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 significant portion of the trail is located within Lehigh Gorge State Park; it was originally constructed as a railway corridor after the Lehigh Canal was extended under the influence of the Main Line of Public Works project. This endeavor sought to connect the Delaware Valley with Pittsburgh.