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Friday, July 8, 2011

Milton

Visited July 2011


Skimming rocks at Milton
 This park is on an island also, on the West Branch Susquehanna River.  When we were there on a Tuesday afternoon a family was using the boat launch to unload a couple of kyaks.  I can only imagine that on the weekends it would be very crowded.  Milton State Park appears to be a park that is used mostly by the locals with several soccer fields and a playground.  Having this as a neighborghood park is a nice addition to any town.

Shikellamy

Shikellamy is a beautiful park, especially if you have a boat.  The park is actually an island in Sunbury PA where the eastern Susquehanna River comes together with the western Susquehanna River .  There is a marina for motor boats to dock.  A walk down the paved trail that runs along the dock is a very nice way to spend an afternoon.  There are also picnic areas and swings for children and adults that look over the marina.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

White Clay Creek Preserve

Visited May 2011- Mothers Day

This is another must see!  Me and the kids could of spent hours at the creek skimming rocks.  We took a trail along the creek to a spot where the 'rapids' (not really rapids but ...) where we sat throwing rocks and talking.  Many fun places to hang out on logs and rocks.  To get to this park we had to go through Delaware.  There is also a White Clay Creek State Park in Delaware.   This is a great escape that I could of spent hours in just doing nothing.   Can't wait to revisit this wonderful place.

Tyler


There is a deer in this picture
Visited June 2011



Such a pretty place.  Quiet and worth the trip.  There are trails through wooded area and a paved trail near the creek.  Picnic areas as well.  Took at walk along the creek and was so plesent, reminds me of Ridley Creek park and equally pleasureable.  Also hiked on the trail and saw a deer close up.   Nothing remarkable with this park just another example of a beautiful state park.  Glad we visited and would stop again!


Ridley Creek

Visited many times...


This is my 'home' park and I couldn't be happier.  I always think of this park as two parks.  One that is near the creek and the other side which is grassy and where you can picnic, horseback and many trails of different levels.  The trail along side the creek are used for walking, jogging, and biking.  This trail is also home to many frogs, not all so fortunate as to making it to the other side.   Love that this park is close and easy to get to for me I enjoy it with my kids or by myself always 'happy' when I am here. 


Nockamixon

Visited Sept 2010

Thanks to the Girl Scouts we ended up at this lovely park.   The girls scouts wanted to go horseback riding and ended up at a place near Nockamixon.  The horsebacking took us through out the park and then we barbequed and played games.  Some of the girls then went canoeing on the lake which was gorgous.
You can easily spend a couple days at this park.

Neshaminy

Visited June 2011

Neshaminy is located in lower Bucks County along the Delaware river.  Has a great beach to fish from or just stoll along with lots of drift wood.  Also a pool for swimming and trails for hiking/walking are nice, not great.  I thought the highlight of this park was the 'beach' on the Delaware, while my daughter thought it was the slide at the pool, in fact she 'loved, loved the whole park'.  $8 a person gets you into the pool.  Although ok there was no shade and spending a lot of time here would be a bit to much for me.   Probably wouldn't revisit this park.

Nescopeck

Visited July 2011

Almost gave up on this park,  but glad I didn't.
We were on our way home for the Pa Grand Canyon and thought I would squeeze in this park.  Again when I do this I alway regret that I don't have more time.  This park has a lake, but no swimming.  Many trails and is beautiful.  The kids put their feet in the lake and I wished we could stay longer.  I will be back here when I have more time.  I would of loved to have taken the trail around the lake.    We visited on Thursday afternoon and was some what surprised at the lack of people there.  Definitley seems to be a forgotten gem.  Don't past it up.

Leonard Harris

Visited July 2011

A MUST SEE!!  This park along with Colton State Park makes up the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.
The overlooks here are the best and bulit by Civilian Conservation Corps



Amazing and wonderful are just two words to describe this terrific park.  The Overlook trail was a little tough but very enjoyable.  Turkey Path will take you down to the floor of the canyon and you can see waterfalls on your hike.  Can't say enough about the beauty of this place.  The only thing that would be better is to visit in the  fall when the colors will bring the mountains alilve.

