The Lawrence Hopewell Trail – a 20ish-mile loop connecting Lawrenceville and Hopewell – is one of WWBPA board member Silvia Ascarelli’s favorite local trails. She loves to combine it with the D&R Canal towpath to help get her where she wants to go by bike (they meet near the historic Brearley House).
You can see a map of the trail here.
Here’s how she describes it:
The trail is a mix of paths (some paved, some stone dust) through woods, fields, parks, past office buildings and an eagle’s nest, and, yes, some on-road segments. But most of it is trails away from traffic, and a couple of the final segments are in the works. Hopefully it will be finished within a few years.
In the meantime, if you want to avoid roads, consider parking in Village Park in Lawrenceville and then biking or walking through the park and the Pole Farm (a fascinating bit of history) and as far north as you’d like before turning around. Aim for Rosedale Lake! Or start at the Hunt House in Mercer Meadows and go south. The reward if you make it all the way to downtown Lawrenceville (there’s a bit of biking on residential streets south of the park): the Gingered Peach bakery and the Purple Cow ice cream shop.
Walkers can do the same. There also are many other trails in Mercer Meadows to explore on foot.
Normally I’d also suggest taking the D&R Canal towpath from Turning Basin Park or Quaker Road, then the connecting path to Brearley House and onto the LHT to downtown Lawrenceville. But the section through the Lawrenceville School is closed right now for construction. It should reopen next year. There is a road option, though, if you’re comfortable with that.
The Brearley House turnoff is less than a mile south of where the D&R towpath goes under Province Line Road. Look for a simple bench and a small LHT sign.