Pennsylvania: 115 state parks, 10 natural areas and 1 historic site

Camping, trails, fees and current alerts are on each park’s page. See these parks on a map

All 126 parks

Allegheny Islands State ParkThree wooded alluvial islands in the middle of the Allegheny River northeast of Pittsburgh, reachable only by…
Archbald Pothole State ParkBuilt around a glacial pothole 38 feet deep and 42 feet wide, scoured out of the bedrock some 15,000 years…
Bald Eagle State ParkA 1,730-acre lake laps the flank of Bald Eagle Mountain here, ringed by forest, field and wetland in the…
Beltzville State ParkPohopoco Creek, a strong trout stream, feeds the 949-acre lake at the southern edge of the Poconos. The sand…
Bendigo State ParkA small valley park in Elk County where about twenty acres are developed and half of that is shaded picnic…
Benjamin Rush State ParkThe only state park inside Philadelphia's city limits, in the far northeast. Open meadow and one of the…
Big Elk Creek State ParkFormer farmland and woodlot in southern Chester County, now a wildlife corridor sheltering an array of…
Big Pocono State ParkRugged ground on the summit and slopes of Camelback Mountain, where the view reaches across eastern…
Big Spring State ParkA quaint picnic and hiking spot tucked into the side of Conococheague Mountain and kept up by Tuscarora State…
Black Moshannon State ParkForest and wetland around a dark, tannin-stained lake — the bog is the reason to come, boardwalked and full…
Blue Knob State ParkYear-round woodland at the northwestern tip of Bedford County, high enough that the air runs several degrees…
Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation AreaOne of the newer additions to the system, straddling Blue Mountain outside Harrisburg and named for the big…
Buchanan's Birthplace State ParkA narrow, peaceful hollow in the gap of Tuscarora Mountain, marking where James Buchanan was born in a log…
Bucktail State Park Natural AreaNot a park you park in so much as one you drive: 75 miles of PA 120 through a narrow valley from Emporium to…
Caledonia State ParkNestled in South Mountain at the northern end of the Blue Ridge, with 84,000 acres of state forest and three…
Canoe Creek State ParkA 155-acre lake, wetlands, old fields and mature woods make critical habitat here for migrating birds and one…
Chapman State ParkA 68-acre lake on the West Branch of Tionesta Creek, surrounded by the Allegheny National Forest and state…
Cherry Springs State ParkOne of the darkest skies east of the Mississippi, ringed by 262,000 acres of Susquehannock State Forest and…
Clear Creek State ParkA scenic stretch of the Clear Creek Valley running down to the Clarion River, with rustic CCC-built cabins…
Codorus State ParkLake Marburg has 26 miles of shoreline in the rolling hills of southern York County and is popular with…
Colonel Denning State ParkSet in Doubling Gap, named for the S-turn where Blue Mountain folds back on itself. A 3.5-acre lake with a…
Colton Point State ParkThe west rim of Pine Creek Gorge — the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon — with CCC-built stonework from the 1930s…
Cook Forest State ParkThe Forest Cathedral of towering white pine and hemlock here is a National Natural Landmark and some of the…
Cowans Gap State ParkA 42-acre lake in the Allens Valley of Fulton County, hemmed in by state forest on every side. Rustic cabins…
Delaware Canal State ParkThe only continuously intact towpath canal left from the great canal-building era of the early 1800s, running…
Denton Hill State ParkDeep in the northern Pennsylvania snow belt, off US 6, with groomed downhill slopes and rental cabins. Built…
Elk Country Vis. CenterThe best place in the northeastern United States to see wild elk, with viewing blinds, trails and…
Elk State ParkA 1,160-acre lake in the rugged mountains of northern Pennsylvania, big enough for unlimited-horsepower…
Erie Bluffs State ParkThe largest undeveloped stretch of Lake Erie shoreline left in Pennsylvania, a mile of it beneath 90-foot…
Evansburg State ParkA substantial piece of green space and relative quiet in built-up Montgomery County, where Skippack Creek has…
Fort Washington State ParkNamed for the fort Washington's troops threw up in the autumn of 1777 before wintering at Valley Forge, and…
