Horse-Shoe Trail at French Creek State Park

Date of Hike: Sunday, August 24, 2014
Total Distance: 16.07 Miles

Avg speed: 2.47MPH

Avg moving speed: 2.81MPH

Moving Time: 5:42:39

Total Time: 6:30:22

Conditions: Sunny, 80 degrees

Difficulty: Easy, Moderate, some Difficult

It took me much longer than expected to put this post together. It's been a very busy week at work and by the time I was getting home, I was exhausted and falling asleep early. That, and I also spent several hours scouring the internet researching some of what you're about to see which also led to delays in getting this completed. 

This past Sunday, I returned to French Creek State Park to explore some of the other trails that I had never been on and what an adventure it turned out to be! First, I set another record for miles in a single hike which I hadn't planned on doing but it ended up that way. Safe to say, I paid a slight price for this as my legs had been sore over the last few days, more than anything else, my calves. However, there's always good to go with the pain and that's the knowledge that my endurance is getting better and it motivates me to push even further. It's not to say that I'm going to try pushing 16 miles again anytime soon but knowing I could if it was necessary gives me a sense of accomplishment. In the beginning of the spring, I wouldn't have even considered the thought of hiking this distance and my objective was to complete a 6 mile trek with the hope I wouldn't end up with blisters on my feet.

Second, and as always, the things I find on the trail continually send me home on a mission to do some research on what I had just seen. Sunday's trip was no different and it turns out there are some historical areas within the park that I hadn't known about and wouldn't have found had I not done some scoping around on Google Maps before I went. I knew something was there, I just didn't know what it was until I explored it. More on this during the tour!

Address:
843 Park Rd
Elverson, PA 19520
GPS: 40.200153, -75.791460

Note that this is the address provided from the DCNR's website and is not the exact location where I parked. I parked in the Hopewell Lake parking lot which is my usual for when I go there (most of the time). If you plug the above address into your GPS, you won't be able to miss the lake or parking lot since you'll easily see it on your approach. If you want to find other areas to park, take a look at the trail map which has a number of smaller ones labeled if you'd like to start an adventure at a different trail head. You might also want to stop at the ranger station to pick up a map when you get there. For some reason, the map provided online won't allow printing it here at home (or at work, shhh!).

Since I parked at the Hopewell Lake parking lot, I strolled alongside it first before starting my hike. 

Heading towards the trail, I walked alongside the woods edge heading west. If you're a Frisbee golf fan, there's a course in this area.

Once I reached Park Road, the trail head was across the street and up the hill a short distance. It's hard to tell but this is a trail head although it's not used very often. The actual trail head was a little further up the hill on Park Road.

Giving this trail isn't used often or really isn't supposed to be one, you can and will see that these are not the normal trail conditions within the park. For the most part, the trails are in very good condition and are pretty well maintained. 

This is the actual trail I was headed to. As you can see, this one is in much better condition. 

This was what my objective was, to hike the Horse-Shoe Trail...more accurately, some of it. If you're not familiar with the Horse-Shoe Trail, it stretches a total of approximately 140 miles from Valley Forge, PA to the Appalachian Trail at Stony Mountain in Dauphin County, PA (approximately at State Game Lands 211). It's the longest single equestrian trail in the state and one I hope to thru-hike sometime in the future. At this point, the Boone and Horse-Shoe Trail intersected for the first time. Note that the Horse-Shoe Trail is also called the Turtle Trail on the trail map for the park. Why, I have no idea but you won't see any signs in the park that label it as such.

The Boone and Horse-Shoe Trails intersecting again. I believe the 36 below might be a mile marker for the Horse-Shoe trail. 

Take note that during hunting season, some of these woods are open to hunters. If you decide to hike here during hunting season, make sure to wear orange or go on a Sunday when hunting isn't permitted here in PA.

This was probably the most boring stretch of the hike. It was long, flat, and straight for a good distance. You can see that there was recent maintenance done as there was a lot of greenery cut down and laying on the trail. A slight word of caution if you should ever see this...watch your step as you're walking since you don't know what's underneath all those fresh cut weeds. While the trail itself was flat, there were uneven pockets, rocks sticking up, tree roots, etc. that you won't really notice until you step on them. It wouldn't take much to have something like this catch you by surprise and you end up turning an ankle.

