Summary
Wild and remote, Quehanna offers many miles of trails on a high plateau, with the opportunity to see herds of elk. Facilities are scarce, parking options are limited, and food and fuel are distant. Horse campground, but with minimal facilities.
We covered “Loop B” at Quehanna Wild Area in early 2024 and hope to get horses on more trails in 2025. We have scouted the area several times and now have many photos of horse trailer parking options and trailheads.
Trail Overview Map
Use Waymarked Trails: Quehanna
to view all horse trails around Quehanna Wild Area. You can download them to your navigation device.
We also have a new way you can explore the horse trails – Gpx.Studio
Read on for horse trailer parking options and much more information.
There May Be Elk!
If you’re not from the area, you may not know that Quehanna is elk country. And if you’re not from elk country, your horse may not know what elk are! So be prepared for a surprise.
On our first visit to Quehanna, our horse went on major alert after spotting a bunch of ratty looking elk off in the woods. Major curiosity! Eventually the elk wandered off, but several other times on our ride he stopped and pointed out to me that those smelly things were out there… waiting. Watching.
A Feel for the Area
Quehanna is on a plateau about 2000 feet above sea level. The area was extensively clear cut during logging railroad days. Due to the cold climate and poor soil, trees regrow slowly. While some areas are densely wooded, others remain somewhat sketchy and thinly wooded. For the most part, don’t expect massive towering oaks in the region.
Because of the elevation, expect temperatures to be cooler than surrounding areas, and winds to probably be higher.
Trail Notes
Although most trails are naturally dirt or sand, we’ve seen some surfaced with coarse gravel in places. Bellefonte Posse is this way for at least 1/2 mile off Quehanna Hwy. Part of the short #11 Connector is similar. If you have unshod horses with tender feet, some areas may not be good for you.
The limited number of trails we’ve visited are fairly easy, but some may be quite rocky due to the nature of the area.
Trail Heads
The following photos give you an idea of some of the horse-riding trail heads at Quehanna Wild Area. We’ll try to add more trail photos in 2025!
Quehanna Highway
The shoulder of Quehanna Highway is wide enough to safely ride in many places, but gets overgrown in summertime. It does not appear they mow it, although some areas get tramped down.
There are many places you could pull off a horse trailer along the highway. Just check for swampy spots, as the nearest tow truck is a long ways away.
West End
Hoover Road northwest of Lincoln Road is a sandy township road which can be ridden but which also gives access to several large pipeline right of ways with plenty of space for parking horse trailers. Signs at these spots indicate that horse riding on the pipelines is permitted.
For two miles from Lincoln Road, the road is pretty good. Beyond the second pipeline crossing, road surface deteriorates significantly. You probably don’t want to continue with a horse trailer, especially if the weather has been wet.
Horse Loop Trails from Yellowsnake
This trail is an easy loop from Yellowsnake Campground or adjacent day-use parking.
Name | Miles | Time | Vertical | Description | Map Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loop Y1 | 4.8 | 1:35 | 320 | Yellowsnake – Erie Camp – Cole Run – Mohawk | Map |
Horse Loop Trails from Wykoff Run
Here are a few horse riding loop trails starting from Wykoff Run Road near Hoover Farm wildlife viewing area. These are in the central part of Quehanna.
| Name | Miles | Time | Vertical | Description | Map Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loop W1 | 5.0 | 1:40 | 230 | Wykoff – Ligament – Twister – 11 – 11 Conn – Chipper Rd – Bellefonte Posse – Ligament – Wykoff | Map |
| Loop W2 | 6.0 | 2:00 | 450 | Wykoff – Ligament – Bailey Log – Hoover Rd – Old Wykoff Run Rd – Ligament – Wykoff | Map |
| Loop W3 | 7.2 | 2:20 | 530 | Wykoff – Ligament – Bailey Log – Gore Loop – Bailey Log – Hoover Rd – Old Wykoff Run Rd – Ligament – Wykoff | Map |
We now have printable maps of these loops…
Loop W1
Loop W2
Loop W3
Horse Riding Loops from Hoover Road
These loop trails start on Hoover Road near Lincoln Road, where there is parking under powerlines. These get you out towards the northern end of trails at Quehanna.
| Name | Miles | Time | Vertical | Description | Map Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loop H1 | 5.8 | 1:55 | 370 | Baily Log – Gore Loop – Powerline Loop – Gore Draft Rd – Old Wykoff Run Rd – Hoover Rd |
Loop H1
Ride out to Gore Vista overlooking Wykoff Run gorge.
Supplies
Be warned, there is very little in the region! Plan on bringing food, drinks, and plenty of fuel.
(March 2025) The small general store in Karthaus closes at 2pm on Saturday, 1pm on Sunday. They make sandwiches. No fuel. Limited parking.
Quehanna Lodge Bar and Grill looks like a reasonable place for food. It’s on Quehanna highway just north of Rt 879 intersection near Karthaus. Hours are Thurs-Sun 12-9 as of March 2025, but they were only 11-5 on a previous visit out of season, so they may change.
A self-service fueling station in Karthaus takes credit cards only but has gas and diesel. Prices are a bit high. Open 24/7.
Your next food options are Benezette or Snow Shoe, neither of which are very close; online reviews of food options in Medix Run and Benezette are not inspiring!
