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. |
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. |