WARNING!! If you ever see one of these caterpillars, whatever you do, DO NOT pick it up, touch it, or allow your kids to do so. This is known as a Hickory Tussock Caterpillar and while they're beautiful little critters, the hairs on them are poisonous and can potentially cause an itchy rash or for those who may have more sensitive skin, it can lead to swelling and nausea, and possibly a visit to your local doctor. Recommended treatment is to clean the area with soap and water, and dabbing on some calamine lotion or ammonia. For more information on this caterpillar, click here. 

Finally! A turn in the trail. This was the end of the long flat stretch.

I veered off the Horse-Shoe Trail for a short while the headed up the Ridge Trail. One of the few times I overlap my hikes with intention. Usually when I overlap, it's due to me going the wrong direction and having to turn back. This time, I had something in mind.

I backed up and took a shot of the intersecting Horse-Shoe and Ridge Trails

I mentioned earlier that most of the trails were in good condition. This is one area where I either couldn't find the trail I was looking for or it's become overgrown and is not maintained. As you get to the top of Ridge Trail and see Fire Tower Road, it's supposed to head in a northeasterly direction, then cut southeast across the street a short distance down the road. I looked for it and found what looked to be a trail but after heading in about 20-30 feet, I decided to turn back because it was overgrown. Instead, I headed south on Fire Tower Road until I reached the top of the hill.

When you get to the top of Fire Tower Road, you'll find this small pavilion and the remains of what used to be either a picnic area or perhaps at one time, campsites. The picnic tables in this area are a bit beat up and as you can see, some of them had moss growing on them.

Old fireplace or cooking grill. There are  few of them within the area.

Here was the reason I had hiked up Ridge Trail in the first place. Built in 1935 by the Pennsylvania Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), I've been to this 80 foot fire tower (Hopewell Fire Tower) a few times before but being the forgetful person I can be, I didn't bring my camera with me. This time, I was able to take a few shots. If I remember right, at one time this tower used to be open to the public and you could climb to the top to get a 360 degree view of the area. It's since been fenced off and although I'm not fond if heights, I would have loved to climb up there to get some pictures.

Update - October 20, 2014: Going through my old pictures, I found the ones I had taken from the top of the tower before it was fenced off. Here they are. I took these pictures on August 6, 1994

I read during my research that this building has some historical significance but I haven't gone back to find out exactly why just yet. I was researching a different section of the park and stumbled on the info which I'll have to find again. 

Once I was done at the fire tower, I tried to find the same trail that I was unable to locate earlier from the top side and once again, could not find it. According to the map, it's supposed to be right behind the fire tower but after walking around and a bit of bushwhacking, I finally gave up and headed back down Fire Tower Road until I returned to the Ridge Trail.

Back to the Horse-Shoe Trail

More of these funky looking rocks that look similar to poured concrete

I saw a few of these signs throughout the park. The Horse-Shoe Trail is open to mountain bikers, horseback riders and of course hikers. If you're looking for trails where you don't have to deal with this, check the map or hit some of the less commonly used trails. I didn't run into anyone on horseback but there were a number of mountain bikers.

Horse-Shoe and Boone Trails intersecting a short distance past Fire Tower Road

At this trail intersection, the Horse-Shoe Trail cut off to the right and again, the Boone Trail cut to the left. This time, I veered off the Horse-Shoe Trail and headed down the Boone Trail. 

Boone Trail crossing over Fire Tower Road

Another crossing over Fire Tower Road a short distance up Boone Trail

Once you cross over Fire Tower Road the second time, you'll get to a dirt road where the Boone Trail heads east and I returned to the Horse-Shoe Trail and continued north. The no trespassing signs are I believe a property line for the one annoyance I found within the park, a shooting range. Throughout the park, you can hear the gunshots and while they're not real loud, it's enough that you'll notice. 

Update: 5/8/2015: As I continued my explorations in the surrounding area, I've since discovered that there are at least three shooting ranges within the vicinity of French Creek State Park. One of which is in the western section of State Game Lands 43 south of the park, another is the South Birdsboro Archery, Rod and Gun Club which is northwest of the park, and another is the Northern Chester County Sportsman's Club which is southeast of the park. 

