30-544: Sinnemahoning State Park is a 1,910-acre (773 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Grove Township , Cameron County and Wharton Township , Potter County , Pennsylvania , in the United States. The park is surrounded by Elk State Forest and is mountainous with deep valleys. The park is home to the rarely seen elk and bald eagle . Sinnemahoning State Park is on Pennsylvania Route 872 , eight miles (13 km) north of
60-476: A brief history of their development since the first park opened in 1893. State parks range in size from 3 acres (1.2 ha) to 21,122 acres (8,548 ha) and comprise one percent of Pennsylvania's total land area. According to Dan Cupper (1993), "Pennsylvania is the thirty-third largest state, but only Alaska and California have more park land". There are state parks in 62 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties , which nearly reaches Pennsylvania's goal of having
90-549: A living room, kitchen and a fireplace. Sinnemahoning State Park has three picnic area. The park's visitor center and office opened in 2011 in the northern section of the park. Known as the Wildlife Center at Sinnemahoning , the building features interpretive exhibits and opportunities to view wildlife. The following state parks are within 30 miles (48 km) of Sinnemahoning State Park: List of Pennsylvania state parks As of 2024 , there are 124 state parks in
120-469: A state park within 25 miles (40 km) of every resident in the Commonwealth. Eleven parks do not have "State Park" in their name. Three are " Conservation Areas ": Boyd Big Tree Preserve , Joseph E. Ibberson , and Varden ; four are "Environmental Education Centers": Jacobsburg , Jennings , Kings Gap (also a "Training Center") and Nolde Forest ; White Clay Creek is a "Preserve"; Norristown
150-657: Is a "Farm Park"; and Big Spring is a "State Forest Picnic Area". Seven parks are undeveloped with no facilities: Allegheny Islands , Benjamin Rush , Bucktail , Erie Bluffs , Prompton , Swatara , and Varden ; the last four of these are in the process of being developed. Five state parks are small picnic areas: Laurel Summit , Patterson , Prouty Place , Sand Bridge , and Upper Pine Bottom . Five state parks have major U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dams and/or lakes: Bald Eagle , Beltzville , Elk , Kettle Creek , and Sinnemahoning . Three former parks now belong, at least partly, to
180-433: Is a medium-sized species of North American freshwater predatory fish belonging to the pike family. The genus Esox is placed in family Esocidae in order Esociformes ). Two subspecies are sometimes recognised: Lesueur originally classified the grass pickerel as E. vermiculatus, but it is now considered a subspecies of E. americanus. There is no widely accepted English common collective name for
210-520: Is named after the former State Senator of the same name, who while during his tenure as Mayor of Lock Haven , experienced the 1936 flood; subsequently, he remained dedicated to flood control during the rest of his political career. The reservoir is open to some recreational boating, fishing and ice fishing . Gas powered motors are prohibited on George B. Stevenson Reservoir. Motorized boats must be powered by electric motors only. Sailboats , rowboats , canoes , kayaks , and paddleboats are permitted on
240-1065: Is now Cherry Springs , "Codorus Creek" is now Codorus , "Kooser Lake" is now Kooser , "Laurel Hill Summit" is now Laurel Summit , and "Promised Land Lake" is now Promised Land ). Such minor name changes are not included in this table. The following eighteen were once Pennsylvania state parks, but have been transferred to federal ( National Park Service , U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ) or state ( Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission , Pennsylvania Game Commission , Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry ) agencies, or ceased to exist. The following are significantly different former or alternate names for two former Pennsylvania state parks. One former park dropped one word from its name ("Colerain Forge" became "Colerain" sometime between 1924 and 1937). Such minor name changes are not included in this table. American pickerel Esox americanus americanus J. F. Gmelin, 1789 Esox americanus vermiculatus Lesueur , 1846 The American pickerel ( Esox americanus )
270-497: Is open to ice fishing during the winter months when the lake is frozen. There are 1,400 acres (567 ha) of woods open to hunting. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission . The common game species are black bears , eastern gray squirrels , ruffed grouse , waterfowl , white-tailed deer , and turkeys . The hunting of groundhogs is prohibited. Hunters also use
300-481: The U.S. state of Pennsylvania . The Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks , a division of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), is the governing body for all these parks, and directly operates 116 of them. The remaining parks are operated in cooperation with other public and private organizations. The first Pennsylvania state park, at Valley Forge , opened in 1893 and
