The Highlands Trail in Pennsylvania

The Mid-Atlantic Highlands region of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut forms a 3.5 million acre forested greenbelt around the densely populated areas of Philadelphia, New York City and Hartford. In 2004, Congress enacted the  Highlands Conservation Act , designating the Highlands Region in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut as a region in need of special protection due to its unique natural and historic features, clean streams, wooded uplands, physiographic features and geology.

The Act authorizes the Department of the Interior, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to provide  grant funding  to state agencies to purchase and conserve land from willing sellers. This funding is appropriated annually under the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and each grant is matched dollar for dollar by the recipient.

The Highlands Trail co-aligns with 22 existing trails for a distance of roughly 280 miles across thirteen counties in Pennsylvania. The Highlands Trail connects five national historic and heritage areas, three major rivers, several state and county parks, numerous historic landmarks, and many scenic vistas and downtown business/cultural districts. The route also includes a National Recreation Trail and a National Scenic Trail. The trails are displayed by county from east to west.

Eight major trail gaps are found along the Highlands Trail in Pennsylvania. Trail gaps are located in Northampton, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks, and Lancaster counties. Gap areas vary in size from less then a mile to nearly 10 miles.

Moving forward, the focus for the Highlands Trail project is to develop the trail gap areas and fully connect and mark the trail route through Pennsylvania. Related projects will include development of spur trails from the Highlands Trail route that connect communities to local and county trails and recreation areas. For news and information on the Highlands Trail in Pennsylvania and to learn about the Highlands Trail Steering Committee, visit  pahighlands.org .

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Funding for this project was generously provided by the William Penn Foundation and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.