A new nature preserve has opened in Lehigh County, offering seven trails woven across a 187-acre expanse of protected land for hiking, biking and exploring the outdoors. Black River Sanctuary, which is located in Salisbury and Upper Saucon townships, officially opened to the public with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by elected officials and community members earlier this month.
A map shows where the parking and trails are located at the new Black River Sanctuary. (Credit: Wildlands Conservancy)
The sanctuary was created through a partnership between Wildlands Conservancy and PPL Foundation, with support from numerous community members, businesses and organizations, including Air Products, Boy Scouts, QVC, Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley, the John A. and Margaret Post Foundation, Lehigh Valley Road Runners, PPL Foundation, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Rotary Club of Allentown, TC Energy and United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.
Ahead of opening to the public, volunteers donated 900 hours of time to lay the stones for more then three miles of trails, remove invasive species and plant native trees, wildflowers and shrubs.
“At a time when our region is losing our open space at an alarming rate of more than 2,000 acres a year, Black River Sanctuary stands protected forever because every day citizens decided it was an important, special place,” said Christopher Kocher, president of Wildlands Conservancy. “It’s the counterweight we need to ensure everyone in the Lehigh Valley can experience nature nearby.”
The preserve features over three miles of trails designed to accommodate hikers, bikers, birdwatchers and others. Visitors can also enjoy nature-inspired design elements, such as tree-shaped parking areas and seasonal flower displays along a power line right-of-way corridor.
Black River Sanctuary is open daily from dawn to dusk. Visitors can access the preserve via two public parking areas located at Black River and Honeysuckle roads (Black River Access) and near Church and Stonesthrow roads (Church Road Access). For more information about the preserve, including rules, a downloadable map and GPS coordinates, visit Wildlands Conservancy’s website.
This local news story was reported with generative AI assistance.