The Horse-Shoe Trail is a 140-mile hiking and equestrian trail that runs from Valley Forge to the Appalachian Trail in southeastern Pennsylvania.
To find out more about the Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy, you can download our Horse-Shoe Trail Brochure.
The Trail runs through the following counties in PA:
| | Chester | 32.4 miles | Map of Chester County portion |
| | Berks | 29.1 miles | Map of Berks County portion |
| | Lancaster | 24.2 miles | Map of Lancaster County portion |
| | Lebanon | 19.4 miles | Map of Lebanon County portion |
| | Dauphin | 35.2 miles | Map of Dauphin County portion |
Click a section of Trail on the following map to see a blow-up of that portion of the HST:
The Trail runs roughly parallel to the I-76, Pennsylvania Turnpike, between Harrisburg East exit 247 (formerly 19) and Valley Forge exit 326 (formerly 24).
The Horse-Shoe Trail begins at Routes 23 and 252 in Valley Forge National Historical Park. The park includes several nice hiking trails, which connects with the multi-use Schuylkill River Trail that runs to Philadelphia.
In Chester County, the Trail runs by the Wharton Esherick Museum, in Paoli, PA. It later runs through Warwick County Park.
Where the Trail crosses from Chester County into Berks County, it goes very close to Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, and French Creek State Park.
Near the mid-point of the trail, it crosses through the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area.
For those of you who like chocolate and amusement park rides, the trail runs close to Hershey Park, in Hershey, PA.
The Horse-Shoe Trail ends at the Appalachian Trail on Stony Mountain. The closest road access to the western terminous of the trail is Route 325 via the AT; in the other direction the goes through Swatara State Park.
Since 1935, the The Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy (originally called the Horse-Shoe Trail Club) has created and maintained the Horse-Shoe Trail with help of many volunteers. Membership in the Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy is open to those who use the Trail and to those who care about the preservation of open spaces and natural recreation areas. You do not have to be a member of the Conservancy to hike or ride the Trail, but our members have the satisfaction of knowing that they support efforts to maintain and protect the Trail for future generations. Members also receive copies of our newsletter, The Blaze, to keep them informed about our efforts.
If you would like to join, see instructions in the Horse-Shoe Trail Brochure.
Our mailing address is:
Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy Inc.
P.O. Box 2226
Southeastern, PA 19399
If you have any questions, please email us at:
InfoHSTrail.org
A standard pocket-sized guide book is available, containing detailed trail information and maps. Historical information, points of interest, trail directions and other useful information may be found in the Guide to the Horse-Shoe Trail The guide book is published every few years by the Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy, and is currently in its 23rd Edition.
You may purchase copies of the Guide to the Horse-Shoe Trail at:
This web page was written by a member of the Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy who likes to hike on the Trail whenever time permits, and who also volunteers to maintain a section.
If you have any comments about this site, please send email to:
MikeHSTrail.org
