My family is fortunate that we live within short walking distance of Sand Island Park, located in Bethlehem. We often walk there in summertime or in the evenings at other times of the year. Sand Island Park is a great location for a day trip for those living outside of Bethlehem, especially since there are also so many things to do in the nearby vicinity.

A section of the D&L Trail,a work-in-progress of 165-miles spanning from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, runs through the park. Here, the trail is a towpath running between the Lehigh River and the Lehigh Canal. Both are great for fishing and if you are interested in boating or kayaking, the river is excellent for experienced paddlers. Both of my boys (ages 8 and almost 2) know the exact spots on the canal side where turtles can often be seen sun bathing and love looking for them on the logs above the water. They also enjoy looking for the many fish and frogs that can be seen as well.

Depending on which way you choose to go from Sand Island Park, the towpath will either take you to Easton or Allentown. Traveling on the path towards Easton, you can look across Lehigh River to see the historic Bethlehem Steel buildings. No matter which way you opt to go, the sights are beautiful year round. The towpath is very stroller friendly, as it is level and either paved or crushed cinder in most places. This also makes it a wonderful location for biking, even for younger ones, just getting the hang of riding. One of my son’s first experiences with bike riding was on the tow path at Sand Island Park. (He was about 6 years old at the time and riding with training wheels when he spotted a younger little girl, zooming along on her bike without training wheels. He immediately looked at us and declared, “I want to take my training wheels off”.)

The park itself has a playground, basketball courts, and areas for picnicking. In the parking area just off River Street, you will find the Charles A. Brown Ice House which regularly hosts plays and other events. I recommend taking the walk across the Fahy Bridge over to South Bethlehem or up to Main Street in downtown Bethlehem. There is so much to do, fantastic restaurants and cafes, as well as a variety of shops for everyone in the family. Check out the calendar of events for Bethlehem here.