Of the two parks that make up the canyon , Leonard Harris and Colton, Leonard Harris is my favorite. 

Hills Creek

Visited 2011

The rain washed out our afternoon at Hills Creek, so we just had time for a quick drive and a few pictures.
This is a park I wish I had really had more time and nicer weather.  The plan was to go swimming in the lake, which looked beautiful.  This park's swimming area was much smaller then Gifford Pinchot but was nice and intimate.  Although we didn't swim those who were swimming (in the rain) were having a ball.  Next time I am in Tioga County I will be sure to make a day out of it here and suggest you do the same and let me know if you beat me back there .


(picture taken from inside the car)

Gifford Pinchot

Visited Aug 2009

Lake swimming anyone?    Never swam in a lake before, really different then pool swimming and really fun!
We brought our lunch and and eat on the grass while the kids swam nearby in the lake that was 'fenced' off.
Very pretty and very relaxing, although it was crowded the lake was big enough for the crowd that comes on a hot summer day.  There was a dressing room and a snack bar so spending the day there was easy. Although there are other things to do a the park, the lake was so enjoyable we didn't bother to leave.  Stop by for a dip if you are in the Harrisburg area well worth your time.

French Creek

Visited July 2010

I LOVE this park in Elverson, PA.  Here is a lake for fishing, trails for hiking, tables for picnicing, and a pool for swimming.  There is also camping which looks great but we did not camp.  I love the parks but not a fan of camping.
When we went here we brought a picnic lunch and this was the first time we followed the trails at a park. We also used the pool which is massive.  There was a $7 fee per person but very much worth the cost.  It was this park that opened my eyes to the wonderfulness that is Pa State parks.  I would give this park a 10 for having it all.

Colton Point

Visited July 2011


This park along with Leonard Harris park make up the 'Pennsylvania Grand Canyon'.   I have been wanting to visit the actual Grand Canyon since the Brady Bunch visited it in the early 70s.  Since the trip to the actual Grand Canyon was not going to happen anytime soon, I packed the kids up an took them to Pa Grand Canyon, which is about 10 miles west of Wellsboro Pa in Tioga County.   I suspected this to be beautiful but was so very impressed with how gorgous it was.  I have never seen the Rocky Mountains but the mountains that make the canyon are so much larger then I suspected and the colors of greens are many more then you would imagine.   We walked (me and the 10 year old daughter and 12 year old son) the Rim Trail which included outlooks into the canyon.  Each view was slightly different and more amazing then the previous.  The trail was less then a mile and much easier then the Turkey Path trial which takes about an hour and 1/2 and will take you to the bottom of the canyon to Pine Creek.




Boyd Big Tree Preserve

Visited July 2011

This park is a preserve and shows that there is a lot worth preserving in Pa.
We (10 year old daughter, 12 year old son and 30 something Niece and boyfriend and 2 year old dog Mac) all followed a trail which seem to be nothing but up hill all the way around. We followed a trail, which was very narrow at times, that was near a creek .  This preserve/park reminds you of the how many trees actually covered this part of the state many years ago.  Well worth the time if you are in the Harrisburg area and want to hike.  The kids might not think this as thier favorite park but bring your dog he will love it!!!

Mac


Welcome


Welcome All,
I am a 47 year old woman who is a resident of Pennsylvania.   And I have a bucket list to vist all the state parks in Pennsylvania.
Here are the facts. 
There are 116 state parks http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/index.aspx
I have been to 12 parks
Boyd Big Tree Conservation Area
Colton Point
French Creek
Gifford Pinchot
Hills Creek
Leonard Harris
Nescopeck
Neshaminy
Nockamixon
Ridley Creek
Tyler
White Clay creek Preserve
that leaves 104 parks to go, and hopefully I will have many years to complete. 
In the last 4 days I have been to 7 state parks, so I thought I would blog about them before I forget which park is which.

I will do a post on each park as I see them and hope you enjoy the parks as much as I do (some more then others)