Moores Wall Loop Trail

Moores Wall Loop Trail is a loop hike in Hanging Rock State Park, centered on the ascent to Moore’s Knob and its observation tower. The trail is signed with red dot markers and follows a path surface throughout, with no horseback or motor-vehicle access.

At the lake, the route leaves Hanging Rock Lake and then starts climbing into the Moore’s Wall section. The climb is the main work on the loop; much of the route character is steep and stair-heavy as you near the high point.

The top is Moore’s Knob, reached at about 2.5 miles on the route, where you gain to roughly 2,572 feet. This is the turnaround/reward point for the loop, with the observation tower as the focal feature.

For the descent, the route drops back down from Moore’s Knob and passes Balanced Rock before heading toward the lower trail segments near the campground area and the lake-side path.

For pacing, expect about 4.3–4.7 miles total, with elevation gain in the neighborhood of 950–980 feet and a typical time of around 2–3 hours. This fits a moderate day-hike effort with sustained climbing and descending.

If you want a smoother climb, hike the loop clockwise so the ascent comes earlier and more gradually; doing it the opposite direction tends to put the steeper stair sections on the downhill.

More information: Hiking Moore's Wall Loop Trail, Moore's Wall Loop Trail + KÜHL hiking pants review ...