Thousands of drivers pass through the Lehigh Gap on Route 248 each day giving little thought to the natural beauty around them.

But to really experience the beauty of the gap, it's best to explore one of its scenic hiking trails, or even better, from a boat on the river itself.Canoeing is less adrenaline-filled than the white-water rafting that takes place in the Lehigh Gorge. But it still takes planning and experience.The Lehigh Gap Nature Center has a program aimed at taking care of all of that so you can focus on having a relaxing day on the river."It feels like you've driven a long way from home when you're here," Tim Gilsbach of Emerald said.For $25, Bike and Boat takes all the planning out of a kayak trip. The event is held once a month during the summer months. Novice boaters shouldn't be intimidated - it's a great way to get out on the river for the first time."If you live in this area and you don't use this, you don't know what you have in your backyard," Greg Grammes of Slatington said. It's just about 3 miles by river to go from Riverview Park to the Nature Center. The whole trip, bike and boat, takes under four hours.It doesn't take much experience to get down this section of river on a canoe, but a keen eye is needed to watch out for submerged rocks that can grab your boat and stop it on a dime.Bike and Boat has a minimum age of 10, but teens will have a lot of fun. There were children who shared their boats with their dads. Then there were adults who came to the sport later in life."It makes you appreciate where you live," Diane Kennedy of Jim Thorpe said. "As a young person, you can't wait to get out. But as you get older, you more appreciate the environment."The group set out biking around 3:30 p.m. along the easy, shaded D&L trail. Along the way, educator Chad Schwartz explained how the nature center helped restore its 750-acre property along the Kittatinny Ridge, which was nearly barren when the center was founded in 2002.Years of air pollution from zinc processing in the Palmerton area killed the trees and soil on the mountain. Today, the once deforested hills are now covered with grasses and small bushes that not only look pretty, but help create new soil that will serve as a buffer against the pollutants in the soil, and help new plants grow.Erna Lake has been walking the D&L since moving to Slatington more than a decade ago. She has seen the park, and the trail progress."The environment, the green. It's unbelievable. It just keeps getting better and better," she said.When the trip reached Riverview Park, workers with the Wildlands Conservancy had our canoes waiting by the launch. Everything was supervised. They explained some safety tips, and posted guides at each end of the group to make sure no one got separated.The trip was also educational. One of the nature center's goals is to help give people a greater appreciation for the river and its ecosystem. About halfway through the water portion of the trip, the group stopped at an island to look for insects and other "macroinvertebrates" that show the water quality.Based on the presence of bugs like the stone fly, and the freaky-looking hellgrammite, the water in the Lehigh is better than it was a century ago, when industry and sewage polluted its waters.As we paddled through the gap, the sun began to set in the west. The mountain took on a new hue in the golden hour lighting.Looking up at Route 248, there was an appreciation for the ability to see the river from a boat instead of whizzing by at 55 mph."It brings solace to our tortured souls, not to mention it supports a lot of animal species. This is one of the best assets we have," Eric Szollosy of Jim Thorpe, said.There are two bike and boat events left in 2017 - Aug. 17 and Sept. 17. For more information, contact the center's Osprey house at 610-760-8889, or visit LGNC.ORG.