The D&L Blog

Whether it’s going for a walk, commuting to work, visiting a friend, or running some errands, we all travel in some capacity. It’s a part of everyday life. But sometimes, those routines can start to feel like a rut.  

In 2024, Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (DLNHC) encourages you to do some exploration! It’s time to break some routines or even incorporate new ones. Our goal for the year is to get everyone Exploring Routes across the Corridor. There’s plenty of ways to add small moments of novelty to your day-to-day life. 

As the foundation of some of our main programs, the D&L Trail is a wonderful way to experience both history and nature. It is open year-round and has multiple historic sites ready to explore. There are currently over 140 miles of open D&L Trail with almost 10 additional miles of spur trail to travel. If you’re already a frequent trail-user, we challenge you to visit a section of trail you’ve never been to before. If a trek along the D&L isn’t possible, there are many local trails, walking paths, and parks within our five-county region that can offer a moment of peace in nature. No matter where you are, we hope to inspire you to find new routes to travel while spending time outdoors.  

The National Canal Museum also offers some amazing opportunities to explore history and heritage! In April, the museum will open its 2024 special exhibition, Putting Down Routes: from Native Trails to Interstates. This exhibition will highlight common transportation routes throughout the Corridor and how they’ve changed over the years. Many of these routes are still used today. You might even find the route you took to the museum featured in the exhibition room.   

Exploration doesn’t have to involve physically traveling somewhere though. There are numerous ways to explore from the comfort of your own home. A big part of our mission is preserving the history and heritage of those that have lived and worked within the Corridor. Consider your own family history. How did your family arrive here? What routes did they travel? How did they put down roots? We may have information about them in some of our online resources. DLNHC members are also welcome to schedule appointments to visit our archives and learn directly from the source! 

There are immeasurable ways to explore the Corridor and the routes within. DLNHC hopes that in 2024, you’ll take the opportunity to explore them. And if you do explore and want to share that experience with the rest of the DLNHC community, feel free to contact [email protected] with your story. 

Happy Exploring!