Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to footer

Delaware And Lehigh Trail Connection

Update on the Weatherly Borough Trail Project

We would like to update the community on the progress and plans to accomplish the Weatherly Borough/Delaware and Lehigh Trail connection.  This Two Phase Project is being funded by grants and has the support of Senator Argall, Senator Casey, Senator Fetterman, Congresswomen Wild, State Representative Doyle Heffley, Trust for Public Land, DCNR, the Bureau of Forestry, and Rails to Trails.

The first mile of the trail (Phase 1) is approximately 65% complete and will be ADA accessible. It will start at the trail head, located behind the museum, and will run through the wooded area before it reaches the Hazle Creek on the northeast side.  A piece of property has been purchased from NFS to allow for a safer route. It will then cross over with a bridge below the cul-de-sac of Yeakle Street.  From there, the trail will run along the Hazle Creek to the confluence of the Hazle, Quakake and Black Creeks where a second bridge will be located and where Phase 1 will end.  

Phase 2 will pick up after the second bridge, across the Quakake Creek, and further the trail by an additional four miles.  The trail will continue to wind eastward along the Black Creek before it scales up the mountain and follows through to the Lehigh Gorge State Park D&L Trail/Anthracite Section in the vicinity of Penn Haven Junction. Current work is underway to lay out the exact location of the trail in an effort to begin tree clearing and excavation work in the spring and summer of 2025. Our timeline to have Phase 2 completed is by 2027.

A grant was also awarded to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) through the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (PA BAMR) to restore 8 miles of polluted stream in the Quakake and Black Creeks in preparation for the Weatherly Borough/D&L trail connection.  DEP project partners include the Weatherly Borough, Carbon County Commissioners, Wildlands Conservancy, United States Geological Survey (USGS), Trout Unlimited, Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED), and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

Through this trail connection, the Weatherly Borough’s goal is to provide a natural asset to the residents and surrounding communities allowing healthy living opportunities for walking, hiking, biking, socializing and a place for nature enthusiasts to enjoy, all while maintaining conservation efforts of protecting the land.  We hope that when completed, you and your families will enjoy the trail for generations to come. Please note, the trail is not yet open to the public and we ask that you refrain from entering due to safety issues with construction.