Fowlers Hollow State ParkA narrow valley cut by Fowler Hollow Run on the edge of Tuscarora State Forest, where several multi-use…
Frances Slocum State ParkA 165-acre horseshoe of lake is the centre of this Luzerne County park ten miles from Wilkes-Barre. Boating…
French Creek State ParkThe largest block of contiguous forest between Washington and New York, on ground that once fed the colonial…
Gifford Pinchot State ParkReverting farm fields and wooded hillsides around the 340-acre Pinchot Lake, named for the forester who…
Gouldsboro State ParkA 250-acre lake in the northeastern Poconos, shared between Monroe and Wayne counties and left deliberately…
Greenwood Furnace State ParkA restored 19th-century iron-making village on the western edge of the Seven Mountains, with the furnace…
Hickory Run State ParkNearly 16,000 acres in the western foothills of the Poconos, with over 40 miles of trail, three natural areas…
Hillman State ParkManaged for hunting by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, with the hiking trails open to everyone else. Big…
Hills Creek State ParkOsprey and loons work the lake here in Tioga County, which holds a good spread of warm-water fish. Camping…
Hyner Run State ParkA cosy valley carved by Hyner Run out of steep surrounding mountains, entirely enclosed by Sproul State…
Hyner View State ParkOne of the finest overlooks in the state park system, high above a bend of the West Branch Susquehanna, and a…
Jacobsburg Environmental Education CenterAn education centre on 1,168 acres in Northampton County, running programmes from pre-school to college as…
Jennings Environmental Education CenterBuilt around a relict prairie — an ecosystem rare in Pennsylvania — where the blazing star blooms in late…
Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation AreaA block of nearly unbroken hardwood forest straddling Peters Mountain, given to the state by the forester it…
Kettle Creek State ParkA valley of wilderness and mountain in western Clinton County, where a flood-control project left behind a…
Keystone State ParkCamping, modern cabins, trails and a lake all within walking distance of each other, close enough to…
Kings Gap Environmental Education CenterAstride South Mountain with a panoramic view over the Cumberland Valley, and sixteen miles of interconnected…
Kinzua Bridge State ParkThe Kinzua Viaduct once carried trains 300 feet above the valley until a tornado took most of it down in…
Kooser State ParkA trout stream runs the full length of this small park in the heart of the Laurel Highlands, at 2,600 feet…
Lackawanna State ParkThe 198-acre Lackawanna Lake sits at the centre, ringed by picnic areas and multi-use trails winding through…
Laurel Caverns State ParkPennsylvania's only underground state park: 426 acres of Chestnut Ridge in Fayette County, over the largest…
Laurel Hill State ParkMountainous Somerset County ground around a 63-acre lake, surrounded by thousands of acres of state park and…
Laurel Mountain State ParkHigh on Laurel Ridge near 3,000 feet, with a family downhill ski area and long views over the Ligonier…
Laurel Ridge State ParkA long ribbon of park running from the Youghiogheny at Ohiopyle to the Conemaugh Gorge near Johnstown, across…
Laurel Summit State ParkA small picnic area at 2,739 feet, several degrees cooler than the towns below, with tables, a pavilion…
Lehigh Gorge State ParkA deep, steep-walled gorge with rock outcrops and waterfalls, following the Lehigh River from the Francis E…
Leonard Harrison State ParkThe east rim of Pine Creek Gorge, with the most famous views of the canyon and a visitor centre to explain…
Linn Run State ParkMixed hardwood and evergreen on varied ground in the Laurel Highlands, with rustic cabins for rent…
Little Buffalo State ParkShoaff's Mill still stands beside the creek here, along with a covered bridge and a narrow-gauge railroad bed…
Little Pine State ParkA 94-acre lake in a mountain section of Tiadaghton State Forest, deep in the PA Wilds. The campground and the…
Locust Lake State ParkA 52-acre lake set between two campgrounds on the side of Locust Mountain, in forest thick enough to screen…
