The Delaware and Lehigh Trail is 165 miles of multi-use path following old rail beds and canal towpaths along the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers. It spans five counties, and some of its most beautiful stretches run right through the Lehigh Valley. For the thousands of people who walk, run, and bike it regularly, the D&L is not just a trail. It is a daily wellness routine.
The Lehigh Valley Sections
The Lehigh Gorge Trail from White Haven to Jim Thorpe covers 26 miles paralleling the Lehigh River through dramatic gorge scenery. The Delaware Canal Towpath from Easton to Bristol stretches 60 miles through Delaware Canal State Park. Between those bookends, local sections connect neighborhoods and communities throughout the valley with a primarily flat, rolled-cinder surface that is accessible to walkers, runners, and cyclists of all fitness levels.
A Wellness Corridor
St. Luke's runs its Get Your Tail on Trail partnership with the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, rewarding people for using the trail for physical activity. The Lehigh Valley Road Runners use the trail for training runs. Families walk it on weekends. Commuters bike sections of it to work. With 144 miles currently open and 54 trailheads, there is always an entry point nearby.
More Than Exercise
The wellness benefits of the D&L go beyond calories burned. The trail runs through shaded forest corridors, past waterfalls and wildlife, and through charming small towns. Spending time in that kind of environment reduces stress, improves mood, and provides the kind of mental reset that a treadmill simply cannot match. The D&L is one of the longest and most scenic multi-use trails in the eastern United States, and it is right in our backyard.
