Frisbee Golf Course at North Hackett Park
9/15/8 Belfast-Easton Rail beds with Cathy Fisher
Unfortunitely I lost the journal entry to this one in the fire. Maybe I'll turn up.
For this hike, Cathy and I started in Belfast, way north of Easton, and headed from the junction site that used to be there south.
Rail bed south of Stockertown
Abandoned railroad south of Stockertown
Rail bed
Washed out railroad south of Stockertown PA
Rail bed south of Stockertown
LV railroad bed just north of Tatamy PA
Abandoned bridge over Bushkill Creek to the rail bed south of Tatamy, PA
Dam on the Bushkill Creek
Old rail bridge on former LV railroad nearing Easton
Former LV rail bed north of Easton
Former LV rail bed just north of Easton
Former LV rail bed just north of Easton
Abandoned former Lehigh Valley Railroad just north of Easton near Bushkill Park
Rails still in place at an industry north of Easton
Old Dixie Cup Factory, Easton
Old Dixie Cup Factory, Easton
Old Dixie Cup Factory, Easton
Old Dixie Cup Factory, Easton
Old Dixie Cup Factory, Easton
In the old Dixie Cup Factory in Easton
Old Dixie Cup Factory, Easton
Old Dixie Cup Factory, Easton
This was on a bridge on the former CNJ Railroad, now the trail that connects to the D&L Trail.
We headed along the rail bed into Stockertown, then took the side road around like I'd done in the past. I was till trying to keep her out hiking, and this was another one of my favorite abandoned raiload sections so I knew she'd love it.
The tracks were still there just south of Stockertown, and just like the previous time we were there, they were still washed out badly, only now they had all sorts of weeds growing through them too.
We continued on the tracks south to Tatamy where we picked up the first section of rail trail. It was still under developement but each tiem on it it seemed more and more like a trail. I'm pretty sure we stopped for snacks at the little store there as well.
This time we went through the developement south of Tatamy was totally complete, and it looked like they made the trail go a little down hill from the actual rail bed.
We continued south toward Easton, and before we got there went by a building which I think was owned my the M&M snack foods. Just a short distance beyond here we took the paved trail that went up hill into upper Hackett Park. I was told the rail bed ahead was closed as part of a swap...the company the right of way went through paid to have a paved trail put in through Hackett Park and the rail bed itself would be closed.
Once we reached the top we were in a frisbee golf course. We continued across the road and onto an abandoned road, now the route of the trail, which led across a foot bridge over Rt 22 and into Lower Hackett Park. This time we found soemthing new, the trail continued over to the right out of Hackett Park and parallel with Wood Avenue, just barely into the woods. It then dead ended on the road a short distance ahead. We bushwhacked across and up onto the former Lehigh Valley Railroad bed which went behind I think it's the Wonder Bread place. We crossed Northampton Street, and I think we probably stopped at Taco Bell but I don't remember.
We continued ahead and soon came to the abandoned Dixie Cup factory on the right. I was still all charged up from the zinc company thing I'd done on the last hike, so I had to try to get into this one too, probably not a good idea, but oh well. I got a few pictures and we moved on.
We soon came to where a bridge was missing, torn out in recent years, and then descended to cross 25th Street I think it was, then crossed the Walgreens parking lot that was build on the rail bed, followed by Freemansburg Road. On the other side of Freemansburg Road we picked up the next section of paved trail. We followed it onluy a short distance to another paved trail to the right, which followed the former CNJ railroad right of way down to the former main line along the Lehigh. The trail went past schools and was very busy at first, but then went into a wooded area. Fred Hafele and I walked this in the past, but I'd never finished it down to the riverside until this trip, and it was really nice as it ran along a section of shelf. I think we were parked at the ball fields or something down at the Glendon Bridge where we finished.
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