About the D&L Trail
165 Miles of History
The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L) is a five-county region that includes Carbon, Luzerne, Lehigh, Northampton and Bucks counties. Established by Congress in 1988, today it is one of 49 National Heritage Areas in the U.S. that “tell the vibrant story of the nation’s evolution and culture.” Part of the National Park Service family, the D&L commemorates and preserves the nationally significant historic transportation route of rivers, canals, and railroads that brought anthracite coal from mines in Carbon and Luzerne counties, to the early industries of the Lehigh Valley and markets in Bucks County and Philadelphia.
The most visible aspect of the D&L Corridor is the D&L Trail traversing 165 miles from Wilkes-Barre, PA to Bristol, PA along the historic transportation routes of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Lehigh Canal and the Delaware Canal.
We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that connects people to nature, culture, communities, recreation and our industrial heritage along the 165 mile D&L Trail.
Trail users can experience sections of D&L Trail completely surrounded by nature, especially through Lehigh Gorge State Park’s 26 mile trail section, and alternatively travel other sections through the heart of cities and towns ripe with industrial history like White Haven, Lehighton, Slatington, Bethlehem, Riegelsville and New Hope. When passing through City of Easton property, trail users will traverse Hugh Moore Park, an island between the Lehigh River and Lehigh Canal that was once home to the first industrial park in the United States. Hugh Moore Park is now the microcosm of the D&L’s story, where visitors can find the Lehigh Canal, the former Lehigh Valley Railroad tracks, Lehigh River, industrial ruins, D&L Trail, National Canal Museum and Archives, and during the spring to fall the mules, Hank & George, are pulling the Josiah White II canal boat for public rides with an interpreter.
The D&L is a true public-private partnership. Passionate residents and volunteers work alongside local, regional, and national entities to conserve cultural and natural resources in the five-county region of eastern Pennsylvania.
Since designation in 1988, D&L has worked diligently to preserve and revitalize historic places and landmark towns, conserve green space for public use, document and interpret our heritage, celebrate our community and region, and create partnerships and programs for long-term sustainability.
Learn more on the D&L Main site
