Hike #47
The group at our beginning, Union Square Phillipsburg
Hike 47
2/24/2 Easton to Washington
For this new section hike, I turned to my good friend Rich Pace to have a look at it
through his maptech program, and we figured out mileage and such one night.
For this scouting hike, I had planned to do a loop around Easton, PA, then enter NJ and
walk back to Washington. using railroads.
Group shot at the beginning, Union Square, Phillipsburg
Union Square, Phillipsburg
Crossing the Northampton Street Free Bridge from Phillipsburg
Northampton Street bridge heading into Easton
Northampton Street Bridge heading into Easton
View from the free bridge south along the Delaware
A Sitar in a shop in Easton
Easton Circle
Easton Circle
Easton Circle
Easton Circle
My grandmother took Tea Biscuit, Ronald, Peeps, Alf and I as I recall, to Union Square,
Phillipsburg, where we met up with Rich and Eric Pace, Bode, and his friend, Ron Rice.
This was an absolutely terrific group, everyone was in high spirits and particularly
animated. It took a while to get everyone together, then we walked across the
Northampton Street Free Bridge and into Easton. We walked up the street hooting and
holllering and making other noises, while commenting on everything in every window
along the way.
Easton Circle
Easton Circle
Easton PA
Easton PA
Easton PA
Easton PA, a building built over Bushkill Creek
A building built over Bushkill Creek in Easton
Approaching Lafayette College, Easton
Lafayette College entrance, Easton
Lafayette College entrance, Easton
Lafayette College entrance, Easton
Along Bushkill Creek, Easton PA
Along Bushkill Creek, Easton
Along Bushkill Creek, Easton
Bushkill Creek, Easton
Along Bushkill Drive, Easton
Along Bushkill Creek, an old dam site in Easton
Along Bushkill Creek, an old dam site in Easton
Along Bushkill Dirve, Easton
Along Bushkill Dirve, Easton
Former LV Railroad terminal site, Easton PA
Former Lehigh Valley Railroad, Easton
Under Rt 22 on the railroad grade, Easton
When we reached the Easton Circle, we regrouped (which always looked interesting
seeing as though there were nine of us, and climbed around on the statue. Next, we turned
north, crossed the Bushkill Creek and climbed around on the entrance to Lafayette
College. Soon, we made our way of Bushkill Drive in search of the abandoned Lehigh
Valley Railroad bed. On the way, we of course had to climb all over everything in sight.
When we reached a turn in Bushkill Drive, we headed out into a large area with a few
buildings we suspected to be the terminus of the railroad found on the maps. We searched
and found land level enough to support a railroad but no rail evidence. We walked mainly
along the creek, and found our first set of abandoned rails when we came back out to the
road, and the search along the creek ended up being pointless except for frolicking
purposes. The right of way continued along Bushkill Creek. I later found out that this was
used as a terminal of some sort for the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
Scrap yard in Easton
Scrap yard, Easton PA
Scrap yard, Easton PA
Scrap yard, Easton PA
Scrap yard, Easton PA
Scrap yard, Easton PA
Scrap yard sculpture, Easton PA
Scrap yard, Easton PA
Scrap yard sculpture, Easton PA
In Easton PA
Crossing Bushkill Creek trestle, Easton PA
Pipe over Bushkill Creek, Easton PA
Pipe over Bushkill Creek, Easton PA
Structure along the LV rail bed along Bushkill Creek, Easton PA
Pipe over Bushkill Creek, Easton PA
Along Wood Avenue, Easton PA
After following the right of way under Rt 22, we entered a scrap yard full of all sorts of
strange sculptures made from the trash including a rooster and an abstract version of Atlas
holding the world. Peeps took some time to climb up the Atlas statue.
Somewhere around this time, Rich got a phone call from home that his washing machine
was overflowing, and Eric was flipping out about it, so the two of them turned back to go
home and sort out the mess. The remaining seven of us continued looking for where the
railroad crossed Bushkill Creek. We were fretting over how to get across, but Tea Biscuit
and Alf just walked into the water, and continued walking up stream in the middle of the
creek. Quite a crazy thing to do on a February day, though it was abnormally warmer than
usual. Soon, we came to the crossing, a deck style girder bridge still intact, save for rails.
We continued on, and Peeps and Ronald crossed the creek a couple times on piplines
crossing to industrial buildings.
