Uncover the rich history of Easton, Bethlehem and Allentown while enjoying the scenery of the Lehigh Valley in this curated guide.
Easton sits at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers.
Courtesy Discover Lehigh Valley
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Including snacks when you arrive at camp, a hearty dinner, breakfast, and coffee.
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About 38 miles a day, almost entirely on car-free multi-use trails.
Choose your mileage as you build your trip
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Turn-by-turn directions with printable cue sheet
Camp, stay in local lodging, or turn this adventure into a day trip
Exclusive content to support your journey
Renowned for its past and now known for its growing food and culture scene, the Lehigh Valley is an unforgettable area to explore on your bike. Riding on the D&L Trail, you'll step back in time and discover the region's storied past, first as a vital early American colony and later as a major center for manufacturing. In addition to history, the trail provides peaceful views of the Lehigh River and its famed canals, both vital to the area's industrial success. This route is ideal for a day trip on your bike or an exciting overnight journey.
Connected by the D&L Trail, the towns of Easton, Bethlehem and Allentown are each uniquely charming. Once filled with thriving mills and factories, the historic buildings in these places have come to back to life as distilleries, music venues, museums and other attractions that celebrate the region's industrial heritage. Whether you're indulging in farm fresh food, uncovering the story of historic sites or sipping locally-made spirits, there's something for everyone on this route.
With turn-by-turn navigation, an extensive list of sights and attractions, a sample itinerary for inspiration and much more, this guide makes it easy for you to plan your own bike adventure on this section of the D&L Trail. Whether you take a two-day bike camping trip with friends, or an independent day trip, you have flexibility to choose your own path.
Proceeds from this Guide benefit the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, the organization responsible for preserving and protecting this historic area. Our points of interest include local organizations and small businesses that benefit from your patronage.
How to use this guide: This guide contains information to help you plan your own trip. Get started by reading through all of the information on this page to familiarize yourself with the route, points of interest and a recommended itinerary. You'll probably want to record your own itinerary using the points of interest and accompanying timing. Once you've planned what you want to see, jump down to the Route section to download the RideWithGPS route for turn-by-turn directions on your mobile device.
The icons below indicate the estimated amount of time a point of interest will take to explore, whether or not a point of interest is family-friendly, if that business supports the trail, if it provides free programming and if it is off our main route.
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Arrive in Easton by car, private bus or bike before embarking on the D&L trail toward Bethlehem. Make sure to set aside time to explore both of these quaint towns, while enjoying the 14 mile scenic trail ride that connects them.
The second leg of your journey travels from Bethlehem back onto the D&L trail for 7 miles before arriving in Allentown. After a great day of riding in you may choose to spend the night in local lodging, or continue on an addition 17 miles for private camping near Trexler Nature Preserve.
This route has been impacted by recent storms. For the most up to date trail conditions visit the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor website.
This route begins at the Simon Silk Mill in Easton, PA where you can arrive by car, private bus or by traveling north on your bike along the D&L trail. The first leg is about 14 miles and will take you through Easton and onto the beautiful D&L Trail to Bethlehem, PA. After arriving in Bethlehem you can explore and take a break before continuing another 7 miles on the D&L trail to Allentown.
There are multiple ways to use this route whether you are planning a day trip or overnight experience:
Day trip: For a great day trip, we recommend riding from Easton to Bethlehem and back for a total of about 30 miles.
Overnight trip: For a two-day overnight stay, we recommend biking from Easton to Allentown and spending the night in Allentown or the Bethlehem area depending on your interests. Camping is limited in this area, but if you'd like to camp, we recommend a private campsite that is 17 miles from Allentown. Because these 17 miles involve a mix of road and trail riding as well as moderate elevation gain, we only recommend this route for experienced bike riders. Depending on your desired daily mileage you can consider starting this ride in Easton, Bethlehem, or Allentown. If traveling from Easton to this private campsite and back, it will be a 78 mile trip over the course of two days.
