Horse-Shoe Trail

Horse-Shoe Trail
Length	140 mi (225 km)
Location	Southeastern Pennsylvania, United States
Trailheads	Valley Forge National Historical Park Appalachian Trail
Use	Hiking Horse Riding
Hiking details
Trail difficulty	Moderate to Strenuous
Season	Year-round

The Horse-Shoe Trail is a 140-mile (230 km) trail that runs from the western edge of Valley Forge National Historical Park westward toward Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It ends about 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Harrisburg at the Appalachian Trail.

The trail was developed for equestrian and pedestrian use, according to the Horse-Shoe Trail Club guide (see below), hence the name (horse + shoe).

A 17-mile segment of the trail in Chester and Berks counties has been designated a National Recreation Trail.

The east end of the Horse-Shoe Trail is at the boundary of Montgomery County and Chester County in Valley Forge National Historical Park. The trail connects with other trails in the park, which can be followed to connect with the long-distance Schuylkill River Trail at the northeast corner of the park, although the unsigned route includes three crossings of busy PA Route 23.

West of Valley Forge Park, the original trail has been broken up by suburban development. Some segments of the original trail have been closed off by new housing and lengthy detours are now required to continue on the trail's route. Detours and rerouted portions are sometimes not marked clearly. Further west in Chester County, the trail meets the northern terminus of the Brandywine Trail, a limited-access trail that runs south 35 miles (56 km) roughly along Brandywine Creek to Brandywine Creek State Park near Wilmington, Delaware.

In Berks County the trail crosses several short trails within the French Creek State Park trail system.

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