On June 5, the D&L held its annual National Trails Day (NTD) event at Carbon County’s D&L Trailhead in Jim Thorpe. Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Keith McCall, a long-time friend of the trail, was on hand to help us dedicate the newest 1.4-mile section of the D&L Trail, which connects Lehigh Gorge State Park with downtown Historic Jim Thorpe via the Nesquehoning Trestle.

Representatives from Carbon County, DCNR, and the D&L dedicate the new section.

For years, this section of private railroad property thwarted bikers and walkers attempting to access Jim Thorpe on the west side of the river from the terminus of the state park at Glen Onoko on the east side of the river. For downtown outfitters, such as Pocono Biking and Blue Mountain Sports, the gap used to mean an extra shuttle ride between the park and their stores. Now returning cyclists can ride directly into Jim Thorpe, which is good for the outfitters’ bottom line, as well as the town’s businesses. In the larger scheme of things, the connection means a D&L rider could go from Jim Thorpe to the forests of Luzerne County without interruption. What’s next? Well, just over the horizon is the construction of the Jim Thorpe pedestrian bridge which will link to the northern trail section to Weissport, Slatington, Northampton, Allentown, Easton, and finally Bristol!

The newest section of the D&L Trail links Lehigh Gorge State Park to Historic Jim Thorpe.

All of this meant that we had a lot to celebrate on June 5. In the past few years our NTD events have grown larger and larger, in terms of both attendance and activities offered. This year we partnered with Pocono Biking to offer shuttle service to White Haven and Rockport for trips through the Lehigh Gorge on the D&L Trail. Although many opted for a short rider on the section of trail to Glen Onoko, some hearty riders did the full trip. We also partnered with 20 Jim Thorpe businesses who offered special NTD discounts to friends of the D&L. Rainbow’s End, a local ice cream shop, even concocted a “Trail Mix” sundae to commemorate the new trail section’s dedication. With the help of the Carbon County Commissioners, DCNR, the D&L Trail Tenders, and local trail enthusiasts, the event turned into a great community celebration. The D&L is grateful for such a warm welcome from Jim Thorpe and Carbon County and thanks all of you who came out for the dedication!

A row of bikes awaits riders participating in the D&L's NTD dedication.

On Saturday, hundreds of trail users, including members of the press, braved the 95 degree conditions to attend the unveiling of our directional blades, listen to project updates, and help install mile markers, all as a part of our various National Trails Day celebrations.

[Allen Sachse addresses crowd in Slatington]

This was a great opportunity to celebrate the D&L Trail and increase its visibility in our region. We were also able to highlight the connections that the D&L makes between towns, cities, and rural areas. As we installed the blades and mile markers over the last week, we had an enthusiastic response from trail users who have always wondered about the length of their daily walks and rides.

[Trail Tenders show off new milemarker]

National Trails Day was the perfect time to kick off our signage program, but the work will continue throughout the summer-so look for updates!

Although we can estimate the length of D&L Trail sections using river mile charts and topographical maps, there is no substitute for walking the trail with a surveying wheel and taking GPS readings. This is precisely what we began to do on Tuesday. Despite the rain, we walked the twelve miles from the Forks of the Delaware to Sand Island, rolling the wheel and placing pins at each mile along the section. On June 7, these pins will guide the volunteers who install our new mile markers.

This is a beautiful and relatively secluded section of railroad grade and canal towpath that follows the river’s edge and occasionally dips back into the woods. After eight miles or so, the forest gives way to the canal town of Freemansburg and Lehigh Canal Park. The next four mile stretch offers views of Bethlehem Steel, a lock recently revealed by the work of our Trail Tenders, and leads to the parking area on Sand Island.

During the walk, we saw deer tracks, fish jumping in the river and the canal, and a variety of birds, including Orioles, warblers, and mergansers. All of this between two cities!

[Photographs courtesy of Will Minehart]