When I was growing up it was always called the Trexler Game Preserve. I believe the correct name is now the Trexler Nature Preserve. It also hosts the Lehigh Valley Zoo, so sometimes I end up calling it the Lehigh Valley Game Preserve. Either way, the Trexler Nature Preserve is probably my all-time favorite Lehigh Valley photo spot.
On a good day it’s perfectly serene and majestic. I pretty much have a routine set when I go there. Rather than take a direct route, I follow the same route that I took when I happened upon it for the first time by. From my house I zig zag around Blue Barn Road then follow the Jordan Creek. I take Packhouse Road through Geiger’s Covered Bridge. There is a small parking lot just past the covered bridge on the left where you can park. Here I take some photos around the creek and bridge before carrying on. After taking some wildlife and covered bridge photos, I drive up the hill and make a left on to Orchard Rd which will lead you to the Trexler Nature Preserve Enviromental Education Center. You should immediately see the large gravel parking lot on the left. You can get a trail map from one of the signs in the parking lot or I’m sure there are some online.
From the Trexler Nature Preserve Environmental Education Center I head up to the top of the building where I take a deep breath and enjoy the seemingly vast oasis sandwiched between the Lehigh Carbon Community College which lies in the North and Kids Peace which resides in the Southeast. The roof deck is an especially serene location for sunsets. My favorite part of my trip to the nature preserve is standing on this roof deck and just listening to everything for a few minutes.
There are a bunch of trails and I have some favorites. I haven’t hiked them all yet, but I will eventually. In the past few years that I’ve been going there, I’ve always wondered how you get to the part where you drive over the creek. Would you believe that I just discovered how to get there two months ago??
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