get a chance to meet hikers, volunteers, angels, agency staff, and scientists. Celebrate with Appalachian Trail Conservancy members Frank Wright volunteering on Springer, Laurie Potteiger greeting visitors in Harpers Ferry, and Gary Hill completing his 2008 thru-hike atop Katahdin.

Join National Geographic on a rollercoaster ride of agonizing ascents and rewarding vistas — all courtesy of mountains roughly 480 million years in the making. Explore this 5 million step journey through the five distinct regions of the AT landscape, and learn what it takes to keep this ribbon of green safe, healthy, and totally wild.

The film airs this Tuesday, November 10th, at 8 PM EST on National Geographic’s cable station, with reruns at 11 PM as well as the following Tuesday (Nov. 17th) at 4 PM EST.

The most recent issue of the American Hiking Society’s Paperless Trail newsletter features the D&L Trail.  A brief article describes a loop hike that starts and ends at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, while taking in the D&L, the AT, and a number of side trails.  Visit the AHS website to subscribe to their newsletter, read more about the featured D&L hike, and follow hiking advocacy issues.