Most of this route between Easton, PA and Allentown, PA is on the protected system of the D&L Trail, which is a predominantly flat pathway of tightly packed gravel and stone. Depending on your preferred points of interest, there will be about 3-4 miles of riding on roadways with live traffic.
Our suggested private campsite is 17 miles from downtown Allentown and requires a considerable amount (12 miles) of road riding and elevation gain to access. We recommend that only experienced riders turn this guide into an overnight camping experience. We recommend new or novice riders opt for a day trip or overnight stay in local lodging of Allentown or Bethlehem.
Before embarking, riders should feel comfortable on their bikes for 1-3 hours at a time. We recommend checking out our training tips and always consulting a doctor to make sure you are in good health before starting any new training regimen.
How to use this Route: RSVP to our Ride with GPS Event "Industrial revitalization along the Lehigh River" to access the fully mapped route, including all points of interest. When you a ready to ride, simply open the Ride With GPS app, go to"More" then "My Events" and finally select "Navigate" for turn-by-turn directions.
Please note that while our route does offer turn-by-turn directions, you will need to navigate to your desired points of interest. Most points of interest are directly on the route, or within two miles from the trail, as indicated with our "Off main route" icons, above.
We've included many points of interest in our guide to make it easy for you to build a journey around what you would like to do. While we hope you're inspired to create your own adventure, the itinerary below might be helpful in showing how we recommend organizing a trip.
Load your bike and drive 1.5 hours from Philadelphia before arriving in Easton, PA. You can also arrive via private bus or by traveling north on the D&L trail if you are completing a long distance, multi-day trip.
One arriving, consider grabbing breakfast, a coffee, and using the restroom at Tucker Silk Mill. When you are ready to ride, log into the Ride with GPS app and go to "More" and then "My Events." Click into our "Industrial revitalization along the Lehigh River" Event, click into the route, and once inside the route you can click the "Navigate" button for turn-by-turn directions.
Start biking from Simon Silk Mill onto the Karl Stirner Arts Trail, and through Easton PA before getting onto the D&L Trail toward Bethlehem.
Ride next to the river on the D&L Trail toward Bethlehem. This is about a 14 mile, one-and-a-half-hour to two-hour ride at a leisurely pace. We recommend taking time to explore the National Canal Museum, just a short distance from the trail.
After 14 miles of riding, we recommend taking a break and exploring Main Street in Bethlehem to grab a coffee and use the restroom at a place like The Joint Coffee Co. You can also take more time to explore sites in Bethlehem like the Steel Stacks and Hoover Mason Trestle.
Continue along the D&L Trail for another 7 miles to downtown Allentown. For a great afternoon, we recommend stopping at the Downtown Allentown Market for lunch, and enjoying a stroll along the Allentown Arts Walk.
If you're doing a day trip, you can begin your journey back toward Easton, PA. Alternatively, you may bike to your local lodging in Allentown or Bethlehem for an overnight stay, or continue another 17 miles toward your private campsite. You will need to have advanced reservations for camping and overnight stays.
Riders staying at our recommended Airbnb or local lodging in Bethlehem can celebrate a great day of riding with drinks and food at the Social Still.
Enjoy breakfast at camp, or a local spot if you chose to stay in Allentown or Bethlehem. Afterwards, you'll begin your ride back to Easton using the same route as the day before.
Finish up your two day trip with a celebratory drink from County Seat Spirits or Separatists beer project. A local cone from Owowcow Creamery would also hit the spot before beginning your journey home after a great weekend of riding.
Mention that you're a Bikeout rider or show confirmation of your digital guide download to access these partner offers.
Our new taproom is open this season at Ferry Market on Main Street in New Hope.
We’ve partnered with Better World Club if you're interested in purchasing emergency roadside assistance for your next bike trip, including a special 10% discount for Bikeout riders. Better World Club is an environmentally-friendly automobile club which provides you with 24/7 nationwide emergency roadside assistance in all 50 States and Canada. What makes BWC different? They’ve got affordable bicycle-only coverage, and they were the first company in the country to offer it. Click here to learn more and to sign-up with our special discount code, click here.
