Horse-Shoe Trail

This app is only for select beta-test members of the non-profit Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy, the volunteer organization that maintains and preserves this historic trail for public use.

The Horse-Shoe Trail (‘Horse’ for riders, ‘Shoe’ for hikers) lies in southeastern Pennsylvania, beginning at Valley Forge National Historical Park and ending some 140 miles to the west, where it meets the Appalachian Trail in the mountains north of Hershey. The history of the Trail is entwined with the development of the iron industry in this part of Pennsylvania during the 18th and 19th centuries. The many furnaces and forges were connected by trails, portions of which have survived to form the foundation of today’s Horse-Shoe Trail.

PLEASE NOTE: This app can only be used by select beta-test members of the Horse-Shoe Trail Conservancy. When you first run the app after installing it from the Play Store, you will be asked to enter the login provided to you by the Conservancy. You will not have access to the trail maps unless you log in successfully through an active network connection (cell or wi-fi). Once logged in, the maps will be available offline so you can navigate the trail without having a network connection.

This app contains the full set of color trail maps as published in the paper "Guide to the Horse-Shoe Trail":
- The map views can be pinch-zoomed and scrolled to focus on areas of interest.
- Tap on a mile marker or parking lot marker to see the text comments from the guidebook.
- The user's location is displayed when it is within the bounds of the current map.
- Electronic compass is displayed if provided by the device: tap to enlarge, tap again to shrink.
- While riding or hiking, set up the next portion of the trail in view, then use the "Screen Lock" button from the Menu to avoid accidentally scrolling it out-of-view; use "Screen Unlock" when you're ready to change the view again.