Former rail crossing of Wood Avenue, Easton PA
Old LV railroad bed, Easton PA
Former railroad crossing of Northampton Street, Palmer PA
Dixie Cup Factory from the old railroad bed
Free advertising, Easton PA
Old railroad bridge that was torn out where the Wallgreens is on 25th St. Easton
Next, we reached a gated fence over the rail bed. We decided to make our way up hill
through weeds, soon reaching an old road, then again through more weeds to come out on
Wood Avenue. We followed this road to the next accessable piece o the railroad near the
Rt 22 underpass. The crossing still had visible rails, and beyond was a clear grassy right of
way, with some industrial spurs still in place. A mentally challenged man tried talking to us
at one point which was kind of uncomfortable.
The right of way soon entered a wooded section above Wood Ave, and then came out
into a lot full of truck trailers for Wonder Break I believe it was...not sure...and then we
crossed Northampton Street heading towards the old Dixie Cup Factory.
This area was devoid of many trees, and continued like this on to Freemansburg Road,
crossing William Penn Highway along the way on a through style girder bridge. We also
climbed down and goofed off a bit, climbing up a billboard. The William Penn Highway
Bridge, in addition to the right of way just to the south, was later destroyed in favor of a
Wallgreens.
Trail section of the former railroad bed, Easton
Former LV rail bed, now trail in Easton
Rail trail in Easton
Abbey Road style crossing
This is still hilarious
Old industry in Easton
We made a pit stop in a local grociery store, I think it was a Laneco or something....then
made our way to a section of the right of way at Freemansburg Ave where it is now a
paved recreational trail. To our surprise, Rich and Eric were waiting there for us; when
they returned home the problem with the washing machine had already been amended, so
they returned to join us, missing only a couple miles at best.
When we reached the next road, we stopped at a little burger joint, then continued on
across to the next part of the trail. While crossing the road, we tried to take an “Abbey
Road” style picture at the crosswalk, which did’nt work, but Peeps thought it would be
funny to follow Rich across with his pants down around his ankles!
Abandoned rail bed, Easton PA
Underpass on the rail bed, Easton PA
Underpass climbing around
Climbing around at on old rail underpass, Easton
Trestle in Easton PA
Crossing a trestle, Easton PA
Trestle, Easton PA
Trestle, Easton PA
Trestle, Easton PA
Trestle, Easton PA
At the next road, the trail ended. We made our way onto the right of way continueing
through some weeds and passing an old industrial site. Soon, we came to an underpass
where we took some time to climb around again. Not long after that, we came to an
abandoned trestle, there may have actually been two of them, I can’t remember, but they
were difficult to cross because there was a great deal of weeds obstructing the way. The
same could be said of the next section of the right of way to next road.
Trestle, Easton PA
Bushwhacking the rail bed in Easton PA
Former LV railraod bed in Easton PA
View from the rail bed, Easton PA
Bushwhacking the LV rail bed, Easton PA
View from the rail bed
Bushwhacking former LV railraod bed, Easton PA
Along former LV railroad bed, Easton PA
Along former LV rail bed, Easton PA
Along former LV rail bed, Easton PA
Along former LV rail bed, Easton PA
View from former LV rail bed, Easton PA
View from former LV rail bed, Easton PA
View from former LV rail bed of the Lehigh River, Easton PA
View of South Easton from former LV railraod bed
Along former LV railroad bed
Former LV railroad bed in Easton PA
We passed an interesting looking house to the south, then entered an incredibly
overgrown area. We fought through, and at one point a great mass of broken cement was
even over the right of way. This section is at a slightly higher elevation than the former
Central Railroad of New Jersey’s tracks just below us. The section of the Lehigh Valley
Line we were walking sat atop a shelf above a stone wall with a far drop over the side. We
had to take extreme caution not to get too close to the side. We tried to find sticks for the
purpose of beating down the brush. Nevertheless, this section of the right of way offered
fantasting views of South Easton.
Former LV railroad bed on a shelf in Easton PA
South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
View from South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
View from South Easton Trestle
View from South Easton Trestle
View from South Easton Trestle of the Lehigh Canal
Lehigh Canal from South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
View from South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
Train from South Easton Trestle
View from South Easton Trestle
Soon, we came to the South Easton Bridge, an old trestle about a half mile in length over
the Lehigh, which turns twice in the span. Only single track with no guard rails, even ties
missing in some places, this was to be the most dangerous bridge we’d ever walked
across. Too much so for Ron Rice, he decided to make his way down and walk back to
Union Square on the road. Crossing the bridge, awesome views of the Lehigh River,
Lehigh Canal, railroad, and Easton were to be had. At some points, nearby trees had
grown throught the trestle leaving little room to walk. A Norfolk Southern Train passed
by on the former Lehigh Valley Railroad tracks below us.
