Delaware & Lehigh (D & L) Rail Trail -
Inn-to-Inn Bike Trip (SAG Supported)
D&L Interactive Map
September 28, 2025 - October 4, 2025
Co-Trip Leaders: Jeanine Mikell and Diane Osborn
Type of Trip: Biking/Inns
Trip Cost: $1780 Non-Refundable (unless a replacement if found)
Riders are responsible for having a bike in good working condition and wearing a helmet. There is an option to rent a bike or e-bike from the outfitter for an additional fee. Please contact CIWC.
Please note, ONLY conventional and e-bikes are allowed (NO trikes, recumbents or tandems allowed).
Wilderness Level: 1 SAG supported
Trip Difficulty: Easy/Moderate – Crushed gravel trail, 140 miles total, longest day is 47 miles,10-12 mph, moderate grades
Policy on Fitness Self-Assessment
Level 2: Need to be comfortable with biking all day. Experienced riders; bike with sufficient tire tread width to ride on fine gravel path (32 – 50 mm). Recommend proficiency riding 50 miles in one day. Essentially flat route with a gentle downhill grade north to south. Biking on a Rail Trail.
Group Size: 8/8 Maximum/Minimum
Join us for 7 days and 6 nights on a fully supported bike adventure in the Delaware & Lehigh (D&L) National Heritage Corridor of Pennsylvania.
On Sunday, September 28th we will meet and carpool from Indianapolis to our resort condominium at the Shawnee Ridge Top Summit in Shawnee on Delaware, PA. There we will spend the next day and night exploring and biking (?) the area before leaving for the 4 Day bike adventure.
Tuesday, we meet our Bike Tour guides.to start the 140 miles on the Delaware & Lehigh Trail, also known as the D&L Rail Trail. This 4-day bike tour is a fully supported, Inn to Inn stay from Jim Thorpe to Washington Crossing.
- Enjoy three of Pennsylvania’s award-winning small towns. From the mountains of Jim Thorpe, to the cobblestone streets of Bethlehem and onto the revolutionary architecture of New Hope. Each of these towns are well established tourism destinations and are as unique as they are attractive.
- Travel through 57,600 acres/90 miles of State Park interrupted only by quaint river towns.
- Explore some of the oldest history in the USA. Follow the route of Anthracite Coal from mine to market during the Industrial Revolution.
Bike Tour Summary
Bike Day 1 (Tuesday) – 36 miles: Start your adventure in the wilderness of the Lehigh Gorge State Park, riding past waterfalls and spotting wildlife as you bike on the newly connected D&L Rail Trail into the award-winning town of Jim Thorpe. Our first night is spent surrounded by the mountains in the Inn of Jim Thorpe, circa 1849.
Bike Day 2 (Wednesday) – 35 miles: After a night exploring the shops, museums, and restaurants in Jim Thorpe, we’ll enjoy a hot breakfast at the Inn before we continue to follow the locks and canals along the Lehigh River to the town of Bethlehem, PA. Along the way, we will pass the Lehigh Gap Nature Center with its protected land. We will be afforded stunning views of the Blue Mountain and Appalachian Trail. Bethlehem, circa 1741, an old Moravian settlement, is home to cobblestone streets, quaint shops, and history around every bend. Spend the night in the Hotel Bethlehem where Presidents and dignitaries have stayed before you. Fun fact, The Hotel Bethlehem has just become the first hotel to be named USA Today’s Best Historic Hotel/Resort in America for the fourth straight year.
Bike Day 3 (Thursday) – 47 miles: After a group breakfast, we will depart Bethlehem and travel south following the path of 19th-century aqueducts to the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers. Take a minute to explore the confluence and the preserved lock that remains before leaving the Lehigh River behind and following the Delaware River into the Delaware Canal State Park. Pass through many quaint river villages, until we arrive in New Hope. New Hope is a small town with a big city feel. It offers gourmet food and cultural attractions such as the Bucks County Playhouse.
Bike Day 4 (Friday) – 22 miles: On day four, after a hearty final breakfast at Porches on the Towpath, we will travel to Washington Crossing where George Washington crossed the Delaware in 1776. We will also cross the Delaware to the D&R Canal State Park and head north to Bull’s Island. Finally, we will end our ride with lunch before we shuttle you back to your car.
The 4-Day Bike Tour INCLUDES
- Overnight accommodations at The Inn at Jim Thorpe, Hotel Bethlehem, and Porches on the Towpath. (Inns can accommodate single or double rooms except on the last night. There is a surcharge of $275 for the trip for a single room. Please contact CIWC.)
- Professional bike guides
- Sag wagon
- Basic bike repair
- Replacement bikes if needed to complete the ride
- Rest stops with snacks and water
- Breakfast on three days
- Lunch on two days
- Luggage transportation to each accommodation
- Morning trail briefings
- Transportation back to your car by 4pm on the final day
- Entire trip is fully supported
Friday, after finishing Bike Day 4, we will head back to resort condominium for the last night in the Poconos. Saturday we will carpool back to Indianapolis for the return trip.
Note: On the 4-day bike portion, riders will be provided breakfast, snacks, and water (3 breakfasts and 4 days of snacks). The other 2 lunches and 3 dinners will be at the riders' expense. Snacks and meals during travel to the Poconos and back to Indianapolis are each member’s responsibility.
We will stay the days before and after the Inn-to-Inn ride at the resort condominium at Shawnee Ridge Top Summit. The condominium accommodates 8 adults. There is a full kitchen for meal preparation if desired. Also, we will be near various good and reasonably priced places to eat in the area. The Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort (and Brewery) are also nearby for use at a discount. The Delaware Water Gap bike trail and river are close by for additional activities.
Questions may be submitted to ciwcinfo@gmail.com.
All trip participants must fill out and submit a CIWC Medical Form and Long Waiver Form.
