James F. Hall Trail National Recreation Trail Designation Ceremony

The James F. Hall Trail is named for the late and long-time Newark Parks and Recreation Director.  The trail is 1.76 miles long and runs east to west across the city of Newark in New Castle County.  For its short length, the trail is jam-packed with a variety of distinctive features and is itself a popular downtown destination.  Open for public use since 2003, the trail accesses three City parks which feature several active recreation facilities.

It passes through a pristine wetland area and the Old Newark Train Station wich is the home to the Newark Historical Society.  The trail features footbridge crossings of two streams that are tributaries of the the White Clay Creek, designated a National Wild and Scenic River.

The trail provides safe and easy access to the outdoors for more than 28,000 residents of Newark and the surrounding suburbs, 20,000 students of the University of Delaware -- with access to student housing units and a child care facility -- the Delaware Technology Park with 40+ tenants, and the College Square Shopping Center.

The trail is hard-surfaced for multi-use and ADA accessible, lighted for 24 hour use, and allows for intermodal access to Amtrak and SEPTA rail service.

Thanks are due to the many partners that helped make the trail a reality.  The City of Newark partnered with the Newark Bike Committee, University of Delaware, Amtrak, and Delaware's Department of Transportation and Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to make the project happen.

The Newark Bike Committee was an early driving force, developing the trail concept in 1996.  $1.95 million in funding was provided by the City of Newark, Federal Highway Administration TEA-21 Program, Delaware Land and Water Conservation Trust Fund, and Delaware Department of Transportation.

This section of trail designated as a National Recreation Trail will become part of a larger 2-mile trail system that includes the Pomeroy and Newark Rail-Trail, currently under development for walking and biking.  The trail will extend north into White Clay State Park and link to trails on Pennsylvania public lands.