This section of the D&L Trail/Highlands Trail co-alignment runs for 12.4 miles between the Forks of the Delaware at Easton (where the Delaware Canal and Lehigh Canal converge) and the Minsi Trail Bridge in Bethlehem. The 165-mile D&L Trail is a National Recreational Trail that is coordinated by the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.

At the Forks of the Delaware (the historic name for the Delaware River and Lehigh River confluence) the trail offers dramatic views of both rivers as well as the cities of Easton, PA and Phillipsburg, NJ. Compared to the towpath along the Delaware Canal, the Lehigh Canal towpath is more secluded, wooded, and wider. The Lehigh Canal portion of the D&L Trail is also less prone to closure due to flood damage.

The three miles of trail in Easton, between the Forks of the Delaware and the National Canal Museum at Hugh Moore Park, is paved and features great views of the Lehigh River and Lehigh Canal. Many historic structures are found in this section, such as lime kilns, bridges, and canal locks. Heading north from the Canal Museum, the trail continues as an asphalt route for another few miles to the PA Fish & Boat Commission’s Lehigh River Access below the Rt. 33 overpass. From that point, the D&L narrows considerably and continues as a crushed stone towpath to Sand Island and the Minsi Trail Bridge.

The South Bethlehem Greenway can be reached by crossing the Lehigh River on the Minsi Trail Bridge. The Greenway can also be reached by following the D&L Trail approximately 1 mile further north to cross the Lehigh River on the Fahy Bridge (New Street).

For more details on this trail section refer to the PA Highlands Trail Feasibility Study #1.