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Enjoy Pennsylvania's Great Outdoors
PA is home to more than 54,000 miles of rivers and streams, 116 state parks, 20 state forests, and the Allegheny National Forest. More than 100 greenways and rail trails are available for non-motorized recreation, including some of the longest bicycle rail trails in the country. Pennsylvania recreational corridors total more than 2000 miles.
Because of these protected natural resources, the state is well known for hiking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, hunting, fishing, whitewater sports, and bicycling. These special places can be found throughout the state, always a short distance away from the cities and towns of every region.
And sometimes, getting there is half the fun. There are 19 scenic drives, including the Route 6 scenic drive and State Heritage Corridor that spans 400 miles along the state’s northern regions.
Outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty of places to roam. You’re never too far from the countryside in Pennsylvania.
Outdoor & Recreation Blog
Paddling Pennsylvania's Rivers
08/23/2023 - 1:32pmPart of Pennsylvania's signature landscape is its waterways; from the astounding mile-wide expanse of the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg to the world-famous confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers at Pittsburgh that form the Ohio River, some of the most impressive freshwater formations on the continent are in Pennsylvania. Explore th...
Read MoreThe Core of the Apple: Biglerville and Adams County
08/23/2023 - 1:22pmBelieve it or not, the history of apples is closely intertwined with that of mankind’s. Thousands of years ago, the goddess of chaos, Eris, started the famous Trojan War by tossing an apple into a private wedding. While never actually specified, the forbidden fruit in the biblical Garden of Eden was never specified until John Milton’s revolution...
Read MoreDig Deeper to Find Pennsylvania's Treasures
08/06/2023 - 1:53pmYou don’t have to dig too deep to recall the rare natural features that set Pennsylvania apart—but you may need to go deep underground. At Lincoln Caverns & Whisper Rocks near Huntingdon and Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park...
Read MoreVosberg Neck State Park: Endless Discovery in PA's Endless Mountains
06/21/2023 - 6:29pmIf summer has you in an adventuring spirit but the modern era has left you feeling trapped with few fresh frontiers to explore, look no further than the newly-opened Vosberg Neck State Park in Pennsylvania’s Endless Mounta...
Read MoreChickies Rock: A Pinnacle for Hunters of Views and Ghost Hunters Alike
05/30/2023 - 9:15amMingle the panoramic and the paranormal in one trip when you make Lancaster’s Chickies Rock your destination. Chickies Rock—derived from the American Indian word Chiquesalunga, which means “place of th...
Read MoreRewind and Unwind with Cross-Country Skiing at Allegheny National Forest
12/05/2022 - 8:04pmSkiing—with its lifts and snow groomers and glossy gear in all shades of neon—may seem to some an ultra-modern form of recreation. But cross-country skiing, a replica of the original form of skiing, is almost primeval, dating to Chinese and Scandinavian communities as least as early as 600 BCE. In a holiday season brimming with modern busyness a...
Read MoreJim Thorpe in the Fall: Festivals, Foliage, and Fun
09/25/2022 - 4:53pmWhile summer gets its fanfare in the form of salt-water vacations and outdoor barbeques, no season heralds itself quite as magnificently as autumn does. The spectacular foliage and invigorating air are an invitation to step outside this fall, to drink in the jewel-toned leaves and sunsets—perhaps summoning you to enjoy more and do less. If you’r...
Read MoreFind Wonder while Getting Lost in Moraine State Park
05/30/2022 - 11:38amIf you want to rediscover your wonder of the natural world this summer, Moraine State Park — which invokes the vastness of the glaciers which created it—is the place to reignite that spark. The enormous 16,725-acre park (and 3,225-acre Lake...
Read MoreOutdoor Adventure in PA State Parks + A B&B Stay
05/22/2022 - 1:47pmSummer is around the corner! It’s the perfect time to kick off the season with an outdoor adventure. Mountain laurel and rhododendron are in full bloom mid June to early July. Pennsylvania's State Parks offer a variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, kayaking, canoeing, birdwatching and much more.
To help you find that perf...
Read MoreUnique Hiking on the Delaware Canal State Park Towpath
03/30/2022 - 6:48pmWhile you may not want to sit down with every person who’s been named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” you will undoubtedly want to walk (or jog, bike, or cross-country ski) down Pennsylvania’s 2022 “Trail of the Year.” The Delaware Canal State Park Towpath is one of the most exte...
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