330-470: The flood control project on the West Branch Susquehanna River . It is one of four such dams in the river basin. The other reservoirs are at Kettle Creek State Park , Curwensville and Bald Eagle State Park . These four reservoirs and dams control a total of 1,163 square miles (3,010 km) of drainage area and provides flood prevention for the cities and towns downstream. The reservoir
SECTION 10
#1733106367955360-618: The freshwater bodies of North America , and are not to be confused with their more aggressive big cousin, the northern pike . The redfin pickerel's range extends from the Saint Lawrence basin in Quebec down to the Gulf Coast , from Mississippi to Florida ; while the grass pickerel's range is further west, extending from the Great Lakes Basin , from Ontario to Michigan , down to
390-425: The striped bass ( Morone saxatilis ), bowfin ( Amia calva ) and gray weakfish ( Cynoscion regalis ), prey on the pickerels in turn when the latter venture into larger rivers or estuaries . The pickerels reproduce by scattering spherical, sticky eggs in shallow, heavily vegetated waters. The eggs hatch in 11–15 days; the adult pickerels guard neither the eggs nor the young. Both subspecies are native to
420-578: The 1930s, some mere camping and picnic areas in state forests, while others preserved unique sites. The 1930s saw a great expansion of parks and their facilities under Governor Gifford Pinchot , who cooperated with President Franklin Roosevelt , despite their being of different political parties. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established 113 CCC camps in Pennsylvania (second only to California). Using CCC and Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor,
450-652: The DCNR, the state parks in Pennsylvania are on more than 300,000 acres (120,000 ha) with some 606 full-time and more than 1,600 part-time employees serving approximately 36 million visitors each year. Admission to all Pennsylvania state parks is free, although there are fees charged for use of cabins, marinas, etc. Pennsylvania's state parks offer "over 7,000 family campsites, 286 cabins, nearly 30,000 picnic tables, 56 major recreational lakes, 10 marinas, 61 beaches for swimming, 17 swimming pools" and over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of trails. Pennsylvania's first state park
480-538: The NPS built five Recreation Demonstration Areas , which became Pennsylvania state parks in 1945 and 1946: Blue Knob , French Creek , Hickory Run , Laurel Hill , and Raccoon Creek . The CCC also "fought forest fires, planted trees, built roads, buildings, picnic areas, swimming areas, campgrounds and created many state parks". In 1956, there were forty-four state parks in Pennsylvania, mostly in rural areas. Forty-five parks had been added by 1979, mostly near urban areas, and
510-422: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Seven parks preserve the industrial past: Canoe Creek is the site of a former lime kiln , and Caledonia , French Creek , Greenwood Furnace , Kings Gap , Mont Alto , and Pine Grove Furnace (plus one former park) are all former iron furnace sites. Eight current parks and one former park contain at least part of eight different National Natural Landmarks . According to
540-494: The bottomlands of the creeks. The word Sinnemahoning is derived from an American Indian word that means "Rocky Lick". A natural salt lick is said to have been near the mouth of Grove Run. The native population of Pennsylvania was forced out by disease and the American Revolutionary War . The Sinnemahoning area was left largely unsettled and wild until the late 19th century when the logging boom that spread throughout
570-501: The former state parks were also chiefly historic. In addition to preserving historic sites, Pennsylvania also sought to preserve natural beauty and offer opportunities for recreation in its state parks. In 1902 Mont Alto State Forest Park was the second park established, a year after the state "Bureau of Forestry" was set up to purchase, preserve, and restore Pennsylvania's forests, which had been ravaged by lumbering, charcoal production, and wild fires. Parks were added sporadically until
600-493: The grass pickerel and narrower on the redfin pickerel. Record size grass and redfin pickerels can weigh around 2 pounds (0.91 kg) and reach lengths of around 13 inches (33 cm). Redfin and grass pickerels are typically smaller than chain pickerels , which can be much larger. The redfin and grass pickerels occur primarily in sluggish, vegetated waters of pools , lakes and wetlands , and are carnivorous predators feeding on smaller fish. However, larger fishes, such as
