Some trails begin in the most unexpected places.
The Pretzel Hut sits directly on the spot where the Horse-Shoe Trail crosses route 501 and so there is a trail head right on the property. To find it, one must go through a gate and into an area filled with free-roaming goats, roosters, hens, turkeys and peacocks. There are also a couple of rabbit hutches and a pig pen.
Starting the hike here was fun, but ending it here was awesome. The Pretzel Hut is one of those fantastic little roadside burger and shake places that also happens to make some pretty good soft pretzels, and after a cold and windy walk back from Eagle Rock it was exactly what we wanted.
Pennsylvania has a reputation for having some very rough and rocky trails, but this area wasn’t too bad, save for a few short segments. We managed to make it home with unbroken ankles and didn’t need to spend the entire hike staring at our feet.
The area near Pumping Station Road has some particularly pretty areas with lots of scattered boulders and exposed rock.
On our loop back we detoured slightly to visit Eagle Rock. It was very windy, but the view was nice, especially with the autumn colors of the trees.