Outdoor Recreation

July 15, 2024

Relaxing on a summer day at Lyman Run

I followed Lyman Run State Park's signs to an opening in the hills to a lake and a beach. I had made it to Lyman Run Reservoir and beach! Even on a weekday in mid-July, the beach was busy with splashes and children’s laughter. Parents and adults dotted the grassy slopes that bordered the sandcastle-speckled beach. Beyond, in the beautiful water, the merriment of children not confined to school rang out.

June 28, 2024

New expanded access to Pine Creek Rail Trail, thanks to Whitetail Recreation Area parking

The Pine Creek Rail Trail, one of the most popular journeys in the rural Pennsylvania Wilds region, recently got a new parking area in Jersey Shore, Clinton County. This means expanded access to the PCRT, allowing more people to enjoy the 62-mile rail trail that runs from Jersey Shore to Stokesdale and traverses through both Tioga and Tiadaghton State Forest lands.

June 27, 2024

Capture a good ole summertime! PA Great Outdoors photo contest open July-September

What does summertime feel like to you? Capture those good ole summertime memories... and you could even win some prizes! There are many great places to explore this summer 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 summertime memories with a photo while traveling in the PA Great Outdoors region, consider entering it into the latest photo contest.

June 18, 2024

The Beaver Meadow Walkway in DuBois

In the little city of DuBois, in Clearfield County along the I-80 Frontier landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds, the Beaver Meadow Walkway is a hidden treasure, allowing locals to enjoy the beauty of nature while walking to convenient places throughout the community. 

June 6, 2024

Share your love of waterways with the Susquehanna Greenway Art Contest

The 2024 Susquehanna Greenway Expo Art Contest invites members of the public to design a piece of art, following the prompt “What do you love most about the Susquehanna River?” The deadline to apply is Friday, June 21, 2024 by 5 p.m. Eastern. The winner of the art contest will get their design placed on a water bottle, along with their artwork featured on a sticker.

May 30, 2024

The many trails of the Pennsylvania Wilds

The Pennsylvania Wilds region has more than 1,600 miles of trails… so start lacing up your hiking books and figure out which trail is your favorite! Some of the most popular trails in the PA Wilds region include the North Country Trail through the Allegheny National Forest, the Knox and Kane Rail Trail, the Clarion-Little Toby Rail Trail, the Pine Creek Rail Trail near the PA Grand Canyon, and many more.

May 21, 2024

Urban Connections – Allegheny National Forest offers overnight backpacking experiences

For those who live in places like Pittsburgh or Philadelphia, the Allegheny National Forest can be a daunting place to take a first backpacking trip. The forest is a far cry from city life… trees as tall as buildings, the constant songs of birds or chittering of squirrels, roots and rocks for your feet to navigate, and inky-black darkness at night. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Forest Service offered its first Urban Connections backpacking program at Allegheny National Forest in 2023, and they plan to offer several more similar programs in 2024. 

May 2, 2024

2024 ATV permits available and season dates set for Northcentral Regional ATV Trail in PA Wilds

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) announced that permits for the Northcentral Regional ATV Trail, formerly called the ATV Regional Trail Connector Pilot, are now available for purchase. The 650-mile riding area will include parts of Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, and Tioga counties, in the Pine Creek Valley and PA Grand Canyon landscape and Dark Skies landscape of the PA Wilds region.

April 15, 2024

Elliott’s Park in Clearfield: John Crissman’s love for his dog and his community

Along River Road in Clearfield, within the I-80 Frontier landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds, sits a narrow park that overlooks the West Branch Susquehanna River. Decorated with a Bigfoot statue, a totem pole, wooden carvings, a stone Ford truck, a cabin used for storage and lots of images of a labrador, the park is one man’s testament of his love for his dog and his community.

April 2, 2024

Tips for a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse experience in the PA Wilds

On April 8, 2024, a small part of the northwestern section of the PA Wilds region will experience the path of totality for a solar eclipse! This includes places like Warren and the Allegheny Reservoir, along with parts of Warren County and McKean County. Even though just a small part of Pennsylvania will be in the official path of totality, there is still a good chance to see a partial eclipse from the rest of the PA Wilds region.