630-431: The mountains and valleys. The Sinnemahoning Creek area was left to waste. The forests struggled to regrow in the wake of the wildfire. The hills began to erode. The streams were dying and wildlife was scarcely found. George B. Stevenson Reservoir is a 142-acre (57 ha) manmade lake that was engineered by Gannett Fleming Corddry & Carpenter, Inc. and constructed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1955 as part of
SECTION 20
#1733106367955660-524: The mountains of Pennsylvania arrived. Lumbermen cleared vast stands of old-growth forest . The logs were floated down Sinnemahoning Creek and its tributaries to the West Branch Susquehanna River and to the Susquehanna Boom at Williamsport . The only thing the lumbermen left behind was the treetops. These tree tops were left to dry. The passing steam locomotives on the railroads would ignite this dry brush causing massive wildfires that swept through
690-478: The park to gain access to Elk State Forest. The trails of Sinnemahoning State Park are open to hiking , cross-country skiing and snowmobiling . The modern campground has 35 sites with a washhouse that is equipped with showers and flush toilets. The camp sites can accommodate tents , campers and RVs . Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. The Brooks Run Ranger cabin is a two-story house available for rent. It sleeps up to twelve people with four bedrooms,
720-434: The system had increased by 130,000 acres (53,000 ha). This was thanks largely to the efforts of Maurice K. Goddard , who served as director of the precursors to the DCNR for twenty-four years under six administrations. The number of visitors to parks more than tripled in this time and two voter approved bond issues (Projects 70 and 500) raised millions of dollars for park expansions and improvements. All this expansion
750-449: The two E. americanus subspecies; "American pickerel" is a translation of the French systematic name brochet d'Amérique. The two subspecies are very similar, but the grass pickerel lacks the redfin's distinctive orange to red fin coloration. The former's fins have dark leading edges and amber to dusky coloration. In addition, the light areas between the dark bands are generally wider on
780-567: The village of Sinnamahoning. In 1958, the park opened under the direction of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry: it became a Pennsylvania State Park in 1962. Native Americans began living in the Sinnemahoning State Park area 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. They followed the receding glaciers and found that the area supported a bountiful supply of fish, wildlife, berries and nuts. Archaeologists have found evidence of their presence in
810-417: The waters of the lake. All boats must be properly registered with any state. Common game fish at the park, in the lake and streams, are brook , rainbow and brown trout , catfish , crappie , tiger muskellunge , smallmouth and largemouth bass , sunfish , bluegill , perch and pickerel . There is a native population of brook trout in some of the small streams of Sinnemahoning State Park. The reservoir
840-748: Was Valley Forge State Park , purchased by the Commonwealth on May 30, 1893, to preserve Valley Forge . It was transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) on the Bicentennial of the United States , July 4, 1976. Many state parks still preserve history: as of 2012, forty-two Pennsylvania state park sites are on the National Register of Historic Places , including two National Historic Landmarks ( Delaware Canal and Point ), twenty-eight Civilian Conservation Corps sites in nineteen parks, and twelve other parks' historic sites and districts. Eight of
870-877: Was given to the National Park Service (NPS) for the United States Bicentennial in 1976. There are a total of seventeen former Pennsylvania state parks: four former parks have been transferred to the NPS, four to the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission , two to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , one to both the Corps and the Pennsylvania Game Commission , five to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry , and one has ceased to exist. Nine current and two former state parks have had major name changes or have been known under alternate names. The list gives an overview of Pennsylvania state parks and
900-748: Was not without costs and by 1988 there was an estimated $ 90 million in deferred maintenance. In 1993, as the park system celebrated its one-hundredth anniversary, new tax and bond revenues were earmarked for the parks. Since 2000, parks are being improved through the state's Growing Greener and Growing Greener II and bond programs. The following are significantly different former or alternate names for nine current Pennsylvania state parks. Note that many parks were originally "State Forest Parks" or were state public camping or picnic areas in Pennsylvania state forests. In modern times, some "State Parks" have become "Environmental Education Centers", while other parks have dropped one word from their name ("Cherry Springs Drive"
#954045