Towering trees, mountain views and the cool Lehigh River running below. Just like the sites along the way, the Black Diamond Trail through Luzerne County offers a little something for everyone. Whether you’re an avid hiker or biker, looking for a new place to explore with your family or just needing time in nature, you can find it on this 10-mile stretch between Mountain Top and White Haven.
The Black Diamond Trail, as it is locally known, is a section of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail) which, when completed, will reach 165-miles from the Philadelphia suburbs to Wilkes-Barre in Luzerne County. Connections are currently in the works to bring the trail from Mountain Top to the Seven Tubs in Wilkes-Barre and down to the Susquehanna River. The D&L carries hikers and bikers over the historic routes that once carried coal from Luzerne County over the rugged mountains to the Philadelphia area, fueling the urban industrial boom.
Starting out in Mountain Top and heading south on the Black Diamond, it’s an easy downhill on a gravel path. Stop for a break, snap some photos or just enjoy the peaceful calm of Moosehead Lake. Further on cross Middleburg Road as you make your way to White Haven. In the summertime, be on the lookout for the many butterflies that like to flutter along the flowing Lehigh River!
The trail takes you right into Downtown White Haven. Stop in the Visitors Center at the White Haven Community Library, housed in a former engine house for the Lehigh Valley Railroad, and explore a little of the history surrounding this section of the D&L. Then grab one of the famous burgers at the White Haven Diner before heading back on the trail or connecting with the next 25-miles through the Lehigh Gorge State Park toward Jim Thorpe in the Pocono Mountains.
Extend your trip on the D&L and check out connecting sections of the trail in our nearby counties: Discover Lehigh Valley, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau and Visit Bucks County.