Sizerville State Park ~ A hikers review

"I had no idea what I would find at Sizerville State Park as I continued my tour of the northern tier of Pennsylvania in August. I had just broken camp on the rim of Pine Creek Gorge, the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, and headed south, thinking that things just don’t get much better than where I was the previous night. When I arrived at Sizerville, I discovered that, indeed, things didn’t get better than what I found along Pine Creek. They didn’t, however, get any worse, only different.

Probably the single word that best describes the tenting area at Sizerville—or the whole park for that matter—is peaceful. As you enter the park, you drive into a refuge of hemlocks and white pines nestled in a gentle valley. The breeze blows through the branches, the slant of light through the boughs is enchanting, and creeks bubble along everywhere. The park has a sort of rustic atmosphere to it, as the pavilions and bridges over the creeks are made out of stone and timber characteristic of their construction by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. It’s great!

Sizerville is oriented toward the nature lover who wants some peace and quiet in a pleasant setting. The park has plenty of picnic pavilions throughout, a playground for the kids, and a pool for swimming. Park employees put on regular environmental programs at the campground amphitheater and at the park’s environmental-education center during the summer. Numerous hiking trails in the park provide hikers with access to the backcountry of the Elk State Forest, home to Pennsylvania’s elk population.

I highly recommend an excursion on the Sizerville Nature Trail, a 3-mile loop that lies entirely in the Elk State Forest; it will give you a pleasant introduction to the flora and fauna of the northern hardwood forest. The park office has interpretive maps that will help you identify and understand the natural history of what you see. The Nady Hollow Trail is also worth exploring for the elevation gain it provides. It is a bit more rugged than the park’s other trails, but a very beautiful walk in the woods."