South Easton Trestle
South end of South Easton Trestle
Group at the south end of South Easton Trestle
South Easton Trestle
Rail bed below South Easton Trestle
Looking toward South Easton Trestle
Lehigh Valley Railroad station site, Easton
CNJ trestle in Easton with Rt 611
CNJ trestle in Easton
Coca Cola Mountain, Easton
Lehigh Valley Railroad cut in Easton
View from Coca Cola Mountain
View from Coca Cola Mountain
View from Coca Cola Mountain, Easton
Coming down from Coca Cola Mountain in Easton
View from the Coca Cola Mountain, Easton
View from the Coca Cola Mountain, Easton
Structure along the former LV railroad tracks
Trestles over the Delaware from Easton
Delaware Canal from the former LV trestle, South Easton
Former LV trestle over the Delaware
Former LV trestle over the Delaware
Former LV trestle over the Delaware
Delaware River view south from the former LV trestle
Looking at former CNJ trestle from former LV trestle, Easton
On the south end of the bridge, there was a fence blocking us from the rest of the right of
way, and we had to carefully climb around. We regrouped here so everyone could make it
across the trestle. The right of way made a gradual descent to the level of the currently
active line. We made a quick side trip at Ronald’s request up “Coca Cola Mountain”, a
rock outcropping with views of Phillipsburg and Easton. A certainly worth while walk.
Next, we crossed the abandoned trestle of the Lehigh Valley Railroad over the Delaware.
This bridge was double tracked with a walkway in the middle, which could be used for
some distance before reaching NJ where the walkway had been removed.
Sadly, just four years later Ronald Short fell to his death from this trestle in that spot
where the walkway was missing. Ron loved these bridges and the unique view each one
gave of the sorrounding areas, and it seems so unreal that such a place he was so fond of
would claim his life. Still, we have many fond memories with Ron, such as the time we
spent together on this and other hikes, and he will never be forgotten.
Old signal bridge, Phillipsburg NJ
View of the LV trestle from the signal bridge in Phillipsburg
LV signal bridge, Easton PA
Alf and I on the signal tower
Group shot on former LV railroad bed, Phillipsburg
The group, after our nine mile circuit through Easton
Former Morris and Essex Division line in Phillipsburg NJ
Former Morris and Essex Division line heading east from Phillipsburg
Former Morris and Essex Division line near Strykers Crossing
Former Morris and Essex Division line near Port Warren
Former Morris and Essex Division line near Stewartsville
Former Morris and Essex Division line, Stewartsville arera
Tea Biscuit went down here off the rail bed to use the facilities near New Village
Former Morris and Essex Division line bridge over Edison Road near New Village
On the NJ side, we climbed the signal bridge once again and took in the view. We then
said our goodbyes to Rich, Eric, and Bode as they returned to Union Square via the Bel
Del Railroad tracks below. Ron, Peeps, Alf, Tea Biscuit, and I continued east, taking the
former Morris and Essex Railroad through Phillipsburg. We stopped for refreshments at
the 7-11 store on Roseberry Street. We also made another stop, I believe, at a Pizza Place
at Strykers Road, but I’m not sure. Tea Biscuit was starting to have some tummy trouble
within the next few miles, and he found an abandoned shed and decided to go in to answer
nature’s call, but was heartbroken that he could’nt amend his digestional woes.
We found this giant plush pony in a tree along the railroad bed in Broadway, along with a lot of paperback books
When we reached a bridge over a road near New Village, Ronald and Alf decided to
leave Tea Biscuit, Peeps, and I, as Alf had something to do and Ron was getting tired.
They walked the roads to Dr. Blease’s.
Continueing east, on the long straight-away near Broadway NJ, we found a giant plush
horse dangling in a small tree, as well as an enourmous heap of paperback books dumped
along the tracks. We took some time out here to have a paperback war, lobbing books and
pelting one another with them for a while! After this bit of fun, we continued on, as it was
getting dark.
This was the site of the Paperback Book War, Broadway NJ
Along the tracks in Broadway NJ
By the time we reached Washington, we were terribly tired and walking in complete
darkness except when in proximity to buildings. We took a final break near Railroad
Avenue in Washington before making the final mile walk to Port Colden, having
completed over 22 miles!
Here's where you can see all of the pictures from this hike:
http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q13/sneezehorse/hike047/
“Lot of distractions. No one can ever top the crosswalk. And the street sign. Fo Sho.”
-Peeps
Former Morris and Essex Division line nearing Washington NJ
Taking one final break, just the three of us remaining on this 22.5 mile hike, at the Washington Railroad Yard with one mile only remaining.
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