Allentown Hiking Club Meetup Group

Meet at the Illick's Mill parking lot at 100 Illick's Mill Rd. in Bethlehem where we will begin our 2 mile walk either on the Monocacy Trail or along city streets to the Central Moravian Church (73 W. Church St.) for a Bach at Noon concert. The concert is free, but voluntary donations are appreciated. After the concert, we will follow the same route to walk back to our cars. Bring snacks to be able to eat on the move as the weather conditions may not allow a stop for lunch. The Monocacy Trail is flat and has a good walking surface (paved, gravel, grass). Steady rain or snow or icy conditions on the morning of the event will cancel the hike portion of this event, but participants can meet in the balcony of the church for the concert. Bring snacks and water.

We'll cover trails in both French Creek State Park and Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, including both Hopewell Lake and Scotts Run Lake and trails on both sides of Route 345. Trails are rocky and hilly and could be icy or muddy and therefore sturdy hiking boots are recommended and traction devices suggested. Please bring at least 2 liters of water plus lunch and snacks. Steady rain or snow cancels and the MeetUp will be updated accordingly.

Trail map can be found here:

http://www.docs.dcnr.pa.gov/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_004691.pdf

This will be a 6 to 8 mile loop hike incorporating several trails at the Lehigh gap nature center. At least half of the hike is on the relatively flat LNE trail, but we will encounter some elevation change and rockiet terrain on a few other trails that we will explore.

Dress and layers with appropriate footwear and bring proper hydration and a snack. It is possible we may encounter ice/snow on some of the trails depending on weather conditions in the days prior. I will post an update on weather and potential trail conditions here a day or two before the event.

Rain or significant snow in the morning of event will cancel.