Drove to Jim Thorpe PA this morning to ride the Lehigh Gorge section of the D&L Rail trail. 26 miles of stonedust trail following the old rail line through gorgeous scenery. There is a very slight uphill grade heading North from Jim Thorpe but the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway and several companies with buses shuttle passengers to points along the trail so they can enjoy the slight downhill grade on the way back.
We are tough old people so we headed north from Jim Thorpe and rode the 15 miles to Rockport. This sign concerned me but we only saw a fawn and a beaver today!
The first couple of miles out of Jim Thorpe were open and sunny but we were soon in a canopy of trees with the river on one side and rock faces, small waterfalls, and gorgeous stands of blooming rhododendrons on the other
In Rockport we lunched on our PB&J and then quicked got on the trail and headed back south when we saw this arrive
That downhill grade was very nice on the way back! Trail seemed a bit more crowded as we got closer to Jim Thorpe with people walking and looking for river access – saw one group with loads of bright blue inner tubes. Loved this bridge over the river so stopped to grab a picture. We’ll be back next year!
Briggs Farm Blues Festival starts tomorrow and we’ll be in line early to get a campsite. No wifi or charging stations so I’ll finish up the blog on the way home