Adopted in March 2026, this community-driven master plan provides the future vision of the Bushkill Creek Greenway — a linear corridor of parks and trails along the Bushkill Creek.
Click the links below to view the documents.
View The Bushkill Creek Greenway Master Plan
Overview
The Bushkill Creek Greenway Master Plan unites various trails and public spaces as a cohesive greenway experience. A community-driven vision for a more sustainable future, this plan imagines the Creek as a place for people and nature. Introducing accessibility upgrades for parks and trails (some of which were built well before the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act) will bring a new era of inclusive public space to Palmer Township. The plan also embraces a community mandate for improvements to ecological and hydrological systems that can protect the Bushkill Creek from the expected impacts of climate change.
The Bikeway in Palmer Township is one of the first rail-to-trail success stories in America, utilizing post-industrial infrastructure through the lens of environmental movements begun in the mid-late 1970s. Completed in 1981, the trail now connects to 13 miles of trails just within Palmer Township. Building upon this success, the Bushkill Creek Greenway offers a vision for connecting the Bikeway and adjacent parks in a cohesive experience that is accessible to all. New signage, amenities, and infrastructural improvements will ensure that this beloved Creek and its surroundings are stewarded into the future.
With a grant-funded path for implementation making these improvements possible over the coming decade, recommendations for the short, mid- and long terms will bring incremental improvement. This vision can be understood as a guide for leading the Greenway through complicated environmental change, and stewarding a future of care for the intertwined relationship of people and nature.
The Bushkill Creek Greenway is primarily centered in Palmer Township, with important connections to Tatamy Borough, Forks Township, and the City of Easton. This master plan, along with a simultaneous Easton-Palmer-Forks Regional Multimodal Trail Plan by Lafayette College, will establish the Greenway as an ecological connector than spans multiple municipalities. Multi-jurisdictional imagination and cooperation will bring about connected, livable landscapes that serve all residents, locally and regionally.
Process Of Developing This Plan
This plan was developed and evolved during a set of workshops with a Steering Committee consisting of members of the Recreation Board, Planning Commission, Environmental Steering Committee, key Township officials, and local and regional community partners. The plan was then returned to the respective board, commission and committee for their comments. Then, public comment was invited at a combined major public meeting. Finally, the Plan was adoption by the Township Board of Supervisors.
Goals Of This Plan
The Bushkill Creek Greenway Master Plan centers on five primary goals that are met through the recommendations within the report. Where relevant, readers will notice color-coding of analysis and recommendations to identify which interventions meet these important goals. As a beloved place that is superlative with history, ecological, and hydrological resources, the Bushkill is a landmark of Palmer. Project goals that support connection and enhance activity will activate the Greenway within the framework of its ecological setting, creating an inclusive place for all.
