Hike the Highlands

Quakertown High School Students are producing a short video about the PA Highlands Trail Network (PHTN) and Quakertown Area Master Trail Plan. This morning they filmed interviews with Tom Marino, who is both a PHTN Steering Committee member and Richland Township Parks & Recreation Committee member, as well as AMC's John Brunner. Check back in a few weeks for details about how to view the video.

Students shoot video footage on the bridge over Beaver Run.

The newly completed Pennsylvania Highlands Trail Network (PHTN) Feasibility Study Report describes preferred trail routes for the first segment of the PA Highlands Trail, which traverses portions of Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton Counties. To read the Feasibility Report click here (PDF 4.32 MB).

The report represents a tremendous amount of input and data collected over the past two years by the PHTN Steering Committee members, local residents, municipal representatives, and state and county park managers. AMC's Mid-Atlantic Recreation Planner John Brunner and Geographic Information Specialist Cathy Poppenwimer collaborated to produce the maps of the PA Highlands Trail trunk and spur routes, with Brunner serving as the report's primary author.

There are a total of five trail planning segments covering the entire Pennsylvania Highlands region between the Delaware River and the Maryland border. The first segment of the PA Highlands Trail begins as a co-aligned route along the D&L Trail, which follows the canal towpath along the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. The PA Highlands trail will also establish new trails on abandoned roads and paths within Ringing Rocks County Park and Nockamixon State Park.

Work has already begun on Segment #2 of the PHTN Feasibility Study between Quakertown, the Unami Hills, and the Perkiomen Trail, which is a 19-mile multi-use trail that joins with the Schuylkill River Trail near Valley Forge National Historic Park. AMC is also heading up a Quakertown Area Master Trail Plan Study to connect the complex but disparate number of trails that have been planned or built in several  municipalities of Bucks and Lehigh Counties.

The Quakertown Trail Ideas Workshop held April 29 brought new participants and new suggestions for potential trail alignments in the Borough of Quakertown and surrounding townships. This was truly an interactive meeting with participants breaking out into groups to study special maps prepared by Campbell & Thomas Co. The workshop was held at the Richland Township municipal building.

 Another public meeting will be scheduled for late June to discuss trail routes as field work continues to investigate the most feasible trail routes.

Are you ready for your first springtime paddling trip in the Pennsylvania Highlands?  AMC has published a set of cards that can help you get out and on the water just in time for warmer weather. 
Each of the 15 "Paddle the Highlands" cards features an iconic highlands waterway as well as information about flow, put-in and take-out spots, regional history and geology.  The cards also provide important tips for river etiquette and safety.  A master map shows each of the 15 highlighted waterways, from the Conococheague in the western PA Highlands, all the way to the Delaware River.
Sets of "Paddle the Highlands" cards are available for free at a number of our PA Highlands Trail Network Partners, including Blue Mountain Outfitters, Easton Outdoor Company, Landes Outfitters, L.L.Bean at the Center Valley Promenade Shops, REI in Conshohocken, Shank's Mare Outfitters, and Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitor center.  If you can't make it to one of these spots, just send an email to cfrankenberg@outdoors.org, and I'll make sure to get a set of cards in the mail to you.

Campbell Thomas & Co is serving as the consultant team.

Rails-To-Trails Conservancy presents a fine article about the remarkable trail development taking place in Philly and Pittsburgh with the article "A Tale of Two Cities" by Laura Stark.

Stark calls out eastern Pennsylvania's premier trail network, The Circuit, which is an ambitious and long-term project that will ultimately connect 750 miles of trails in the Greater Philadelphia Region. Those connections will include the PA Highlands Trail Network via its planned connections to the D&L Trail, Perkiomen Trail and Schuylkill River Trail.

A relatively new national coalition AmericaWalks is getting underway with a strong focus on public health and transportation policies that seek to encourage more walkable, bicycle friendly places in the nation. A similar new coalition is working to combat sedentary lifestyles. Every Body Walk has some excellent short video clips that highlight the benefits of walking and the dangers of excessive sitting.


Check out their websites and look them up on Facebook!

Still from Flow Hunters, ©Graeme Murray

Mark your calendars for 6 pm, April 21st.  Northampton Community College will be bringing the Banff Mountain Film Festival to Bethlehem.  This famous outdoors film festival is based in Canada and travels through American cities like Pittsburgh, Bethlehem and Philadelphia, as well as internationally, to Ireland, Peru, the Philippines, Venezuela, and dozens of other countries.  The festival celebrates award-winning films about skiing, skydiving, climbing, kayaking and mountain-biking adventures all around the world. 

This year's highlighted films at Northampton Community College include: Industrial Revolution, Moonwalk, Unicorn Sashimi, Reel Rock, Wideboyz, Crossing the Ice, Flow Hunters, Mountains in Motion, Ernest, and Lily Shreds Trailside.  You can check out clips from the all films here.

The event is being hosted by the Northampton Community College Outdoors Club.  Tickets sold in advance are $18 for the general public, and $15 for Northampton Community College students.  You can purchase your tickets online from the NCC, or for $20 at the door.  

For more information, email Frank Pologruto at fpologruto@northampton.edu .

This Wednesday from 6-8, I'll be leading a Green Drinks discussion at Earth Bread + Brewery in Mount Airy.  We'll be talking about our new Marcellus Shale's Greatest Treasures site, featuring photographs and stories about over 15 recreation destinations in the Marcellus Shale region.  Come join us for casual conversation, great food and beer, and the opportunity to meet other conservation-minded people.  
See you there!

AMC and the PA Highlands Trail Steering Committee are set to begin working with Campbell Thomas & Co. on the development of the Quakertown Region Master Trails Plan as part of the larger effort to identify a route for the PA Highlands Trail between the Delaware River and the Maryland border. The kickoff meeting for the one-year planning effort is set for March 26.

Bob Thomas is one of the top trail planners in the region and has a wealth of knowledge and experience to bring to this effort. His firm has worked on several major trail projects including the Valley Forge Trail and the Perkiomen Trail, the later which will be a co-aligned trail within the PA Highlands Trail Network.

Could this site be the confluence of a trail system that includes the PA Highlands Trail?

The study area, which includes the Borough of Quakertown and several surrounding municipalities, presents golden opportunities for trail development and leveraging the already considerable amount of trail planning that has occurred within some of the municipalities.One of the primary goals of this study, besides finding the best Highlands Trail route alternatives, is to convene people from several municipalities to forge new partnerships and promote trail connectivity.