165 miles of nature history preservation recreation and
education
From its origins
as a means to transport anthracite coal from the mines of Luzerne and Carbon
County to the markets in the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia, the D&L Trail
is now a multi-use trail originating from the mountains of northeast
Pennsylvania through the rivers and communities of the Lehigh Valley and Bucks
County.
A Trail that Connects People to Unique Environmental and
Community Experiences
Visiting the National Canal Museum, cruising aboard the Josiah White II, walking and riding your bike on
the canal towpaths are among the ways to explore the Lehigh Valley and the
60-mile long National Historic Landmark located within Delaware Canal State
Park in Bucks and Northampton counties.
Conversations on the Canal are dinner cruises that focus on the major ethnic groups in the D&L
Corridor and why they came to America. Learn about the Ulster Scots,
the first immigrants from the island known in Gaelic as
Éire, who became known as Scots-Irish in North America. An estimated
200,000 Ulster Scots left for the American colonies during the 1700s thanks to
Pennsylvania’s tradition of religious tolerance. Between 1815 and 1834, a
second wave of nearly 400 thousand immigrants also came here.
A Vision for the Delaware Canal the idea to construct a pedestrian bridge across the Lehigh River at
Jim Thorpe was first conceived in the D&L’s 1992 Management Action
Plan. After countless steps from concept to design to funding and
then re-funding, the bridge is the critical connector linking 40 miles of
trail located north of Jim Thorpe to the Lehigh Valley. Just south of Jim Thorpe, two separate but
integral projects will make the connection between Carbon County and Lehigh
County smooth and safe. They include plans for a retaining wall and
improved towpath trail between Jim Thorpe and Weissport in Lehigh
Canal Park.
Wineries and Breweries the Lehigh Valley is home to a Wine Trail and an Ale Trail.
Selected bars and pubs have upwards of 60% of their taps consistently dedicated
to craft beers. The local products can also be tasted while cruising the canal.
The Coal Iron Steel and Canals of the
Delaware and Lehigh Valleys
The Delaware & Lehigh five
county-region of Northeastern Pennsylvania developed in the late 18th
Century as-a-result of the anthracite mines, the iron and steel industries, and
the canals that were built to reach Philadelphia and other markets.
Travel Duration 3 nights and 4 days. Group Size Minimum 4, Maximum 50 persons.
Cost/Person USD 735 for adults age 19 to 64 USD 585 for seniors 65+ and children under
18.
Information for Booking First and Last Name, Passport Number, Expiration date and Issuing
country, Date of birth, Email address.
Included
Travel
between cities and states that are part of the itinerary, 3 lunches and
dinners, accommodations in double occupancy with breakfast for ten nights, applicable
local and state taxes, 3 one-half day sightseeing events, local transport
services.
Excluded
Evening
entertainment and transport to tour location start and from tour ending
location.
Day/time Day to day programs and specific events at each
location, as well as the sequence of the tour stops, will be finalized with the
participation of the clients after details on family/group composition have
been determined to take-into-account client priorities and preferences.
Reductions Children under the age of 18 and seniors
over the age of 65 traveling with parents and/or guardians, staying in the same
hotel room receive a 20 percent discount.
Land People and History the Lenape of the Delaware Valley hunted
deer, grew grains and vegetables, and caught seafood along the coast. The
Lehigh Valley was of great importance because it was one of their main
east-west pathways, intersecting with major north-south aboriginal trails in
the Delaware Valley. Despite its prominence as a crossroads, the Great Valley
was the site of few permanent villages, although they often camped at the
confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware rivers in what is now Easton.
The first Europeans in the Lehigh
Valley were Scots-Irish who followed the Saucon and Indian creeks and
established settlements in today’s Northampton County. Large numbers of Germans
came into the Lehigh Valley in the 1730s. Among them were the
Schwenkfelders from Saxony and Mennonites, known for their skills as craftsmen
and millers, and for establishing schools. Most of the Germans became
known as Pennsylvania Dutch and grew maize, squash, wheat and livestock. At
least 50 different nations and ethnic groups have been identified among the
immigrants of the 1800s; many arrived at Ellis Island and traveled straight to
the Lehigh Valley. Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton thrived by the late 19th
Century.
The Delaware and Lehigh Valleys
played a major role during the American
Revolution. George Washington’s crossed the Delaware River in 1776, the
second reading of Declaration of Independence was held in Easton and the
Liberty Bell was hidden from the British here.
The Discovery of Anthracite
in 1791, Carbon County set the stage for America’s Industrial Revolution, the
founding of small towns, the birth of industrial powerhouses such as Bethlehem
Steel and the development of the Lehigh and Delaware Canals. Also known as
stone coal because of its rock-like hardness, it appeared atop hills and under
valleys in seams or veins up to 12 feet thick. Industries involving iron,
steel, Portland cement and zinc processing flourished, followed by tanneries,
silk and textile mills. These raw materials led to commercial, transportation
and cultural opportunities along a 165-mile route through the Wyoming, Lehigh
and Delaware Valleys.
Transportation
and Communications the Lehigh River
carved a trail that would eventually become the backbone of future
transportation routes. Footpaths along the river banks gave way to canals, then
to railroads, and finally to modern-day highways. Nowhere is this more apparent
than at Lehigh Gap, a dramatic landscape where the Lehigh River breaks through
Blue Mountain, also known as Kittatiny Ridge, the final ridge in the
Appalachian chain. The Delaware Canal was
built during the early 19th Century from Easton to Bristol on
the Delaware River fostering development of textile mills such as the Grundy complex,
steel mills like the Fairless Works and planned suburban community like
Levittown. Completion of the Lehigh Canal further accelerated development of
the Valley.
The 1862
floods destroyed all the dams, locks and canal boats and coal shipping shifted
to railroads. The Lehigh Valley Railroad, which ran through Easton and on
to New York City, was the first rail line to have a significant impact. The
Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad and Reading & Pennsylvania Railroad
created competition for shipping coal and other goods. The Delaware Canal was a transport link with limited industrial impact
on the rural, farm region it flowed through.
Culture and The Environment in more
recent times, the region has been in the forefront of land conservation,
historic preservation and an arts movement that celebrates land and landscapes. The
local culture draws from the Moravian settlements experience in which all men
were equal, hence a unique and broad cultural environment in which music, art,
education and religious tolerance flourished, as shown in the communal
dwellings, churches and industrial structures in Bethlehem and Nazareth.
