Delaware and Lehigh Trail, PA - Cove Road to Slatington

ABOUT THE PARK:
Trail Section: Slatington – Cove Road - Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.73439, -75.53874

Cove Road parking at 7:30 AM on July Fourth holiday.

Cove Road parking at 1 PM - the cars go well beyond what in in this photo and this is only 1 of 2 lots.  There is river access from here also so that accounts for a lot of the cars although the trail also gets very busy.

TRAIL MAP:
Trail Section: Slatington – Cove Road - Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor

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HIKE DISTANCE:  11 miles (5.5 miles each way)

THE HIKE:

Heading to the trail from the end of the parking lot and turning leftt.

After going under Route 145, it's all woods.

That would be rain in the Lehigh River to the right.  Forecast was for partly sunny - it poured the minute I pulled into the lot.  Fortunately it did not last long.

Rock cliffs on the left.

Shawnee walked the first 1.25 miles on her own.  I didn't bother with the wheelchair this time.

Old railroad parts throughout.

Concrete Phone Booth

It's busy on this trail even early on a holiday.

Bad, bad dog.  She fought me tooth and nail getting into the stroller but once in you would never know.

Waiting for me (like she has a choice) while I check out a path that turned out not to provide much in the way of a river view.

From a distance with the zoom lens, I could see birds coming and going.

But once I came up along with row of whimsical birdhouses, you would have thought they were all vacant.  Nothing moved.  Nothing.

But I know there were in there because I saw them.

Flowers growing in a stack of old railroad ties.

She actually fell asleep.

Picnic tables along the way.

The only road crossings are driveways when there are residences on the right between the trail and the river.

Rhododendron in bloom on the rock cliffs.

A clear view of the Lehigh River at the top of a rock slab.

Most of the time the Lehigh River is just to the right of the trail.

This cedar waxwing sat so nicely on a branch over the river that I got several poses from him.

How festive since it's the Fourth of July.

Gray Catbird - I think I have one from every hike so far this summer.

Indigo Bunting

When the trail passes through a residential area, somebody placed water bowls for passing dogs.

Shortly after arriving at the Slatington parking lot and that would be a restroom building on the left.  Yay!

It has a nice shaded stroller parking area.

I had accidentally dumped Shawnee's water and spilled most of it so I was able to refill here.

Heading back, lots of people floating down the Lehigh River.

Tree Swallow

Old bridge abutments...

... all the way across the Lehigh River.

Another nap.  Must be awfully comfortable in there.  So why the big fight to get her in? 

The entire length of the section we did is shaded.

Back at Route 145 ...

... and the insanely busy parking lots.

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