NEWS

Top 7 Running Trails in the Lehigh Valley

By Aimee Kohler, Founder of The Running Kind

Are you tired of hitting the roads for your daily runs? Are you ready for a change of scenery, along with some mountain air?

Then into the woods you go! Because trail running is calling your name! Whether you’re hiking the hills or sending the descents, trail running will keep you on your toes around every bend.

Lucky You: We Ranked Our Top 7 Spots

To help you plan your next (or first) trail running adventure, I polled trail friends from my Climate Neutral running company, The Running Kind.

Here are our top 7 spots for trail running in the Greater Lehigh Valley:

7 – Trexler Nature Preserve [Schnecksville, PA]

Trexler is a spot that has grown on me over the years. It offers a variety of technicality and smooth sections that you can cruise through, which keeps things fresh, even on a long run. Don’t be fooled by the seemingly easy sections because the rolling terrain poses a good challenge!

6 – Mt. Tammany [Delaware Water Gap, NJ]

Mt. Tammany is not for the faint of heart. These Lehigh Valley-ish trails just over the state line are scattered with rocks making for a very challenging climb and descent back down the mountain. The classic loop here is about 3 miles with over 1000 feet of elevation change, up red and down blue. However, you can always add on some mileage by heading up to Sunfish Pond on the Appalachian Trail.

5 – Black River Sanctuary [Fountain Hill, PA]

This new trail network is small but mighty! Though this area has less than five miles of trails, they are stunning! There are hills, rocks, and really runnable areas to get in the flow. Black River Sanctuary would be one of my top choices for new trail runners to explore!

Photo taken by Charlie Gerancher

4 – Lehigh Gap [Palmerton, PA]

Both sides of Lehigh Gap have become a personal favorite for me. The Lehigh Gap Nature Center side links with the D&L Trail, so you can combine some challenging, technical mountain trails with some flatter sections, making for a fun combination of terrain. If you really want to pack in the vertical gain, you can link up both sides and add the scramble just across the river! There’s an opportunity for many miles here.

Photo taken by Em Kohler at a stand alone event in 2023. Pictures: Marcello Cesario.

3 – South Mountain Preserve [Emmaus, PA]

South Mountain is home to many runnable trails with a taste of technicality. You can easily get over 6 miles of running here and can always mix it up with a variety of link ups. The orange loop is a classic 3-mile loop with some hills and technicality, but a nice runnable warm up and cool down. Take on the back side of the preserve for a bigger challenge with more technical sections and more vertical gain!

This is home The Running Kind’s nighttime race, Blackout! Blackout covers just over 6 miles and 1,000 ft of climbing and descending on these gorgeous trails. This year the race begins at sunset and runners will take on the course in its entirety… all in the dark! We are offering a Lights On edition that will begin before Blackout. You can choose one or go for the double header! Join us on October 4th!

Be sure to enter the giveaway below for your chance to win an entry to this year’s Blackout race at South Mountain Preserve!

Photo taken by Em Kohler at Blackout 2024.

2 – Jacobsburg State Park [Nazareth, PA]

These are my home trails. My first trail run ever was at Jacobsburg State Park, and I was hooked! With over 15 miles of trails, Jacobsburg takes you past gorgeous creekside views on some of the smoothest trails in the area. I’ve easily put in hundreds of miles here and it never gets old. Each year, The Running Kind hosts two races at Jacobsburg: The Long Run Spring Forward & Fall Back. These are both a 5-mile loop that can be run once, for 3 hours or for 6 hours. In Spring,  we run the course in the “forward” direction and in Fall everything reverses for runners to take it on in the opposite direction. This year the event will be on November 2nd.

Photo taken by Em Kohler at The Long Run Spring Forward 2025. Pictures: Krissa Viscomi and Gina Hidgon.

1 – Mt. Minsi [Delaware Water Gap, PA]

Top of the list! Mt. Minsi has my heart. As one of my earliest mountain excursions, this trail always feels like home. The classic loop is a 5-mile loop following the Appalachian Trail up to the summit and then taking the fire road back down to the parking lot. Of course, The Appalachian Trail goes for many miles in both directions so you can choose to link it to Mt. Tammany or go farther past the summit and head towards Wind Gap. If you happen to hike or run this trail at the perfect time in May or June, you might be lucky enough to experience it in mountain laurel bloom. That, paired with the breathtaking views of the Delaware Water Gap, make this an easy first place for me.

Photo taken by Aimee Kohler

So, there you have it! Certainly, there are more trails to be explored in the area, but hopefully this provides you with a good list to start with. You can always download AllTrails to find routes to download to your watch or phone, so you don’t get lost.

Be sure to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win an entry to Blackout this Fall!

See you on the trail!

About Aimee Kohler & The Running Kind

My personal trail running journey started several years ago and I had no idea that Lehigh Valley is home to some of the most beautiful and challenging trails the state has to offer. Now, about five years later, I have cut my teeth on the trails of Eastern PA, and I’ve found the best training grounds a girl could ask for.

The Running Kind is my Climate Neutral running company. It’s how I live out my passion for protecting beautiful, natural spaces, and encouraging others to do the same through race events. The Running Kind currently hosts five trail races a year, three of which are in the Lehigh Valley, a monthly group run or community event that can include trail work days, volunteer opportunities or group hikes. Keep an eye on our events page to run along with us out here!

RELATED POSTS