Lyman Run State ParkA 45-acre lake in a mixed northern hardwood forest of maple and cherry, in the remote uplands of Potter…
Marsh Creek State ParkThe 535-acre Marsh Creek Lake in the rolling hills of northcentral Chester County, good for sailing and…
Maurice K. Goddard State ParkLake Wilhelm covers 1,860 acres in Mercer County and is very popular with anglers, with wetlands, old fields…
McCalls Dam State ParkA small, remote picnic area where White Deer Creek is the loudest thing present, surrounded entirely by Bald…
McConnells Mill State ParkThe Slippery Rock Creek Gorge was cut when glacial lakes drained thousands of years ago, and its floor is…
Memorial Lake State ParkA quiet lake at the base of Blue Mountain, entirely surrounded by Fort Indiantown Gap. Electric-motor…
Milton State ParkAn island in the West Branch Susquehanna between Milton and West Milton. The northern half has the day-use…
Mont Alto State ParkThe oldest park still in the system, small and quiet, with an unusual pavilion at its centre. Trout fishing…
Moraine State ParkContinental glaciers and then heavy mineral extraction shaped this ground, and neither is obvious now under…
Mount Pisgah State ParkIn the Endless Mountains of the Northern Tier, along Mill Creek at the foot of Mt. Pisgah, with Stephen…
Nescopeck State ParkWetlands and rich forest between Mount Yeager and Nescopeck Mountain, with Nescopeck Creek meandering through…
Neshaminy State ParkWhere Neshaminy Creek meets the Delaware in lower Bucks County, with tidal marsh along the river edge. The…
Nockamixon State ParkLake Nockamixon runs seven miles through the rolling hills of Bucks County, fed by Tohickon Creek and two…
Nolde Forest Environmental Education CenterDeciduous woodland and planted conifers over 665 acres outside Reading, laid out as an arboretum by a hosiery…
Norristown Farm ParkA working farm in continuous use since colonial times, still growing crops on 690 acres inside suburban…
Ohiopyle State ParkThe Youghiogheny River drops through 20,500 acres of the Laurel Highlands here, and the whitewater is among…
Oil Creek State ParkThe world's first commercial oil well was drilled in this valley, and the park tells that story through…
Ole Bull State ParkNamed for the Norwegian violinist who tried to found a colony here in 1852, in the Kettle Creek valley the…
Parker Dam State ParkOld-fashioned charm in Clearfield County: a scenic lake, CCC-built rustic cabins and a quiet campground, with…
Patterson State ParkTwo rustic picnic pavilions in a genuinely remote corner of Potter County, and a trailhead for the…
Penn-Roosevelt State ParkA small park in the Stone Creek Kettle, an isolated pocket of the Seven Mountains surrounded by 80,000 acres…
Pine Grove Furnace State ParkTwo lakes, an iron furnace stack and the Appalachian Trail's traditional halfway point, where thru-hikers…
Poe Paddy State ParkAt the confluence of Big Poe and Penns creeks, which is a trout angler's paradise during the green drake…
Poe Valley State ParkA 25-acre lake in a rugged mountain valley, wrapped in the 198,000-acre Bald Eagle State Forest. Cosy is the…
Point State ParkAt the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela at the tip of Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle, marking the…
Presque Isle State ParkA sandy peninsula arching into Lake Erie — Pennsylvania's only seashore, with eleven guarded beaches along…
Prince Gallitzin State ParkGlendale Lake sprawls across 1,635 acres with 26 miles of shoreline, cradled by the forested hills of the…
Promised Land State ParkOn the Pocono Plateau at 1,800 feet, ringed by 12,464 acres of Delaware State Forest and its natural areas…
Prompton State ParkA 290-acre lake operated by the Army Corps of Engineers, with boat launching and picnicking from the park…
Prouty Place State ParkFive acres along Long Toe Road, well off PA 44 and about as remote as the system gets. It exists mainly as a…
Pymatuning State ParkOne of the largest parks in the Commonwealth, on the largest lake in it — 17,088 acres of water shared with…
Raccoon Creek State ParkBegun as a National Park Service demonstration area in the 1930s and now one of the largest parks in the…
Ralph Stover State ParkTohickon Creek runs through a compact, scenic picnic ground in Bucks County. The High Rocks section a little…
