Palmer Bikeway

Palmer Bike Path
Location	Palmer Township, PA
Length	7.8 miles
Trailheads	Riverview Park Fairview Park
Use	Jogging, Walking, Biking, Dog Walking
Difficulty	Easy to moderate, level terrain, ADA accessible
Surface	Blacktop
Hours	Dawn to dusk, year-around
Bathrooms	Riverview and Fairview Parks

The Palmer Bikeway is a system of trails in Palmer Township, Pennsylvania. These include a towpath adjacent to the Lehigh River, along with extensions that go up through residential areas of the township. The bikeway is connected to other trails which extend into the cities of Easton and Bethlehem, and goes through a corner of Wilson Borough. The northern portion of the trail, which extends from Penn Pump Park to Tatamy Borough parallel to the Bushkill Creek, will eventually be linked to the rest of the Bikeway via an unbuilt section between Northwood Avenue (at Penn Pump Park) and Bushkill Park Drive (just northeast of Bushkill Park). Once an undeveloped portion of trail between Tatamy and Stockertown Borough is completed, the Palmer Bikeway will connect with the Plainfield Township Trail, creating a regional trail system.^[1]

Historical development

Palmer Bikeway as it passes under the Rt. 33 Lehigh River Bridge

Initial construction

The original idea for the Palmer Bikeway first came about in the late 1970s as a result of a United States Department of the Interior program to create walking and bicycle trails from many abandoned rail lines across the nation. Under the leadership of officials from Palmer and Bethlehem Townships the project received a grant of $480,400, the second largest grant under the program.

2000–2010

In 2001 the township received additional grant money for the completion of a three-mile section of the trail along the Bushkill Creek in the northern section of the township. This section goes north from Penn Pump Park to the township's border with Tatamy. In 2002, following the completion of the Rt. 33 extension, a two-mile section of path was completed west of Riverview Park along the Lehigh River. This section eliminated the need to traverse the steep grades from Chain Dam Road when traveling from Riverview Park.

2011 and beyond

As additional funding becomes available the recently completed 3-mile section will be connected to the original 7.8-mile path. Additional connections to other local trails in Wilson, Plainfield and Forks Townships will also be made.

Along the trail

Design

Fairview Park from the Palmer Bikeway

The entire 7.8-mile length of the bike path is paved with asphalt and with the exception of a 1.5-mile section along Chain Dam Road the trail also occupies its own right of way. The trail ranges from 8-12 feet wide and is relatively level. There are two steep grades, however, at both ends of Chain Dam Road. Near the southern terminus, the trail runs along the Lehigh River for several miles. As the bike path loops north around PA Rt 33 it runs through several residential neighborhoods and crosses five public roads at grade.

Maintenance

The Bike Path is owned by Bethlehem and Palmer townships and is maintained year-round by the Palmer Township Parks Department. Local community groups will occasionally sponsor improvements to the trail as well, such as a recent Eagle Scout project to place clearly visible mile markers along the main section of the bike path.

Amenities

The trail passes through two public parks, both of which contain bathrooms, picnic facilities, playground equipment, and parking. There is another parking lot and a public boat launch accessible from Hope Rd.^[2]

References

↑ "Bike Path and Recreational Areas Map" (PDF). Retrieved 30 October 2011.
↑ "Lehigh River Water Trail". Retrieved 1 November 2011.

NPS National Historical Parks & National Historic Sites	Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS Edgar Allan Poe NHS Eisenhower NHS Friendship Hill NHS Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church NHS Hopewell Furnace NHS Independence NHP Steamtown NHS Valley Forge NHP

National Memorials	Benjamin Franklin Flight 93 Johnstown Flood Thaddeus Kosciuszko

National Battlefields and National Military Parks	Fort Necessity NB Gettysburg NMP

National Trails	Appalachian Trail

Other protected areas	Allegheny National Recreation Area Blue Marsh National Recreation Area Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area Middle Delaware National Scenic River Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

