Pennsylvania trails · Horse-Shoe Trail
Horse-Shoe Trail
A 138.6-mile network in Pennsylvania, with 1,329 ft of climbing. Reaches Eagle Rock and other arch/lake/pass/summit destinations. Managed by Pennsylvania DCNR.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 13,496 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. About 11 min drive (5 mi) from Phoenixville. 40.10020, -75.46167 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:43 a.m., the sun rises at 7:11 a.m. and sets at 6:24 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:51 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 13 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 51 h 59 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Horse-Shoe Trail — 1.3 mi loop, 89 ft gain
- Horse-Shoe Trail — 1.4 mi loop, 190 ft gain
- Horse-Shoe Trail + Hopewell Lake Loop + French Creek State Park Trails — 3.1 mi loop, 505 ft gain
Nearby trails
- French Creek State Park Trails — 19.5 mi