Ravensburg State ParkA cosy, steep-walled gorge carved by Rauchtown Run through Nippenose Mountain, with northern hardwoods on the…
Raymond B. Winter State ParkA shallow basin inside Bald Eagle State Forest, ringed by rocky ridges of oak and pine, with a small lake and…
Reeds Gap State ParkWilderness in the New Lancaster Valley of Mifflin County, where large hemlocks and white pines shade Honey…
Ricketts Glen State ParkThe Falls Trail passes 22 named waterfalls in a few miles, the tallest of them Ganoga Falls at 94 feet…
Ridley Creek State ParkGently rolling woodland and meadow bisected by Ridley Creek, sixteen miles from centre-city Philadelphia. A…
Ryerson Station State ParkIn the far southwestern corner of the state near the West Virginia line, built around Ronald J. Duke Lake. A…
Salt Springs State ParkTowering old-growth hemlocks, some estimated at over 300 years, and a rocky gorge cut by Fall Brook with…
Samuel S. Lewis State ParkMt. Pisgah rises 885 feet here between the Kreutz Creek and East Prospect valleys, and the mowed slopes below…
Sand Bridge State ParkThree rustic picnic pavilions against the side of Seven Notch Mountain, right beside PA 192, with Rapid Run…
Shawnee State ParkA 451-acre lake is the focus of this Ridge and Valley park ten miles west of Bedford, with modern facilities…
Shikellamy State ParkTwo sections: an overlook on a bluff above the confluence of the West and North branches of the Susquehanna…
Simon B. Elliott State ParkAn entirely wooded park in the heart of Moshannon State Forest, with swamp meadows among second-growth…
Sinnemahoning State ParkOn the First Fork of Sinnemahoning Creek, surrounded by Elk State Forest, with deep valleys and long views…
Sizerville State ParkAlmost entirely surrounded by Elk State Forest and close to the largest blocks of public land in…
Susquehanna Riverlands State ParkMore than a thousand acres in York County where Codorus Creek meets the Susquehanna, with rock outcrop vistas…
Susquehanna State ParkA 20-acre riverfront strip in the city of Williamsport, run in cooperation with the local chamber of…
Susquehannock State ParkA wooded plateau overlooking the Susquehanna in southern Lancaster County, where bald eagles work the river…
Swatara State ParkRolling fields and woodland in the Swatara Valley between Second and Blue mountains, with Swatara Creek…
Tobyhanna State ParkA 170-acre lake in the northeastern Poconos, its name from an American Indian word for a stream fringed with…
Trough Creek State ParkA scenic gorge where Great Trough Creek cuts through Terrace Mountain into Raystown Lake. Rugged trails lead…
Tuscarora State ParkLocust Mountain drops almost straight into the southern shore of Tuscarora Lake, which makes the day-use area…
Tyler State ParkFarm and woodland in Bucks County with the roads, trails and buildings fitted carefully into the original…
Upper Pine Bottom State ParkA five-acre roadside rest along PA 44 with picnic tables beside a small run. Most people stop here to reach…
Varden Conservation AreaThe gift of a local veterinarian, protecting a pristine stretch of Wayne County in an area now feeling…
Vosburg Neck State ParkA bend of the Susquehanna five miles west of Tunkhannock, with 1700s and 1800s buildings, an old canal bed…
Warriors Path State ParkNamed for the route the Iroquois used in their raids south, on a bend of the Raystown Branch of the Juniata…
Washington Crossing Historic ParkThe site of Washington's crossing of the Delaware on Christmas night in 1776, preserved with the buildings…
Whipple Dam State ParkA small lake between Rothrock State Forest ridges, ideal for a swim, a picnic or an hour of birdwatching…
White Clay Creek PreserveThe White Clay Creek Valley forms the core of this preserve in southern Chester County, three miles north of…
Worlds End State ParkA narrow S-shaped valley of the Loyalsock Creek just south of Forksville, with rock-walled sides that give…
Yellow Creek State ParkBuilt along the Kittanning Path, one of the first highways in the state, used by the Delaware and Shawnee…

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Pennsylvania: 115 state parks, 10 natural areas and 1 historic site

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