National Forests	Allegheny

USFS National Historic Sites	Grey Towers

National Wildlife Refuges	Cherry Valley Erie John Heinz Ohio River Islands

State

State Parks	Allegheny Islands Archbald Pothole Bald Eagle Beltzville Bendigo Benjamin Rush Big Pocono Big Spring Black Moshannon Blue Knob Boyd Big Tree Buchanan's Birthplace Bucktail Caledonia Canoe Creek Chapman Cherry Springs Clear Creek Codorus Colonel Denning Colton Point Cook Forest Cowans Gap Delaware Canal Denton Hill Elk Erie Bluffs Evansburg Fort Washington Fowlers Hollow Frances Slocum French Creek Gifford Pinchot Gouldsboro Greenwood Furnace Hickory Run Hillman Hills Creek Hyner Run Hyner View Jacobsburg Jennings Joseph E. Ibberson Kettle Creek Keystone Kings Gap Kinzua Bridge Kooser Lackawanna Laurel Hill Laurel Mountain Laurel Ridge Laurel Summit Lehigh Gorge Leonard Harrison Linn Run Little Buffalo Little Pine Locust Lake Lyman Run Marsh Creek Maurice K. Goddard McCalls Dam McConnells Mill Memorial Lake Milton Mont Alto Moraine Mt. Pisgah Nescopeck Neshaminy Nockamixon Nolde Forest Norristown Farm Ohiopyle Oil Creek Ole Bull Parker Dam Patterson Penn-Roosevelt Pine Grove Furnace Poe Paddy Poe Valley Point Presque Isle Prince Gallitzin Promised Land Prompton Prouty Place Pymatuning R. B. Winter Raccoon Creek Ralph Stover Ravensburg Reeds Gap Ricketts Glen Ridley Creek Ryerson Station S. B. Elliott Salt Springs Samuel S. Lewis Sand Bridge Shawnee Shikellamy Sinnemahoning Sizerville Susquehanna Susquehannock Swatara Tobyhanna Trough Creek Tuscarora Tyler Upper Pine Bottom Varden Warriors Path Washington Crossing Whipple Dam White Clay Creek Worlds End Yellow Creek

State Forests	Bald Eagle Buchanan Clear Creek Cornplanter Delaware Elk Forbes Gallitzin Lackawanna Loyalsock Michaux Moshannon Rothrock Sproul Susquehannock Tiadaghton Tioga Tuscarora Weiser William Penn (Wild areas)

Scenic Rivers	Bear Run French Creek Lehigh River LeTort Spring Run Lick Run Lower Brandywine Octoraro Creek Pine Creek Schuylkill River Stony Creek Tucquan Creek Tulpehocken Creek Yellow Breeches Creek

Other

Other	Anders Run Natural Area Forrest H. Duttlinger Natural Area Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area Johnson Run Natural Area Stone Valley Recreation Area Trexler Nature Preserve Wykoff Run Natural Area

Hiking trails	Appalachian Baker Black Forest Central Mountains Shared Use Darlington Eastern Continental Five Star Glacier Ridge Great Eastern Greene River Horse-Shoe Indian Creek Valley Loyalsock Mid State Standing Stone Mason-Dixon North Country Ohio River Old Loggers Path Pinchot Potomac Heritage Quehanna Rachel Carson Sheepskin Susquehannock Thunder Swamp Tuscarora Valley Forge Historical West Rim Wissahickon Youghiogheny River

Rail trails	Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Beaver River East Coast Greenway Five Star Ghost Town Great Allegheny Passage Great Shamokin Path Greene River Indian Creek Valley Lebanon Valley Lehigh Gorge Liberty Bell Lower Montour Ohio River Palmer Bikeway Panhandle Perkiomen Pine Creek Plainfield Township Schuylkill River Sheepskin Struble Susquehanna Warrior Switchback Three Rivers Heritage York Country Heritage Youghiogheny River

Nature centers	List of nature centers in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Rail trails in Pennsylvania

Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Beaver River Chester Valley Conewago Recreation Trail Cumberland Valley D&L Trail East Coast Greenway Five Star Ghost Town Great Allegheny Passage Great Shamokin Greene River Indian Creek Valley Lackawanna River Heritage Lebanon Valley Lehigh Gorge Liberty Bell Lower Montour Ohio River Panhandle Perkiomen Pine Creek Schuylkill River Stony Valley Struble Susquehanna Warrior Switchback Three Rivers Heritage Westmoreland Heritage York County Heritage Youghiogheny River

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