Lehigh Gap East Loop via Appalachian Trail

be prepared to climb a little bit. definitely not suitable for dogs (at least on the white marked trail). I saw a lot of people there that were not dressed appropriately or prepared for the rock scrambling that this trail has. it's short but fun. the way down (blue marked trail) is a better alternative for access to the top if you do not want to rock scramble. however it is quite steep

Love Rock scrambling!

Very nice but be careful with dog. Mine is pretty agile and coming down white trail is very rocky and steep and was extremely difficult to maneuver for him. Would rate as difficult.

as others have said we took the white Trail going up which is very Steep and requires stretching and climbing in a crawling position. He took the Blue Trail down which picks up at the very top of the mountain where things level off. Definitely a demanding Trail on the downhill as our legs started to feel like jelly. we did it in November at about 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Can't wait to try again in the hot weather when the breeze is definitely appreciated.

Hiked the trail blue up and the one white down. The view from the top is splendid! Overall, the trail is on the challenging side, I wouldn't rate it as moderate. Parts of the last mile coming down on the white trail are very rocky and very steep. We loved it and would definitely do it again, just didn't expect it.

such a fun part of the PA AT!

https://www.tangfamily.me/lehigh-gap-east-loop/
Had an early morning hike and utterly enjoyed it. White up and blue down. Read my blog post for detailed accounts of each turn. It's definitely harder than moderate, at least the first mile up the white trail. The view was worth every single pain and scare. Will definitely do it again

I have done this section of the AT twice. I find it to be the most impressive sections on the AT in Northern Pa. I have done it as part of a hike from Ashfield road to Little gap. (about 10-11 miles.) The rock scramble at the top took us over an hour to do little more than a mile. At 57, I take my time and tend to be cautious with my footing. It is challenging, but if you are in reasonable good health and reasonably good shape, it is do-able. (I know both health and shape are subjective. I use knee supports and good backpacking boots.) From the top of the climb you can see about two miles down the Lehigh River. and when you climb across the top, you can see about two miles up the Lehigh river. The view is spectacular the whole way up. I generally hike with trekking poles (non-retractable) I did have to put them on the next level up and then climb up using both my hands in a few places. The rock will disapear and it will turn into a more normal trail. The Blue trial will be on the left and it will take you down the mountain. You can't miss it. It is easier to climb up a steep climb than climb down. I would like to return to climb up the White trail (AT) and come down the Blue trail (Winter Trial) I was told that is much easier to get down that way. It returns you to the parking area at the bottom. It may be a challenge for kids under 8 or 9 years of age. If you are looking for a relatively flat dirt path in the woods, this is not it. I do think that most will enjoy it. Just as a side note. On the cover of Terry Croteau's book about her AT thru-hike, is a picture of the climb out of Lehigh Gap. When I saw the cover, I thought I recognize that. The name of the book is "Footpath My Ass!" That in it self was reason enough to buy it. lol. Good read.

Went on a misty day and was tough but rewarding! Will definitely go back again to see the view (was obscured by fog). I highly suggest going white trail to blue trail - I always feel it’s easier to have the strenuous part first!

love it...great exercise....white up, white down

Blue up - White down

I take the blue up to get a good leg burn and feel like you get better views once you get to the top while walking going this route. Watch out for poison that sometimes sticks out on the trail.

A nice rock formation at the top that needs some sure steps and a hand down in case of a slip but if you have a little experience this isn't bad. May be a little overwhelming if this is your first hike. If you scale the rocks to the peak you have amazing views.

The treck down on the white trail starts with some rocks on the top. Take your time and find an easy way down, the trail isn't clear here, you just need to make your line and follow the markers. After that it's an easy walk. Watch out for thorn bushes.

This is my go to hike. I haven’t done the whole thing but the part that I have done is a great workout!

I am typically very happy with All Trails and their evaluations of trails. Sometimes the mileage may be off a little, or something is a bit harder than anticipated, but this basically sets you up for failure. Well in my case left me ill prepared and coming off an unfamiliar mountain by myself at 9pm.

I’m an avid hiker, as are my two trusty Pomeranians and we’ve done our share of hikes (of varying difficulty) to be able to estimate an appropriate amount of time needed to complete a 2.5 mile moderate hike. Well error 1, it’s a 3.5 mile hike. Minor set back, had time to spare, no biggie. Until...

Error 2, they fail to mention that the entire first 1.25 miles is a straight shot up rocks. Literally needed my hands to hoist myself up to the next rock on more than one occasion... and they seemed never ending. Needless to say, my Poms needed some serious assistance.

Rock climbing and shuffles are fine for some people, but I’m not about that life.... especially without warning!

So to ensure no one else finds themselves in my unfortunate predicament, fair warning, it looks like there will be a little bit of climbing/scrambling involved.... there’s a lot!

(Low score based more on experience/expectations than trail quality)

The AT trail up the rock wall was very challenging and you need both hands and feet. If you have a great fear of heights this part can be a bit scary. However the views were spectacular. Blue trail down was very peaceful.

Great hike! Maybe easy for a lot of hikers, but the white trail blaze Appalachian is not great for small children or dogs. My dog usually does great in all terrain but there were at least 2 parts she needed help. Blue trail was a nice relief after the climb up, well marked with and a little further than GPS was showing. Beautiful views and worth it if you know what to expect.

This is NOT easy! We've been told this is one of the most difficult sections of the AT in Pennsylvania. You will need to do some rock scrambling to get to the views but they are gorgeous!

Should be set moderately difficult. There is some rock climbing to see the view no matter what while going on the white marked trail. Best plan would be to follow the white trail up and come back the blue marked trail. Other than that, it was worth it.

It is definitely not in the easy category unless you consider using your hands and feet climbing up a rock face a few hundred feet easy. Great views though.

We took the white Appalachian trail for the first .8 miles. It took some rock climbing, at points vertical. This may be "easy" for the young and spry but certainly not for the non seasoned hiker. We finished with the blue trail which is much easier and easy too follow but poorly marked. The bulk of the really beautiful views are on the Appalachian trail.

I do not agree that this is an easy trail. The AT side (with white blazes) has a stretch where you scramble up a rock field. I am 6' tall, but I have creaky 58 year old knees. Even at my height, some of the rocks were difficult to step up on to. Might be "easy" for a very fit person with young joints, but I think the majority of hikers would consider it moderate. Folks expecting a groomed, easy trail are in for a surprise. I went up the white side, down the blue side. Then took a second lap up and back down the blue side. Blue side might be considered easy (setting aside the 15-20% average grade going up the hill), but not the white side. All in all, a good hike. Some nice views, especially on the white side.

Nice and easy. Beautiful views.

Great views! Worth the uphill hike!

The Appalachian white blazed trail is not easy. Make sure you go up right at the sign and come down the blue blazed trail. If you do the loop the opposite way, you will be climbing down a steep Rocky Mountain. We took my 9 year old daughter, an experienced hiker, and I was quite nervous going up because we didn't know what the trail down would be like. The view at the top was well worth it though. Wear good hiking footwear, its very rocky at the top.