Black River Sanctuary
Overview
Discover Black River Sanctuary, a 187-acre protected retreat nestled away from the busy cities of Bethlehem and Allentown. With seven scenic trails, including the Horizon Trail that reveals views of the Allentown skyline, this preserve offers a peaceful escape into nature. The sanctuary is rich in woodland with oaks, maples, tulip trees, and spicebush, and an understory lush with ferns. Its native grasslands are vibrant with wildflowers like milkweed, bee balm, and asters, while shrubs along the Sustenance Trail support diverse wildlife and pollinators.
Three pristine streams begin here, filtering through forests to supply clean water to the Lehigh Valley. Wildlife is abundant, including deer, songbirds, turkeys, amphibians, and even porcupines—often evidenced by tree scratches. An array of pollinators, such as monarchs and bees, thrive in various habitats, including wetlands.
An intersection of nature and art, Black River Sanctuary invites visitors to notice nature-inspired design elements, like tree-shaped parking and seasonal blooms along the powerline corridor. As an outdoor classroom and research site, it fosters learning and career exploration for students of all ages in partnership with local groups and volunteers.
Activities and amenities: Hiking, Parking Lot, Trail Running, Mountain Biking, Birdwatching, Archery Hunting By Permit Only, Dog Walking (Dogs must be leashed at all times)
Access Points:
Black River Rd & Honeysuckle Rd
GPS coordinates: 40.57852, -75.42598
Church Rd & Stonesthrow Rd
GPS coordinates: 40.57192, -75.41019
Photos by: Steve Miller and Skip Cook
Wildlands Conservancy has been creating lasting connections to nature since 1973. As the region's premier nonprofit land trust, Wildlands protects green, open spaces and clean water. It's perpetually focused educating future environmental stewards and ensuring nature is nearby for all who call the region home. It's mission is kept alive through the committed support of the community and like-minded businesses.
Wildlands has permanently protected more than 60,000 acres to date, including 3,000 acres across 14 nature preserves that offer 33+ miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, trail running, birdwatching, dog walking, and much, much more. Some preserves are readily accessible with parking, beginner-friendly trails, and restrooms available. Others are more on the rugged side with vast nature, varied terrain, open meadows, and dense woodlands.
HISTORY
More than 50 years ago, community members put pencil to paper to say yes to a future for their beloved South Mountain. While perhaps unfamiliar with its exact ecological importance, they solidly knew it mattered and were inspired to protect it – forever.With the committed support of Robert “Bob” Rodale, a local champion of organic farming and then chairman and chief of Rodale Press, these neighbors formed the Lehigh Valley Conservancy, a land-protection focused organization based in Bethlehem, Pa.
In 1975, Air Products founder Leonard Parker Pool, an earnest caretaker of the local natural environment and skeet-shooting friend to Rodale, bequeathed his 72-acre wildlife sanctuary to the Conservancy to preserve it “in its natural state for its open space, aesthetic, and wildlife values and the enjoyment of those values by the public.” The Conservancy soon moved its main office and education headquarters to this location, known today as the Dorothy Pool Wildlife Sanctuary property in Emmaus, Pa.
In the late 1980s, the organization further developed its education offerings, emphasizing more than ever the educate a tomorrow for local conservation. To better reflect the broadened scope of its mission, the name was formally changed to Wildlands Conservancy.
EXPLORE
- The Top 5 Wildlands Conservancy Hiking Trails in Emmaus, Bethlehem, Macungie, and beyond
- Wildlands Conservancy's 14 Nature Preserves
- For family-friendly fun and lifelong memories made in nature, from summer camp to guided hikes, visit the events calendar.
The mission of Wildlands Conservancy is to protect and restore critical natural areas and waterways, and educate the community to create a legacy of a healthy, sustainable, environment for future generations.