Pole Steeple Trail is a 1.2 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Gardners, Pennsylvania that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, trail running, and nature trips and is best used from March until November. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
kid friendly
hiking
nature trips
trail running
walking
beach
forest
lake
river
views
wildlife
This Michaux State Forest trail contains some steep climbs. The entire park can be viewed from the Pole Steeple Overlook, which is a quartzite rock outcropping. The trail begins at the Pole Steeple parking lot, along the Railroad Bed Road by Laurel Lake, and proceeds up to the rocky overlook.
A fairly steep trail on the shorter side. Beautiful payoff at the summit!
Short trail with choice of steep or alternate. We went up steep and came down the alternate in 44 minutes. Great trail for the family!!!
cool overlook
Short hike with a nice view at the end. Has 2 sections toward the end, the steep side and the less steep side. Decent for a trail run if you want the exercise too.
Pretty geat for a short hike. Excellent view from the top. Had a bit of rain on the descent, which wasn't hateful at all. In fact, it made the trip a little more enjoyable for me.
Classic
You can go up a steeper spot where it’s a climbing route. Really nice place to see a great view.
Great views from the top!
Nice moderate hike to a great overlook of the area.
Pretty easy hike and the view at the top is incredible!
Park at the Pole Steeple parking lot. Short hike to a great view. A few somewhat steep climbs initially, but nothing extreme. A well used path easily identified by the blue blazes. Take the easy path to the right near the top to avoid the rock scramble to the left/ahead. Follow the blue blazes south from the outcrop to the white blazes of the Appalachian trail for an extended hike. Move west on the AT thru the woods. This will bring you out to the Old Railroad Bed Road for an easy walk back to the parking lot. It will feel further than it really is... Maps are available at the park info boards to illustrate the route. I did the trail in a pair of Crocs in mid October.
No matter what trail I hike that has a scenic vista, Pole Steeple will always be my favorite. It's such a minimum amount of effort (short hike, some incline) for the greatest reward.
Short but steep hike. I went in the evening to avoid crowds. Great view over the late.
Short hike and beautiful overlook of the lake.
Well marked and fairly wide. The view is worth the struggle for this old out of shape chic.
Beautiful scenery!
easy trail to walk. theres a difficult incline, but thats the worst it gets. dont need anything fancy, just sneakers, some water, and snacks. overlook is gorgeous :)
The trail starts with a beautiful lake at the parking lot. We arrived on a foggy morning with only one car other than ours in the lot. The hike was very easy with benches along the way to rest even though you don't need to. The trail is super short but a lot of fun with some neat looking trees. The trail splits and you can take the easy route (longer route) if you go right and the rocky hard route if you go left. We took the easy route because we saw some cool-looking mushrooms along the side of it. The view from the top is spectacular. You can see the surrounding hills and a full view of the lake with the beach. We were the only people up there so we were able to climb across the edges for the best views of the valley. The rocks are very easy to climb on and I did not see any snakes. We could hear a lot of talking and laughing coming from below so we figured it was time to leave. On the way down we passed about 5 large groups of people the smelled like perfume and axe body spray. They were very loud (we hike quiet with the hopes of finding wildlife). I also with the hike was longer and for that reason it loses a star. Get up there early to avoid the crowds because this is a short and sweet hike that you will enjoy very much. Cheers.
Great short hike with a gorgeous view at the top!
Took our GS troop on this hike, loved it! I think there are parts of the hike that should be considered moderate hiking. Views at the top are beautiful!!!
Gorgeous view! You can make it a loop if you want extra miles. Definitely an excellent workout and one of the best views in Pennsylvania.
great trail. well marked. quite challenging. will be back to hike again.
Nice short trail, big incline so pace yourself if not used to hiking.
Wasn't the best marked trail and was really steep, but the view was beautiful and it was a lot of fun.
We do this all the time. It's challenging but my fat doxie can do it. So that's saying something.
We do this all the time. It's challenging but my fat doxie can do it. So that's saying something.
Very beautiful view from up top. Good if your interested in short and nice hike
This was a rocky, uphill climb with a rewarding view at the top.
I do this trail once every season. But, this is not one for easy-winded folks. It is steep.