Back to the Horse-Shoe Trail

The Six Penny Trail intersects with the Horse-Shoe Trail in two places, this was the first.

This was the second intersection with the Six Penny Trail and was where I turned off the Horse-Shoe Trail for the time being. If you continue on the Horse-Shoe Trail at this point, it will take you out of French Creek State Park property and into the Birdsboro Preserve. 

One last shot of the Horse-Shoe Trail before heading down the Six Penny Trail

I recently purchased a new camera and am still getting used to it which is why some of the pictures in this section are a bit overexposed. Still working on figuring it out! This section of the trail was the best part of my adventure. The Six Penny Trail is definitely one to remember and return to again. As you push further into the trail, you're going to see a lot of rocks, almost like a field of rocks in the woods and they stretch for a good distance. I hope to return to this area in the late fall or winter when there are no leaves on the trees to get a better look as I'm sure I missed more than I saw. 

Rocks were stretched as far as the eyes could see.

This was another area where things got pretty interesting. In the middle of the trail, I spotted this concrete contraption with the locked cover and could hear water flowing inside. What the heck was this doing in the middle of the woods?

This was directly across from the above concrete contraption

Now this was where I got really intrigued. I found a side trail off Six Penny Trail and took it having another objective in mind and suddenly ended up at this stone staircase. Again, I was wondering why this was in the middle of the woods. The stone walls also extended a distance in on either side of these steps.

Old trail leading away from the stone staircase

I had finally reached my original objective but by this time, realized I had found much more than what I was looking for. If you look at Google Maps in satellite view, you can see this pond, waterfall, and some of the stone wall but not really much else. I didn't get a picture of it but there's an old wooden bridge that's slowly falling apart that crosses over Six Penny Creek to a trail on the opposite side and alongside the dam.

I didn't explore it but there's a trail that runs upstream alongside the Six Penny Creek. Somewhere in this area although I'm not sure exactly where, a community of African-Americans from the south who had escaped slavery were said to have lived in the valley of Six Penny Creek from the 1780's on and worked at the local forges and furnaces (Hopewell, Joanna Furnaces, forges in Birdsboro) as well as other jobs in the vicinity. Starting in 1835, the area was also said to have played an important role in the Underground Railroad movement. For additional information about the history, click here and here. 

Here's a more recent and a different history of the pond before the dam and the stone staircase I had passed earlier. This pond is the remains of what used to be a day use swimming lake called Six Penny Day Use Area. It's listed in the National Register of Historic Places although the information is quite scarce. All I could find after searching the internet for several hours were a few old newspaper articles about the state having to temporarily close the lake to swimming in August of 1975 due to a polluting bacteria, then re-opening the lake around May of 1976. So far, I've been unable to find out when it closed for good and why.

Although I'm not sure if this is true since I couldn't find reliable sources, this dam/lake may have been built by the Pennsylvania Civilian Conservation Corps, perhaps in the 1930's or 1940's. What I did find were only a few old pictures of the day use area before it was closed, one from a geocaching website and another from Flickr (here and here). I also located a small map of the area. If you have a quick look at the map, it might give you a bit of an idea on where I ended up going next.

This is the second time I've caught pictures of these freaky looking insects called Robber Flies (Asilidae). The first time was at Baldpate Mountain only this time, the picture came out nice and clear.

After exploring the dam and the remains of the Six Penny Day Use Area, I found the remains of what used to be a road and old parking lot for the lake. I usually don't like hiking on paved surfaces but for something like this, an exception can certainly be made. I had no idea any of this even existed until I saw it and I was fascinated by what I had found.

Old water fountain

After exploring the former day use area, I ended up walking alongside route 345 so I could return to the Six Penny Trail. I had veered off the trail to check out the ruins and instead of doubling back, I followed the abandoned road until I got to a fallen tree, bushwhacked through a small section of woods to get to the road, then back to the trail. Right in this area, there's a quarry I wanted to check out but the DCNR makes it very crystal clear that trespassing is not permitted. While I probably could have gotten away with going, I'd rather not end up having my day ruined by being arrested for being too curious.

