Always more to explore!

Adventure to one of the largest expanses of green between New York City and Chicago.

Welcome to the Pennsylvania Wilds, home to some of the most spectacular wild lands east of the Mississippi. Surround yourself with the same breathtaking beauty and fresh air that has greeted others for centuries.  Today, the Pennsylvania Wilds is one of the best outdoor recreation destinations in North America. Largely rural and forested, the region has a rich history and culture.

Lose (or find!) yourself in the Pennsylvania Wilds lifestyle: a slower pace where the way of life is intertwined with nature and stewardship.

Enjoy the unique community character of many small towns and cities. Talk to the locals – many of whom have lived in the Pennsylvania Wilds for multiple generations, since their ancestors first immigrated to the United States. The PA Wilds covers approximately 25% of the state’s land acreage in north central Pennsylvania, yet just 4% of the population. Once the former lumber capital of the world, the region is home to more than 2 million acres of public land, 50 state game lands, 29 state parks, 8 state forests, 2 National Wild & Scenic Rivers, abundant wildlife, hundreds of miles of land and water trails, some of the darkest skies in the country, and the largest elk herd in the northeast.

The Pennsylvania Wilds is famous for…

“Nowhere else in this country, from sea to sea, does nature comfort us with such assurance of plenty, such rich and tranquil beauty as in those unsung, unpainted hills of Pennsylvania.”  – Rebecca Harding David (1831-1910) American Author and Pennsylvania native

The PA Wilds is a Place and a Movement… The way of nature is our way of life.

a video introduction to the Pennsylvania Wilds

The Pennsylvania Wilds, one of the state’s 11 official tourism regions, is a large rural area that covers about a quarter of the Commonwealth and is home to about 4 percent of the state’s population. The 13-county landscape is known for its two million acres of public land — more than Yellowstone National Park. It also boasts two National Wild & Scenic Rivers, the largest wild elk herd in the Northeast and some of the darkest skies in the country. It has a rich oil and lumber heritage.

Tourism currently accounts for about 11 percent of the region’s economy. It is not the only piece of the pie, but it is an important piece, because in addition to the jobs it creates, it also creates amenities that make it easier for our region’s larger employers to attract and retain talent, and improves quality of life for residents. Visitors currently spend an estimated $1.9 billion annually in the Pennsylvania Wilds.

The Pennsylvania Wilds is also home to many charming and thriving local businesses, creators, makers, and artisans that celebrate and draw inspiration from the natural landscape, culture and heritage of the region. Today, The Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania – rural PA’s largest network of creative entrepreneurs – connects and promotes Creative Makers, Experience Makers and Resource Partners that span the 13 rural counties of the Pennsylvania Wilds, and helps visitors tap into some of the most local and unique experiences the region has to offer. PA Wilds counties include: Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Warren, and northern Centre.

The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc. (PA Wilds Center) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is leading the regional strategy to help revitalize the region’s rural communities by uplifting the unique potential of the regions 2+ million acres of public lands and the businesses and communities that serve the area. The PA Wilds Center’s mission mission is to integrate conservation and economic development in a way that strengthens and inspires communities in the Pennsylvania Wilds.