Explore the best rated trails in Emmaus, PA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Palmer Township Recreation Trail (Towpath Bike Trail) and Schuylkill Valley Heritage Trail. With more than 144 trails covering 940 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
I rode this at the end of 2022. It's maintained for the most part. Few road crossings but nothing I felt was dangerous as long as you stop and look. Spring Mountain climb was a bit challenging but fun on the way back. Would recommend it.
The 3 stars is for the first 6 miles or so out of Turkey Hill. The trail goes along the river and is in good shape and nice views. Once you get off the river the trail gets really boring. Nothing to look at. Even the towns have no connections to the trail. From about miles 20 onward the trail quickly deteriorates to the point where it should not even be listed as a trail. Zero Stars here. It is just at best an unmaintained access road for people working on the power lines. Sometimes it is not even that good. If you are looking for a nice first few miles this is fine.
This crushed gravel trail is excellent for runners. Path is wide and there are not a lot of sharp turns. Asphalt is only for short sections.
This trail is in no way shape or form complete. 40+ miles are marked closed all along the shown "trail". several areas with no way around the closures. Fine for attempting a day trip but if you were going to use the whole "trail" you would be in for real trouble. Not knocking the trail itself but TrailLink, really makes me question its usefulness. Good thing I was in the area and decided to do a day out and back trip on the D&L before attempting to ride the whole thing.
This is my favorite of the New Jersey trails I've been on. Starting out from the High Bridge end, the first few miles are on a slight upward climb that you barely notice, but you're glad to have on the return trip. The scenery is nicely varied ...every section has its own personality and there are many photo ops along the way. The trail is well maintained and away from traffic noises.
The trail is a bit more rugged and not as well maintained as the other NJ trails, though a hybrid bike will do the job. West of Blairstown Airport there are a few short sections where you have to get off the bike and deal with steep embankments. There are also a few weird places that seem like dead ends...you come to a road crossing and need to follow it a bit before the trail resumes on the other side. They could use a little signage in these areas...having Google Maps on my phone came in handy on a few occasions.
A good starting point for the Western section is the park at 5 Foot Bridge Lane in Blairstown, and for the Eastern area there's a small lot at 106 County Rd 519 in Newton.
Don't even think of going if it's been raining in the last few days. The last time I went there I parked at the Foot Bridge Lane lot in Blairstown and headed East...I slogged through and around mud flats for a few miles before I came to an impassable one and had to turn around. You also learn pretty quickly to be on the lookout for horse calling cards.
Other than these drawbacks it can be a nice ride...people you meet are friendly and for the most part you're away from traffic noises and off the beaten path.
The trail was originally a tow path...in its early days mules would walk along it towing barges through the canal, usually carrying coal from Pennsylvania to the New York area. The canal is seventy-five feet wide and eight feet deep. It was dug in the 1830s by hand - mostly by laborers brought in from Ireland. They worked under brutal conditions from sunup til sundown; some of them had stonemason skills and their cobblestone spillways still survive.
So how long did it take 3,000 Irish laborers to dig the canal? Only three freaking years! Next time you ride this trail, mentally drink a toast of fine Irish whiskey to the good folks who labored so we can ride!
Checked out this trail for the first time recently. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the trail and the creek was beautiful. We had a limited amount of time before dark, so we only went a little over a mile before turning back. We were surprised to see a sizable, established homeless encampment along the trail. Some unhoused folks can be considered high-risk in regards to safety, but we did not have any issues. We were in a group, so it wasn’t greatly intimidating, however I felt less safe on this trail due to the presence of the encampment.
I just discovered the trail and rode it for a few miles earlier today, starting in Bristol. I thought the trail would have gone right next to the Delaware River (like the Schuylkill River Trail), but the path is a bit inland from the river. The path is small gravel. It’s not the most scenic path, but it’s in decent shape. I’ll probably only ride it again if I have the time to make it up to. We Hope.
It's nice to be able to ride all the way through again but Too bad they had to build this hideous concrete and steel bridge though, instead of finding the person who burned the old one and hanging them from the trestle as an example.
We rode this trail on a Monday in early December when the temp. was in the low to mid 40s. We rode past the gate at the end of the parking lot and onto a wide path with a fine stone surface. After about a half of a mile the trail surface changed to a more coarse stone surface. The is one short steep section near the end of the trail. The scenery is very nice, even with leaves on the trees.
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