With growing eagerness to spend time outside and unprecedented bike sales making national headlines, we’re working to make it easy to plan a local trip on your bike. 

Last month, we launched our first digital guide, Culture and Camping on the Delaware Canal, and we’re excited by the response from the biking community. Riders are using the tools in our guides, from a map with turn-by-turn directions, sample itinerary, recommended points of interest, and more, to plan their own bike adventures on the D&L Trail. Now, we’re continuing the excitement by releasing the second guide in our series of three, Industrial revitalization along the Lehigh River.

Developed in partnership with the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, this new guide explores a section of the D&L Trail in the Lehigh Valley between Easton and Allentown. Renowned for its past as an early American colony and then industrial epicenter, this area is currently home to a lively food, culture and outdoor scene. Whether you’re a history buff, a foodie, or simply a dedicated bike camper, this route along the Lehigh River has something for everyone. And you can combine our D&L Trail guides for an extended trip.

All Bikeout Guides follow a choose-your-own-adventure format so that it’s easy for riders to build an experience around their own abilities and interests. No matter which path you choose, our ride begins at the renovated Simon Silk Mill in Easton PA, just an hour and half drive from Philadelphia and New York. For easy navigation, you’ll be able to reference live turn-by-turn directions on your phone, or a printable cue sheet available for download. After grabbing breakfast at the mill or another local market, bikers will travel on the Karl Stirner Arts Trail and through Easton before getting onto the D&L Trail. 

The stretch of the D&L Trail between Easton and Bethlehem offers 14 miles of beautiful scenery. We recommend riders break up their route by stopping at the famed National Canal Museum, where they can travel back in time at one of the nation’s largest canal heritage destinations. The Lehigh River and its canals were central to the region’s industrial success, and are a not to be missed feature of your visit to this area. After exploring the river and canal system by bike, you’ll arrive in the revitalized town of Bethlehem where you can stop by a coffee shop or explore one of the area’s other historic attractions. 

After seeing the sights of Bethlehem, riders will continue another 7 miles on the D&L trail toward Allentown. The third largest city in Pennsylvania and once home to a central marketplace for Pennsylvania Dutch farmers, Allentown is the perfect place to conclude your ride with a celebratory lunch at a local market or brewery. After taking a moment to rest and relax, riders looking for an overnight experience can bike to local lodging of their choice and continue exploring some of the many points of interest we’ve included in this guide. Riders looking to camp have the option to continue for an additional 17 miles of mixed trail and road riding to a private campsite near Trexler Nature Preserve. 

This guide costs $10 and includes everything you should need to coordinate a trip like turn-by-turn directions, a sample itinerary, packing list, discounts from local partners, local Covid-19 resources, and much more. Proceeds from this guide benefit the Delaware and Lehigh National Corridor, the organization responsible for protecting and preserving this historic area, while supporting Bikeout’s mission of sharing bike travel with more people. 

We hope this guide inspires you to venture into the Lehigh Valley on the D&L trail. The history, food, unparalleled views, and convenience of a protected trail system certainly warrant more than one visit. We hope you feel empowered to plan your own bike adventure during these changing times.