Jim Thorpe Tunnel (Turn Hole Tunnel) at Lehigh Gorge State Park in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania is a roadside oddity that features an abandoned railroad tunnel.
Closed
As of November 2023 (and earlier), the Turn Hole Tunnel (aka Jim Thorpe Tunnel) is officially closed-off to the public. Trespassers will be prosecuted and fined, so please stay out of the tunnel. This write-up exists to show the outside of the tunnel and to depict its current state. Unfortunately the risk of the public going inside of the tunnel are far too great due to random rockfalls or the possibility that the tunnel is unstable.
History
The Turn Hole Tunnel (aka Jim Thorpe Tunnel) was built by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company in 1866 and carried part of the Lehigh and Susquehanna RR main line until 1912. The tunnel gets its name from the "Turn Hole" in the Lehigh River, a deep eddy where the river takes a turn at the base of a steep cliff, known as Moyer's Rock. In 1866, the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad extended its line from White Haven to Muach Chunk (now Jim Thorpe) and crossed the Lehigh River at the Turn Hole, tunneling 496 feet through the cliff to reach the other side. In 1871, the Lehigh and Susquehanna was leased out to the Central Railroad of New Jersey. The Turn Hole Tunnel carried two tracks of the CNJ until 1910. After construction of a new bypass track, the Turn Hole Tunnel was used as a passing siding until the tracks were abandoned in 1956. Eventually the CNJ main line through the Lehigh Gorge was abandoned in 1965 and now most of that has become the Lehigh Gorge Trail (or D&L Trail).
Find our trail guides useful? Consider becoming a Supporter to unlock perks!
MyHikes is an indie platform that makes exploring public trails easier for everyone. The platform has no investors, runs no ads, and is owned and operated by one person, Dave Miller. Dave has personally mapped and written over 1,600 trail guides on MyHikes for the public to explore. As of 2024, MyHikes has helped over 1,300,000 outdoor enthusiasts plan their next adventure.
But it takes a lot of time ๐ฆ, money ๐ฐ, and work, and espresso shots โ to run MyHikes, including hiking , mapping , writing , and publishing new trails with high-quality (accurate) information... along with software engineering (coding) the platform like building new features, site and mobile app development for iOS and Android, site maintainance . and much much more.
Supporters unlock website and mobile app perks with an annual one-time payment of $25 (you renew) ๐๐. Or you can simply make a Donation of your choice. Otherwise, you can support us by telling your friends about MyHikes - both quick and free ๐