Much of the trail runs through the Lehigh Gorge State Park, and was originally developed into a railroad corridor after an extension of the Lehigh Canal was first built under the great push of Main Line of Public Works to connect the Delaware Valley to Pittsburgh.
A substantial part of the trail is situated within Lehigh Gorge State Park; it was originally developed as a railway corridor after the Lehigh Canal was extended, driven by the Main Line of Public Works project. This initiative aimed to link the Delaware Valley with Pittsburgh.