Princeton NJ Hiking Biking Announcements

The Lawrenceville School Section of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Reopens

The Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT) and The Lawrenceville School have reopened the section of the trail that runs through the school’s campus using a new, signposted route. The trail will continue to use a long-standing crossing on Lewisville Road at one end of the new 1.2-mile segment, but will now use Clark Gate along Main Street/U.S. 206 at the other end, opposite Titus Avenue. Previously the trail intersected Main Street near Gordon Avenue. 

The Lawrence Hopewell Trail is one of New Jersey’s premier trails for walking, bicycling and running. It traverses parts of Lawrence and Hopewell Townships on a mix of paved and crushed stone surfaces, going through woods, fields, parks and neighborhoods.

The Lawrenceville School made the difficult decision during the COVID pandemic to close its portion of the LHT as a health measure, and subsequent construction required the trail remain closed as a matter of safety. The new route through The Lawrenceville School’s campus uses a mix of paved and gravel surfaces. From the south side of the campus, the segment begins as the trail crosses Lewisville Road and follows a gravel road along the perimeter of Woods Field, as it previously did. Merging onto a paved road, the LHT turns north (right) as it heads toward the center of The Lawrenceville School. In a change, the trail now turns west (left) and passes by Keuffel Stadium as it follows the perimeter road to exit the campus.

“The Lawrenceville School is delighted to welcome walkers, runners, and cyclists back to campus through the Lawrence Hopewell Trail,” said Lawrenceville’s Head of School Steve Murray. “The LHT is a vital community resource, and the continued expansion of the trail helps connect many beautiful spaces and historic landmarks throughout Lawrenceville. We are fortunate to have this resource available as a way to augment existing campus initiatives around sustainability, community service, and wellbeing.”

 “We are very happy to once again feature The Lawrenceville School segment as a vital link in our trail loop,” said David Sandahl, chair of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation. “We deeply appreciate the warm welcome from The Lawrenceville School leadership and look forward to a strong and rewarding partnership.”

The re-opening of The Lawrenceville School segment is one part of the dramatic changes coming to the southern part of the 20-mile trail. Later this spring, an elevated boardwalk stretching nearly half a mile will open in Maidenhead Meadows that will eliminate the need for walkers, runners and bicyclists to use Princeton Pike. That will be followed later in the year by a rerouted section of the trail from the historic Brealey House, built more than 250 years ago, through the new Pike Town neighborhood to the Lenox Drive Office Park.

When these are complete, only four parts of the trail remain to be completed: a section between Moore’s Mill-Mount Rose Road and Pennington-Rocky Hill Drive near Bailey Drive, another from the Mount Rose Preserve on Carter Road in Hopewell Township to a third along Cleveland Road, all in Hopewell Township. The final segment, in Lawrence Township, will extend from the corner of Pretty Brook Road to Province Line Road. All of those projects are underway, in cooperation with the different landowners and townships.

The nonprofit Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corp. continues to work toward completing the trail by the end of 2026.

About The Lawrenceville School

The Lawrenceville School challenges a diverse community of young people to lead lives of learning, integrity, and high purpose. Founded in 1810, Lawrenceville is a boarding and day school for grades 9-12 situated on 700 acres in Lawrenceville, N.J. Rooted in the Harkness pedagogy, Lawrenceville engages diverse perspectives and empowers students through thoughtful inquiry and critical review. Learn more at www.lawrenceville.org .

About the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation:

The Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation (LHTC) is a volunteer-driven 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and maintaining the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, funded almost entirely by private donations and grants. The organization is the engine driving the creation of one of New Jersey’s premier trails for walking, running and bicycling. The 20-mile trail connects various points of interest in Lawrence and Hopewell Townships, N.J., and attracts more than 100,000 visits annually. Learn more about the trail, monthly walks and other events on www.lhtrail.org

The LHTC is a proud member of the Circuit Trails, a vast regional network of hundreds of miles of multi-use trails.