The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

  • Driving Laurel Summit Road

    From my stop at Laurel Summit State Park, I headed north toward Route 30 along the ridge of Laurel Mountain. Laurel Summit Road is a good, compacted gravel road and provided some good birdwatching and sightseeing opportunities.

    More Spring flowers.
    This pond, just south of Laurel Mountain State Park, was most likely a water source for firefighting.
    The Laurel Mountain Warming Hut, base of operations for the cross country ski trails at Laurel Mountain.
    The entrance to Laurel Mountain State Park. The gate to access road was open but marked “authorized vehicles” only. I believe you can hike in during the off season.

    Atop Laurel Ridge at close to 3,000 feet in elevation, Laurel Mountain State Park features a family-oriented downhill skiing area and beautiful views of the Ligonier Valley. Opened in 1939, Laurel Mountain was one of the first ski areas in Pennsylvania and was known as the “ski capital” of the state.

    The history of ski areas in Pennsylvania state parks is a checkered one. After closing for business in 2005, Laurel Mountain has been operating again as a ski area since 2016. The ski assets of the park were purchased by Seven Springs Mountain Resort in November 2008 with the goal of reopening the slopes. The are operated under a contract with DCNR by the management of Seven Springs.Seven Springs signed a 10-year lease with DCNR in November 2009. This allowed the ski company to move ahead with plans to renovate and reopen the ski slopes. It was open for the 2024-25 season, and it appears it will be open next season.

    Laurel Summit Road brings you out onto Route 30 just before a long downhill section heading west into Laughlintown.

  • A Park Better Known as a Ski Area

    Blue Knob State Park offers year-round wilderness adventures on 6,128 acres of woodland. The park is best know for the ski area of the same name, which is on the tallest mountain used for skiing in the state. The park is in the northwestern tip of Bedford County, west of I-99. The elevation of the park can cause air temperatures to be several degrees cooler than the surrounding cities. The annual snowfall averages about 12 feet. One of the unique features of the park is the solitude it provides the visitor. There are many opportunities to enjoy the quiet and refreshing serenity of the mountains and streams. There is camping, hunting, and fishing here (along with the skiing). There is also a golf course at the base of the ski resort.

    The park office.
    I wasn’t expecting to find a swimming pool here.
    An old barn that looks like it is now being used for storage.
    Blue Knob is actually a massif with subsidiary peaks.
    The ski lodge.
    More views of the ski area.

  • A Little Ski Nostalgia

    I made my way east from Coudersport along Route 6 to visit Denton Hill State Park. Denton Hill was primarily operated as a ski area until downhill ski operations were shut down in 2014. The park is still open for access to hunting, fishing, hiking and cross country skiing. The park also had five cabins and a dormitory style bunkhouse in the lodge to support downhill ski operations. Feasibility studies have been done to assess the viability of reopening ski operations and to find other year round uses for the park. The history of ski areas in Pennsylvania state parks is a complicated story and best left for another day.

    The lodge.
    The runs aren’t grown over.
    An old lift.
    The cabins.

    I drove by Denton Hill in the early 1990s. The ski area was visible from Route 6 at that time. My father, who was born in Lycoming County and raised in Columbia County, was a big supporter of skiing in north central Pennsylvania. The way ahead for Denton Hill looks difficult. The feasibility study and master plan can be found here. The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum is across Route 6 from the park entrance.

  • Laurel Highlands Skiing etc.

    The Laurel Highlands has options for fans of skiing and winter sports. First on the list has to be the famous Seven Springs Resort in Champion, PA. This year round resort has skiing, snow tubing, golf, tennis, swimming, dining, bowling, miniature golf, alpine slide, biking, hiking, outdoor adventure park, stables, lodging …. Well, you get the idea.

    The pool at the slope side hotel at Seven Springs decked out for Labor Day.

    Hidden Valley is tucked away off of Route 31. In addition to skiing, there is tubing, dining, pubs, golf, a spa and adjacent vacation home development.

    The main lodge at Hidden Valley ski resort.

    Finally, Laurel Mountain Ski Area at Laurel Mountain State Park offers skiing and dining. Alas, it is not possible to visit during the off season.

  • Ski Areas in Summer

    Pennsylvania has many great ski areas for winter time fun. Here are a couple in the off season.

    Roundtop Mountain Resort in York County has water attractions, zip lines, and paintball in the warmer months. It is also close to Gifford Pinchot State Park.

    Big Boulder in Carbon County has its own beautiful lake and is near the Lake Harmony resort communities and many other Poconos attractions.

     

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