The ~34-acre B. Leroy and Elizabeth Burkhart Preserve offers a very different hiking experience than Wildlands Conservancy’s other Lehigh Valley-based preserves. Visitors will find it is maintained in a more natural condition than its neighboring Dorothy Rider Pool Wildlife Sanctuary or South Mountain Preserve. Its dense understory provides habitat for a large variety of bird and mammal species, yet also allows for an easy hiking experience through gentle wooded hills.
Blue Trail | .2 miles
Leading from the parking lot access, the Blue Trail parallels the mountain top and connects to the White and Yellow Trails.
Red Trail | .4 miles
The Red Trail is the spine of this Preserve’s trail network. Follow this trail slightly downhill from the parking lot to connect to all other Preserve trails.
White Trail | .2 miles
The White Trail starts atop the mountain connecting the Blue and Red Trails, before moving downhill to connect to the Orange and Yellow Trails.
Yellow Trail | .1 miles
This trail works against the slope as it bisects the Blue, Orange, and Red Trails.
Purple Trail | .1 miles
Located in the middle of the Preserve, the short Purple Trail connects to the Orange and Red Trails as it runs against the mountain’s slope.
Orange Trail | .6 miles
The Orange Trail traverses the mountside, creating a loop with moderate elevation changes. This is the longest trail on the Preserve which connects to almost every trail.
Green Trail | .1 miles
Two spurs of the Green Trail run straight up and down the mountain face with several connections to the Orange and Red Trails.
The tall tree canopy provides habitat for a variety of birds including the great horned owl, cooper’s hawk, and pileated woodpeckers. Visitors will share the trails with beneficial butterflies that hold relationships with this native tree and amphibians like wood frogs.
Trees present on the preserve are mostly deciduous species including oak and beech, while the understory consists of spicebush, wineberry bushes, and ferns. Notable plant species include the unique hoods and bright berries of the Jack-in-the-Pulpit, the large umbrellas of Mayapple, and large flower spikes of black cohosh.
This preserve was created through the generous donation of Elizabeth Burkhart in 1998 and expanded in 2015 through a donation from Judith Diehl. It is critical in protecting forested areas and wildlife habitat on South Mountain.
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