This section of the Six Penny Trail was the toughest part of the hike with a slightly steep hill extending for a good distance. For the most part, although the terrain was hilly, they weren't as steep as I had anticipated throughout most of the hike. Perhaps this is another reason I was able to make it 16 miles!

Back on the trail again!

Water tower alongside the Six Penny Trail

Dirt road alongside the Six Penny Trail leading up to the water tower

Somewhere in this area is an unnamed connecting trail between the Six Penny and Boone Trails which runs alongside the campsites.

I did my usual in this area and ended up taking a wrong trail. It took me a while to figure that out which also added some distance to my hike. This was another section of the Boone Trail that lead below the campsites.

After realizing my mistake, I doubled back and headed down the Lenape Trail and at this point, crossed over Scotts Run Road on my way to Scotts Run Lake.

I didn't explore much of it but when I arrived at Scotts Run Lake, I walked around for a little while and shot off a few pictures.

Arrival at Scotts Run Lake

I found this to be interesting. Water was flowing over the dam at Scotts Run Lake but the stream bed was bone dry.

As I walked below the bridge, the water from the dam was coming up through the rocks right about where the long concrete slab is on the left side of the picture. If you look closely, you can see two spots where the water is pushing up through the rocks.

Looking a little further downstream (this creek is Scotts Run by the way) is this nice pool of water. I was here with a friend in the spring and there were some very nice looking trout in there. I didn't spot any this past Sunday though.

View from the edge of the pool of water looking back up towards the second bridge

Back on the Lenape Trail and heading towards Hopewell Lake

More of these funky looking rocks

The Lenape Trail leads you back to the Horse-Shoe Trail again

View of Hopewell Lake from the Horse-Shoe Trail

Dam at the far end of Hopewell Lake, again from the Horse-Shoe Trail

There are two sets of trails that run parallel with each other close to the dams, one of which is above the lake, the other is down a hill below lake level. I climbed to the upper trail so I could see the lake more clearly and get some pictures. By this time, I had very little water left and my feet were beginning to hurt. I wanted to keep exploring and had another destination in mind but decided to forgo that for another day. Instead of staying on the Horse-Shoe Trail as I had originally intended, I hugged the shoreline of Hopewell Lake and started my return to the parking lot on the opposite side of the lake.

Looking at the parking lot from a fishing dock, getting close to my car!

Last shot of Hopewell Lake from the fishing dock

That was about it for my hike. I finished looping around the rest of the lake and returned to my car. I've always enjoyed going to French Creek State Park and now that I discovered the Six Penny Trail and some of the history surrounding it, I'm looking forward to going back and exploring it more extensively, likely when there are no leaves on the trees which will allow for me to see further. 

After such a long hike (for me it was), I learned a few things along the way: 

• That one shouldn't wipe their sweaty face off with a scratchy towel and then apply lemon eucalyptus insect repellent. That stings! The black flies were a nuisance, more so than usual for this hike so I broke out the strong stuff and almost put my head net on. 

• That I'm going to need to start bringing more water with me if I plan on hiking such long distances. I carry a 3 liter Platypus hydration bladder in my backpack and this time, it wasn't enough. My other option is to carry my water filtration system but I hadn't put it in my daypack for this hike. 

• That I have a long way to go if I plan on hiking the Appalachian Trail. After hiking 16 miles, my legs were not too happy with me. I couldn't imagine what it would be like hiking this distance or more every day for 5-7 months if I can't make it a single day without the legs being sore.

•  That I'm going to have to get started earlier in the morning than I have been. I usually take my time in the mornings but giving my hikes are getting longer and Old Man Winter will soon be knocking, it would be best to get an earlier start so I don't end up hiking in the dark. 

Tip: if you're using a hydration bladder and run out of water, blow some air through the hose into the bladder and you may be able to squeeze a few more drops out of it. When sealed, the bladders are almost air-tight. Blowing air into them will open it up a little allowing any remaining water to flow a bit more freely. I was able to get a little bit more out of my bladder by doing this. 

Well, that about wraps it up for this adventure. Until next time, happy exploring and happy hiking!

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