Recreational Opportunities

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is a place of exploration, recreation and fun! Located on Route 345 next to French Creek State Park, Hopewell provides visitors with a chance to immerse themselves in nature, history & industrial heritage! For more information about programs and special events, like us on Facebook and see our calendar.

 

Explore Nature

 

Trail Name	Color of Blaze	Trail Length in Miles
Boone	Blue	6
Turtle	White	3.6
Lenape	Green	5.5
Six Penny	Orange	3
Mill Creek	White with Red Stripe	6
Buzzards	Yellow with Red Stripe	3
Raccoon	Red	1.7
Horseshoe	Yellow	8
Kalmia	Purple	1

Hiking: Explore hiking trails with a map of Hopewell Furnace, French Creek State Park, Natural Lands Trust, and Crows Nest Preserve.

Produced by and used with Permission of French Creek State Park.

 

Bicycling: Make us your stop whether you are exercising or simply taking a joy ride. Please walk your bicycles in the historic furnace area.

 

Picnicing: Picnic tables located across the parking lot from the visitor center.

 

A variety of animal species can be found at Hopewell Furnace including this northern ringneck snake moving along on the ground.

NPS Photo

Watch Wildlife: Enjoy bird watching, deer watching or looking for some of the more reclusive animal species that reside in the park.

Bird Watching: As many as 120 types of birds visit or call Hopewell Furnace home. This is due to a variety of valuable habitats. From the dense woodlands of Hopewell Big Woods, to open pastures and meadows, and from Baptism Creek to French Creek. A Bird List of Berks County has been provided by the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology.

 

Visitors walking dogs.

NPS Photo, Christman

Dog Walking: Walk the grounds and trails with your furry friend. Dogs are required to wear leashes and not permitted inside of buildings.

Learn the B.A.R.K. Ranger principles to have a fun and safe visit at Hopewell Furnace!

• Bag your pet’s waste
• Always leash your pet
• Respect wildlife
• Know where you can go

 

Photography: Capture beautfiul images with rich features.

 

Explore History

 

Visitor Center: First stop should be at the park's Visitor Center. Inside are museum exhibits, restrooms, a bookstore, audio-visual programs and staff who can inform and orient visitors to the site.

 

A visitor reads a brochure on a self-guided tour.

NPS Photo

Self-Guided Tour: Visitors can take a self-guided walking tour of the historic furnace community, enter its many buildings and visit the animals on the farm.

 

Special autumn programs include apple cider press demonstrations and story time.

NPS Photo

Interpretive Programs and Demonstrations: Programs are presented during summer months and during special events at other times of the year. Programs and demonstrations occur on days staffing is available and vary from day to day.

 

Become a Junior Ranger: Children may participate in the park's Junior Ranger Program. Each child receives a booklet in which they answer questions and find important items while they tour the park. Upon completion of the booklet, each child receives a Junior Ranger badge.

 

There are more than 25 familiar and historic varieties of apples available.

NPS Photo

Pick Apples: During September and October visitors are allowed to pick from the many historic varieties of apples in the orchard. A charge is collected for the amount of apples picked.

 

A Family Meets Hopewell Furnace's Horse Max

NPS Photo

Farm Program: Explore our farm program and discover historic domestic animals such as chickens, horses and sheep. Please do not feed the animals.

 

Nearby Attractions

Plan your trip and view nearby attactions.