Get Your Tail on the Trail

Building a healthier community…One mile at a time.

St. Luke’s University Health Network (St. Luke’s) and Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L) have partnered to bring the community a family fun initiative — Get Your Tail on the Trail! The “trail” is the nearly continuous 165-mile multi-use D&L Trail which begins near Wilkes-Barre in the mountains of northeast Pennsylvania, and follows three historic transportation systems (the Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Lehigh Canal, and the Delaware Canal) on route to Bristol, PA just outside of Philadelphia.

By linking St. Luke’s healthy lifestyle expertise with the recreational and heritage leadership of D&L, members of our community can log miles they walk, run, bike, and paddle, as well as participate in scheduled challenges and events on their way to achieving their personal goals of health, fitness and fun. Every mile logged during one of the Challenges counts towards great prizes too! And you can use many locations in addition to the D&L trail – any miles anywhere you exercise can be logged, even those on cardio equipment at the gym.

Why would a hospital invest in a community fitness program?

Research shows that exercising, especially outdoors, has numerous health benefits. Our goal is to connect people to the outstanding opportunities along the D&L Trail while increasing health awareness and improving the health status of the community. Our St. Luke’s and D&L partnership provides individuals and families with nutrition and exercise programs which create and promote a culture of personal wellness and a sense of community.

As part of our commitment to improving health in our community, St. Luke’s conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment every 3 years. During this process, we gather data, conduct surveys and meet with community leaders to identify the major health concerns in our community. Promoting Healthy Lifestyles and Reducing Chronic Disease was one of the top three health priority areas in the Lehigh Valley. More information about our most recent Community Health Needs Assessment, including copies of our assessments, can be found at here.

Join in the fun and get your tail on the trail of good health today!