The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

  • In Search of Laurels

    I spent Labor Day weekend in the Laurel Highlands with a stay at the cabins in Laurel Hill State Park. I also set out to visit some of the other state parks in the area, as well as a few other locations. Let’s start off with a look at my home base for the weekend.

    Laurel Hill State Park contains a lake with a beach, boating opportunities, hiking trails, fishing, picnicking, camping and all the summer time fun that accompanies those things. It is located in Somerset County and reasonably convenient to the turnpike. The park is near several other state parks and Forbes State Forrest.

    Men working for the WPA and CCC began the process of building what was to become Laurel Hill State Park on July 1, 1935 at CCC camps SP-8-PA and SP-16-PA. There is statue in the park commemorating these workers.

    CCC worker, Laurel Hill State Park

    The lake is beautiful and surrounded by steep hills on one side.

    The beach at Laurel Hill State Park.
    Looking toward the dam.

    There is fishing on Laurel Hill Creek and Jones Mill Run.

    View of Laurel Hill Creek from accessible fishing area.
    Handicapped access to fishing area on Laurel Hill Creek surrounded by beautiful flowers.
    Lovely jewelweed along the path down to the creek.

    I also stopped at some of the other nearby parks. I had quite a time getting to some of them, mostly due to relying too heavily on google maps. I ended up on some really sketchy forest roads, and I’m not typically one to shy away from a forest road. If I had double checked google’s routes versus a map, I would have done much better. At least I a saw a turkey.

    Laurel Summit State Park is a small park with picnicking and acts as a trail head for the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail and other trails. It is best accessed via Linn Run State Park. This route provides paved roads for most of the trip up the mountain to the park.

    Picnic pavilion, Laurel Summit State Park.

    Laurel Ridge State Park has multiple sections along the ridge of Laurel Mountain. The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trails passes through its sections. It is otherwise mostly undeveloped except for backpacking shelters and one picnic pavilion. The best access points are directly on Route 30 or 31 if you want to say you’ve been there and aren’t hiking or wildlife watching.

    Sign for Laurel Ridge State Park. This may be the only way you know you’re there.

    Finally, I attempted to visit Laurel Mountain State Park, which houses a ski area. I was there many years ago and hoped to drive in and take a look. Unfortunately, the gates were closed in the off season.

  • Knee High by the Fourth of July: Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full?

    I had promised my cousin that we would take a camping trip to Codorus State Park in Hanover, Pennsylvania over the July Fourth holiday. I decided to stick with the plans despite a weather forecast calling for high heat and humidity with the added bonus of regular thunderstorms popping up. I went back and forth between calling this post “The Camping Trip from Hell” and “Silver Linings.” Ultimately, I couldn’t decide if it was good or bad.

    I’m more of a fair weather camping kind of girl, I don’t mind a little rain, as long as I can set up when it ‘s not raining and everything has a chance to dry before I pack up. I was frustrated because all my trips last year were affected by rain, despite being out only 1-2 nights each time. I didn’t get my wish for fair weather on this trip. Everything was wet and/or dirty prior to departure. Pennsylvania is getting record rain, and it kind of stinks. At least the corn is high.

    The park itself did not disappoint. I went primarily to see if I could get a glimpse of the newly fledged bald eagles that hatched in an oak tree above Lake Marburg this Spring. They are quite the web cam stars. I did not see the fledglings, but I did get my first look at the parents in flight, having only previously seen them in the nest or resting in a nearby tree. The weather prevented much else in the way of activity.

    Nonetheless, it was not a complete loss. On the way to Hanover, I stopped briefly at Samuel S. Lewis State Park. It looks like a great place for a picnic and has a nice scenic view of the Susquehanna valley. The website also recommends kite flying and sledding, and it seems really well suited for those activities.

    The flag was still trying to fly proudly on the 4th despite the hot and damp weather.
    Here’s the view toward the river.

    I arrived at Codorus and immediately started to set up camp.

    Here is a look at lovely Lake Marburg,

    From the band shell area.

    On the way home, via Lake Redman, I made a few stops. The first was to photograph this hay field that was harvested just the day before.

    Newly harvested hay.

    I also took a few pictures of some of the lovely farms of southern York County.

    Farm, Yoirk County
    Red Barn, York County

  • Entering the Promised Land

    I spent the Labor Day weekend at Promised Land State Park in Pike County. I stayed in the CCC constructed Bear  Wallow Cabin area. This is one of my favorite areas of the park, being close to the Wildlife Observation Station. The cabins also have a lot of rustic charm. The park is also a great jumping off point for side trips to Lake Wallenpaupack and other areas of the Poconos.

    The lake in that ares offers some great sunset views.

     

     

     

     

    The historic village of Promised Land, surrounded by the park, and nearby area have a unique character that draws visitors from three states. The large number of  privately leased cabins in the park also seem unique among Pennsylvania state parks.

     

     

     

     

     

    White baneberry, or Doll’s Eyes, is a distinctive and beautiful, if not slightly creepy looking,  plant. This was growing around my cabin.

     

  • 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.

     

  • Ready For a Ride

    Saw this lovely horse at Evansburg State Park being prepared for a trail ride.

  • A View from the Rim

    This is the view from the Fireline Trail at Hickory Run State Park of the Lehigh River and an old bridge support. This view from the rim of the Lehigh Gorge is a fairly accessible half mile walk from a road. It should also provide a nice sunset view.

  • Calves, calves everywhere …

    On a trip to Locust Lake State Park this spring, I cam a across a farm with quite a few new additons to their cattle herd. Here are a few shots plus a bonus pic.

    Mother and child.

    A frisky calf.

    Bonus nuthatch nest from a tree in my campsite at Locust Lake.

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