Pennsylvania trails · Horse-Shoe Trail
Horse-Shoe Trail
A 138.6-mile network in Pennsylvania, with 1,584 ft of climbing. Reaches Eagle Rock and other arch/lake/pass/summit destinations. Managed by Pennsylvania DCNR.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the first third: 50% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 63.6. It gives back about 14,645 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Eagle Rock (arch)
- Mount Misery (summit)
- Diamond Rock Hill (summit)
- Spring Lake (lake)
- Manada Gap (pass)
- Hopewell Lake (lake)
- Scotts Run Lake (lake)
- Rodebaugh Dam (lake)
Heads up
Getting there
River Road Trace access — restroom. 40.10020, -75.46167 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:00 a.m., the sun rises at 6:28 a.m. and sets at 7:35 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:03 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 07 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 138.6-mile route works out to roughly 52 h 07 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- French Creek State Park Trails + Horse-Shoe Trail + Six Penny Trail — 2.3 mi loop, 467 ft gain
- French Creek State Park Trails + Horse-Shoe Trail — 5.0 mi loop, 782 ft gain
- French Creek State Park Trails + Horse-Shoe Trail — 10.4 mi loop, 1,842 ft gain