Brothers Pizza in Snow Shoe is decent, though the staff could use an attitude adjustment 🙂 There is an ice cream stand in Snow Shoe open during summer months. The large convenience store in Snow Shoe is pretty nasty.
Facilities
There are pit toilets at the Hoover Farm Wildlife Viewing parking lot at Quehanna Pike and Wykoff Run Road, but they are CLOSED “out of season”. Not sure what that means–in March 2024 we visited and it was 60F; in March 2025 it was 70 and there were a lot of visitors. Space is limited to pull in a rig here, but there is a gravel parking area on Wykoff a short distance across the highway.
There are NO facilities at Yellowsnake campground. In order to camp there, you must have a trailer with a self-contained toilet. Maps show no other restrooms in the entire region. The forest office farther west on Quehanna Highway probably does not have public restrooms, and it doesn’t seem to be open weekends.
One would think Pennsylvania could do a bit more than this in a major recreational area.
Horse Camping
Yellowsnake Equestrian Campground has six sites which are available by reservation. So get this: the reservation website says it’s strictly equestrian camping only (in bold!). Then it says it’s only open to equestrian users Memorial Day through October 31, horses are forbidden outside that range. So which is it? I can see opening it to other users over the winter, but why in the world would horses be forbidden then? Pennsylvania’s public information and policies are just sad.
Each site has standing stalls. Design varies between sites and some may not be suitable for larger horses. Sites 3 and 4 have two larger standing stalls suitable for big horses. The other sites have 4 stalls which aren’t very big.
Yellowsnake campground has NO restrooms. NO running water. You must have a self-contained trailer (i.e. toilet) in order to camp here. There is a central manure pit.
Why this campground is only open Memorial Day through October 31 is baffling. November, April and May are ideal riding months, and we often get out all year long. In mid-March 2024 it was 60 degrees there, and in late March 2025 it was 70! Maybe the state needs a reality check on their recreational calendar?
Horse Water Sources
Yellowsnake Horse Camping area at Quehanna Highway and Reservoir Road has a spring-fed watering trough. You can use this for horses even if you are not camping there. It is on Reservoir Road right outside the campground. A sign says the water is not tested, although a local there filling jugs said many people take it for home use.
No other public water sources are known, so bring at least a minimal supply of water for you and your horse when you are in this area. There are some streams but they can be tricky to reach.
Horse Trailer Parking
Considering all the miles of trails, there really aren’t very many good horse trailer parking options at Quehanna Wild Area. Be warned, most of the parking areas marked on state maps are NOT big enough to park a trailer.
Unfortunately Pennsylvania doesn’t seem to have a clue how to make parks or forests very useful for public recreation involving horses.
Reservoir Road at Quehanna Highway is “designated” day-use horse trailer parking near Yellowsnake campground. It could hold a few trailers but it’s mostly just a grass clearing–with obstacles in it! Pretty sad they can’t provide a legitimate gravel lot there.
This spot has an information board which should have printed maps of the trails.
Wykoff Run at Quehanna Highway is parking for Hoover Farm Wildlife Viewing area. On an off season weekday you might be able to park a horse trailer there to access trails farther west away from Yellowsnake camping area, but it is a small lot and you may piss someone off.
A small gravel lot nearby on Wykoff Run Road may be open at slow times. In nicer weather it’s often filled with hikers going to the “bat bunkers”.
Lincoln Road just off Quehanna Highway has a parking area which might hold one small trailer, but it does seem to get hikers.
Informal Parking
Since the state can’t be bothered to create legitimate trailer parking, you may have to hunt up the best spot you can. Some suggestions are…
Number 11 Connector at Quehanna Highway has a parking area, but it seems very popular with hikers. When we visited in late March there was no room for a horse trailer! It is right on the highway.
Number 11 Trail at Quehanna Highway has a pulloff loop that would hold a couple trailers, giving access to #11 and Twister Trail. It is right on the highway.
Three Runs Road at Quehanna Highway has a pulloff that could hold a couple small trailers, getting you indirectly to Number 11 and Old Sinnemahoning Trails (via Three Runs Road). It’s right on the highway.
Ligament Trail at Quehanna Highway has enough room to pull in one trailer, and it’s an easy trail through pleasant woods which gives access to Twister Trail, Chipper Road, and Old Wykoff Run road.
Hoover Road just south of Lincoln Road has an area under power lines big enough to hold a couple trailers on either side of the road. This gives access to some of the trails farther west in the area. One side is a bit rough and sometimes very muddy. Ironically, there is a former airfield right next to it where the state could develop a proper trailer parking area, but…
Lincoln Road just before Hoover Road has a wide grassy shoulder along the Noble-Chambers Memorial Forest. Noble and Chambers probably wouldn’t mind some company, and you could easily fit several trailers there. Not sure how well drained it is in wet weather.
Hoover Road is in pretty good shape for about 2 miles northwest of Lincoln Road, which gives access to several large clearings at two underground pipelines. You probably don’t want to go past the second pipeline, as the road gets pretty rough and swampy!
We suggest you talk to any rangers you see about the lack of parking, and consider contacting the newly-created Pennsylvania “Office of Outdoor Recreation” and tell them you would like better horse trailer parking (and maybe a bathroom or two) in state lands with horse trails. The squeaky horse gets the grease!