Outdoor Recreation

November 19, 2024

How to get kids started with fishing

When my wife was pregnant with our first child, friends told me my life was going to change in ways I wouldn’t always appreciate. Sure, many things would change for the better, and my life would no doubt be full of the joys of parenthood, but what they really meant was that I wouldn’t be able to fish as much as usual – if at all. I didn’t listen, of course. Fishing was a huge part of my childhood and is a cornerstone of my adult life, and more than anything in the world, I looked forward to someday sharing the outdoors with my kids.

October 30, 2024

Nominations for 2025 PA Trail of the Year due by November 1

Pennsylvanians now have the opportunity to nominate their favorite trail for the 2025 Trail of the Year through the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Nominations are due by November 1, 2024.

October 29, 2024

Nominate your favorite waterway for 2025 River of the Year

Want to show a little extra love to your local river? Pennsylvanians are being asked to nominate their favorite waterway for the 2025 River of the Year! The nomination period is open until November 11.

October 22, 2024

Pennsylvania Wilds Astronomy Club: Planets more readily visible in fall, winter

Fall and winter are this year’s planet seasons. Saturn, Jupiter and Mars come to opposition in September, December and January, respectively. Also, Venus reaches its greatest evening elongation, angle distance from the sun, in January as well. The further it gets from the sun, the easier it is to observe.

October 16, 2024

Susquehanna adventures, then and now

At approximately 340 million years old, the Susquehanna River is older than the Nile, the Thames, and the Amazon rivers, spanning 672 miles across three states. It’s no wonder that over time, people in central Pennsylvania and beyond have returned to the river to celebrate its history and seek out adventures of their own. Whether rafting, rock-climbing, or even flying, there’s an adventure waiting for everyone on the Susquehanna Greenway. Let’s take a look at these adventures, then and now.  

October 14, 2024

Capture the stars! PA Great Outdoors stargazing photo contest open October-December

Capture the beautiful night sky and stars in a photo... and you could even win some prizes! There are many great places to go stargazing in Pennsylvania’s Great Outdoors region, part of the Pennsylvania Wilds that includes the counties of Cameron, Elk, and Forest. If you capture some of those special starry skies with a photo while traveling in the PA Great Outdoors region, consider entering it into the latest photo contest.

September 24, 2024

Wilds Child: Late summer migratory paths at Parker Dam State Park

Every year around mid-August, millions of monarch butterflies take flight from their botanical homes and travel thousands of miles along an ancestral fall migration path. Monarchs in the eastern United States, including monarchs that call the Pennsylvania Wilds home, depart to Mexico to overwinter together in fluttering clusters, only to return to our wildflower fields and backyard gardens in the spring. Every year around mid-August, millions of children across Pennsylvania take a similar migratory path, departing from their sunsoaked backyards and the ease of summer vacation and into large yellow buses that trace familiar routes to their primary and secondary schools.

September 20, 2024

ATV trails will close for summer in Allegheny National Forest on September 29

The US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will close the all-terrain vehicle and off-highway motorcycle (ATV/OHM) trails in the Allegheny National Forest for the summer season at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, September 29, 2024.

September 19, 2024

Taking care of the Chuck Keiper Trail

Keystone Trails Association's trail care program focuses on trails that lack formal trail maintenance clubs. Deep in the Sproul State Forest just south of Renovo in Clinton County, the Chuck Keiper Trail is one of those trails. Over the past several years, the Chuck Keiper Trail has earned a reputation for having very rough conditions. Now with the help of Keystone Trails Association and the Outdoor Corps, part of the trail is looking much better.

September 17, 2024

Ride the PA Wilds (and share your cycling feedback!)

The PA Wilds is filled with endless opportunities to explore via bicycle, from scenic rail trails like the Pine Creek Rail Trail and Clarion Little-Toby Trail, to thrilling purpose-built mountain bike trails such as Jakes Rocks, to thousands of miles of gravel and dirt roads. Cycling, in particular off-road cycling, has grown in recent years with more participants than ever taking to the trails to discover the joy of two wheels. E-bikes have made the sport even more accessible, lowering the physical barrier for using bikes for both transportation and recreation. Now a survey is asking for your feedback about how you bike in the PA Wilds!