National and State Parks - Recreational Areas

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Sizerville State Park
State Park Information

State Park Overview

Camping
Camping modern sites, some with elec.

The 23-site campground opens the second Friday in April and closes after deer season in December. Facilities include flush toilets, showers and a sanitary dump station. Eighteen campsites have electricity. Five walk-in tent sites offer a secluded streamside setting. The park also features a play area and outdoor amphitheater. The maximum stay in this camping area is fourteen days during the summer season and 21 days during the off-season. Campers must vacate the park for 48 hours before setting up again. Pets are not permitted in overnight areas.

Trails
Hiking 5 miles of trailsThe hiking trail system offers a series of five loop trails. The Bottomlands, Campground and North Slope trails take the visitor through a variety of lowland habitats and are relatively easy to walk making them ideal for hikers of any age.

The Sizerville Nature Trail is a three-mile loop that nearly everyone can enjoy. It has educational stopping points. Maps are available in the park office.

Nady Hollow Trail is a 1.5-mile loop that ascends a 1,900-foot mountain. The ?Cutback? section takes the hiker halfway up the mountain and then, gradually runs down along the mountainside. Due to the slope of this trail, it is more challenging. Proper footwear is recommended for any hiking and is essential for the Nady Hollow Trail.

Sizerville State Park is also a trailhead for the Bucktail Path Trail, which is part of an extensive trail system throughout the northern tier region of central Pennsylvania.

For Your Safety If you are planning to hike from the park onto the Elk State Forest trail system, be sure you have an Elk State Forest map and advise park personnel of your hiking plans.

Picnicking

Swimming

Fishing and Hunting
Fishing

Anglers will find that the east and west branches of Cowley Run, which flow through the park, contain brook and brown trout. Cowley Run is a high quality stream offering mountain freestone fishing at its best. It is not unusual to catch native brook trout in these waters. Nearby, the Portage and Driftwood branches of the Sinnemahoning Creek provide anglers with an opportunity to fish for smallmouth bass and trout. All streams receive spring stockings and are under the laws of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Hunting and Firearms

About 200 acres are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are deer, turkey, grouse, bear and squirrel. Hunting is permitted on the Elk State Forest lands that adjoin the park.

Hunting woodchucks -lso known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day following Labor Day through March 31 in designated hunting areas. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations apply. Contact the park office for accessible hunting information.

Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. The park is used by other visitors during hunting seasons. Firearms and archery equipment may be uncased and ready for use only in authorized hunting areas during hunting seasons. In areas not open to hunting or during non-hunting seasons, firearms and archery equipment shall be kept in the owner?s car, trailer or camp.

History of the Area
Sizerville State Park opened for public use in 1924 with the first facilities built in 1927. The name ?Sizerville? comes from a logging boomtown of the same name that flourished around the turn of the century. Sizerville itself was named for the Sizer family who were -ccording to local legend, the first settlers in the area.

Beautiful white pines and hemlocks grace Sizerville and bring to the visitor?s eye and mind a quiet, relaxed atmosphere. The pines were planted in the 1930s as a conservation effort by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Several thousand acres in and around the park were planted to replace the massive tracts of old growth timber logged at the turn of the century.

For more information on the CCC, visit the Civilian Conservation Corps Online Archive.

The East Branch of Cowley Run, located in the park, has historical significance in game management in Pennsylvania. In 1917 - pair of beavers was presented to the Pennsylvania Game Commission by the State of Wisconsin because beavers had become extirpated in Pennsylvania. This first pair was released on East Branch Cowley Run and beavers are still found in the area. Elk once lived throughout the Common-wealth of Pennsylvania. Now through the efforts of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Bureau of Forestry, reintroduction of this majestic animal to the Commonwealth has succeeded. Pennsylvania?s only elk herd lives in the mountainous, mostly wooded area of Elk, Clinton and Cameron counties.



More Info

NEWS RELEASE. COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Sizerville State Park R R 1 Box 238-A Emporium, PA 15834-9608. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Conservation... ...s is an official Web site of the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks. Begin your adventure here.Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy this hidden state park. Sizerville provides a gateway to Elk... ...e short trails explore 386 acre Sizerville State Park and a portion of Elk State Forest. Abutted by nearly 461,000 acres of state forest (Elk and Susquehannock), this small park contributes...

Nature Programs
The park offers a wide variety of environmental education and interpretive programs. Through hands-on activities, guided walks and evening programs, participants gain appreciation, understanding and develop a sense of stewardship toward natural and cultural resources.

Curriculum-based environmental education programs are available to schools and youth groups. Teacher workshops are available. Group programs must be arranged in advance and may be scheduled by calling the park office. For more detailed information contact the park office.

The Environmental Education Building provides exhibits and information on what to do and see while in the area. The plantings surrounding the visitor center include a butterfly garden and other examples of how homeowners can attract native wildlife to their backyard.

Area Campgrounds

Geist Mountain Creek Cmpgrnd
37 Wyatt Ln
Sinnamahoning, PA
(814) 546-2087

Old Tee Pee Campgrounds
1737 Us Route 6 W
Roulette, PA
(814) 544-7324



Area Resorts and Lodging

Scanlan NW Lodge
Crosby, PA
(814) 887-2375


Sizerville State Park