Travel

December 10, 2024

Have family visiting for the holidays? Here are some activities for spending time together in the PA Wilds!

The holiday travel season is here! Whether you have family visiting the PA Wilds for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year's, there's nothing like welcoming your extended family members and making them feel at home. Here are some ideas for how to make special memories while your family is visiting.

October 2, 2024

Track the changing leaves to see the best colors with DCNR weekly fall foliage reports

Want to know where to see the best fall foliage and track the changing of the leaves throughout the season? Use the weekly fall foliage reports from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to find out when you'll see the best colors! Weekly fall foliage reports are shared on the DCNR website throughout the autumn season. Fall foliage typically peaks for several weeks throughout October across Pennsylvania, drawing thousands of visitors.

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 12, 2024

The Allure of the Allegheny National Forest and the Surrounds

I was born in Oil City, Pennsylvania, and lived in the Guys Mills area for a few years before work took my parents out of the state and ultimately back to Virginia, their home. My parents thought a gap year program might benefit me, which is what brought me back to Pennsylvania - specifically, Spring Creek. My plan was to stay in PA for only a few months and then head back to Virginia, but apparently it wasn’t meant to be. Twenty-four years later, I still call Spring Creek, Pennsylvania home. I never left, and I don't think I ever will. 

September 2, 2024

Why Pennsylvania’s fall foliage season is the most beautiful

Each year, hundreds of thousands of travelers make their way to the Pennsylvania Wilds, eager to get a view of some of the most gorgeous fall foliage in the world. These “leaf peepers,” as they’re called, know there’s something special about Pennsylvania’s autumn leaves… scientifically, Pennsylvania is a prime viewing spot.

August 20, 2024

PA Wilds Stays: Overnight accommodations in the Elk Country landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds

Home to the largest free-roaming elk herd in the northeastern United States, Elk Country is a landscape within the Pennsylvania Wilds region that will impress wildlife lovers. Here, you can relax and truly enjoy the beauty of nature. Choose the lodging establishment that fits your needs, book a night there, and start exploring the Elk Country landscape of the PA Wilds!

July 24, 2024

PA Wilds Stays: Overnight accommodations in the Dark Skies landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds

The Dark Skies landscape of the PA Wilds region is home to the world’s second certified International Dark-Sky Park. Although clearly stargazing is a major highlight for those who are traveling in this part of the PA Wilds, the stars are just the beginning. Choose the lodging establishment that fits your needs, book a night there, and start exploring the Dark Skies landscape of the PA Wilds!

June 25, 2024

PA Wilds Stays: Overnight accommodations in the Cook Forest and the Ancients landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds

Known as a land of giants because of the forest cathedral of ancient pines and hemlocks, Cook Forest and the Ancients is an ode to the majesty of the Pennsylvania Wilds and home to many of the tallest hemlock and pine trees in the Northeast. Choose the lodging establishment that fits your needs, book a night there, and start exploring Cook Forest and the Ancients landscape of the PA Wilds!

June 3, 2024

What you need to know about the temporary closure and renovation at Kinzua Skywalk

Everyone loves the soaring heights, tremendous views, and incredible history of the Kinzua Skywalk at Kinzua Bridge State Park in the Pennsylvania Wilds! Recently, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced that the Kinzua Skywalk will be undergoing a multi-year rehabilitation and renovation project, starting after the 2024 fall foliage season. What does this mean for lovers of Kinzua Bridge State Park?

May 16, 2024

A win as rare as Bigfoot: Cafe offers food challenge

I personally love the idea of Bigfoot. Is he real? I don’t care about the science. I love the stories. The rumors are that you can challenge the legendary cryptid, Bigfoot. Was I up for the challenge? For my birthday, my wife took me out to breakfast at Conspiracy Coffee Co. in Mansfield where I could partake in "The Bigfoot Challenge."