Doggin’ Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Have you ever considered how far you walk with your dog? If you walk just 15 minutes a day you will have walked far enough in your dog's lifetime to cross the United States. With all that walking ahead of you, aren't you ready for a new place to take a hike with your dog? 

Pennsylvania Dutch country is a great place to hike with your dog. Within a short drive your dog can climb mountains that leave him panting, walk on some of the most historic grounds in America, explore dark ravines or circle lakes for miles and never lose sight of the water. A BARK IN THE PARK-PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH COUNTRY explores the state's top trails with your best friend in mind...

What makes a great place to take your dog hiking? Well, how about a paw-friendly surface to trot on? Grass and sandy soil are a lot more appealing than asphalt and rocks. A variety of hikes is always good - long ones for athletic dogs and short ones for the less adventurous canine. Dogs always enjoy a refreshing place to swim as well. For dog-friendly parks our guides describe the trail options for your dog, evaluate park traffic from other users, tell you whether you will need a guide dog to find your way around and, of course, tell you how to get to the park.

While walking the dog around Pennsylvania Dutch Country, we bring along generous helpings of local history, botany, geology, architecture and more. So what are you waiting for? Your dog will want to hike past the remains of Stabe Tavern (page 83), hike past America’s largest patch of pawpaw trees north of Washington DC (page 75), hike to the world’s first bald eagle sanctuary (page 19), visit Pennsylvania’s first hard-surfaced, high-crowned road (page 53)...

THE BEST OF THE BEST

BEST PLACE FOR YOUR DOG TO SWIM
Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center
Dogs looking to get in some dock diving practice will appreciate North Pond at Nolde Forest. Secluded North Pond is tucked away from many of the trails, use the Beech Trail to reach the Pond Loop or drive to a small parking lot on Church Road.

BEST ONE-HOUR WORKOUT FOR YOUR DOG
Susquehannock State Park
The star walk is the 1.2-mile Rhodedendron Trail that rolls through dense growth of the namesake plants; expect this rollercoaster terrain to leave your dog panting in places - especially if you take advantage of the Phites Eddy Trail to drop down to Susquehanna River for a swim. 

PRETTIEST HIKE FOR YOUR DOG
Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve
Two trails envelop the Tucquan Creek. The southern leg supports most of the foot traffic as it hugs the banks all the way to the Susquehanna River and provides the best experience for enjoying the many waterfalls in the stream.  

BEST HIKE TO VIEWS WITH YOUR DOG
The Pinnacle
This is not a casual canine hike. Expect to devote a solid five hours to completing the 9-mile loop to the Pinnacle and back but your dog will get the best view in Pennsylvania.

BEST HALF-HOUR HIKE WITH YOUR DOG
Kellys Run Natural Area
Near the parking area, the 3/4-mile Oliver Patton Trail was named a National Recreation Trail in 1992. This lively little track traverses a stand of Norway spruce and white pine planted in 1968.  

MOST HISTORIC HIKE WITH YOUR DOG
Lebanon Valley Rail Trail
This was Robert Coleman’s Cornwall & Lebanon Railroad, the last of Cornwall’s grea tiron barons. To keep his line busy Coleman built the Mt. Gretna retreat for the rich and exhausted. 

BEST PLACE TO CIRCLE A LAKE WITH YOUR DOG
Wildwood Lake Sanctuary
The main canine hike here is a circle of a little more than three miles around the lake. The lake is shoehorned into a few hundred acres dominated by major roadways and an industrial park but once the barrage of vehicular noise and public address pages disappear into background noise, the magic of the sanctuary reveals itself.  

BEST PLACE TO LOSE YOURSELF IN THE WOODS WITH YOUR DOG
French Creek State Park.
Almost 40 miles of marked trails criss-cross the property and your dog will be under a wooded canopy nearly every pawfall. The Mill Creek Trail goes over six miles and never gives a whiff of civilization.