State Parks

IN & AROUND CENTRAL PA

Pennsylvania is home to 121 state parks! Waterfalls, wildlife, and wilderness...what could be better for your mental and physical health?

BLUE KNOB STATE PARK Blue Knob State Park is a 6,128-acre park in the northwestern tip of Bedford County offering year-round wilderness adventures. The park is named for Blue Knob, the second highest mountain in Pennsylvania at 3,146 feet. You’ll find swimming, picnicking, camping, hunting and fishing as well as a network of trails that is approximately 18 miles in length.

LITTLE BUFFALO STATE PARK Little Buffalo State Park is a 923-acre park in Perry County. The park is a historical and recreational destination where visitors can cross a covered bridge and observe a restored and operating grist mill. The park is also home to Holman Lake, popular for fishing, and several hundred acres of the park are open to hunting. Recreation also includes 8 miles of trails, swimming, and camping.

COLONEL DENNING STATE PARK Colonel Denning State Park is a 273-acre park in Cumberland County. The park is in the Doubling Gap of Blue Mountain on Pennsylvania Route 233 between Newville and Landisburg. Doubling Gap Lake is a man-made lake covering 3.5 acres. There are 18 miles of hiking trails and the park serves as a trailhead for the Tuscarora Trail which is 105 miles long.

KINGS GAP ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER Straddling South Mountain, 2,531-acre Kings Gap offers a panoramic view of the Cumberland Valley. Sixteen miles of hiking trails interconnect three main areas and are open year-round. Kings Gap offers environmental education programs from the pre-school environmental awareness program to environmental problem solving programs.

BOYD BIG TREE PRESERVE CONSERVATION AREA Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area is a 949.49-acre park in Dauphin County. There are 7 trails for a total of 10.6 miles of hiking. The park is home to white-tailed deer, black bear, wild turkeys, ruffed grouse, and eastern gray squirrels. There is an observation area on Blue Mountain where bird watchers can see the annual migration of hawks.

LEHIGH GORGE STATE PARK Lehigh Gorge State Park is a 4,548-acre park in Luzerne and Carbon Counties in the northeast region of the state. The primary recreational activity at the park is whitewater rafting but you’ll also find a 26mile, multi-use rail trail as well as hunting, fishing, and biking. The Lehigh Gorge Trail follows more than 20 miles of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.

RICKETTS GLEN STATE PARK Ricketts Glen State Park is a 13,193-acre park in Columbia, Luzerne, and Sullivan counties. Ricketts Glen is a National Natural Landmark known for its old-growth forest and 24 named waterfalls along Kitchen Creek, which flows down the Allegheny Front escarpment from the Allegheny Plateau to the Ridgeand-Valley Appalachians. Recreation includes hiking, picnicking, camping, swimming, boating, and hunting.

Central PA 2020 State Park Map

For more information and a complete listing of State Parks in Pennsylvania, scan here!

www.dcnr.pa.gov

RICKETTS GLEN STATE PARK

LEHIGH GORGE STATE PARK

BLUE KNOB STATE PARK LITTLE BUFFALO STATE PARK

COLONEL DENNING STATE PARK BOYD BIG TREE PRESERVE CONSERVATION AREA