Hemlocks to Hellbenders

In 1608, English explorer and soldier of fortune John Smith left Jamestown, Virginia, on a mission to chart the upper Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries - including the Susquehanna River. He became the first European to find out that the Susquehanna is non-navigable. 

That’s because of the many, many obstacles in the mighty Susquehanna. There are countless natural barri...

There’s something about a trail map that just makes me excited for an adventure. The contour lines, the roads, the trails, the bodies of water, the towns. Trail maps – when made well – keep you safely on the trail. 

Maps have always been incredibly important - whether you were crossing oceans or just crossing town. But, as technology improved, maps became used less and ...

There’s no law or policy that requires Pennsylvania to keep creating new state parks. Over the history of the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources – and its various other names through the years – new state parks have been added and subtracted. 

There have been times when we added dozens of new state parks. Under Dr. Maurice K. Goddard, the Department of ...

CORRECTION: The Loyalsock Trail and the Old Loggers Path is maintained by the Alpine Club of Williamsport.

When people find out that I’ve visited every state park, I often get asked the same question. What’s my favorite? And consistently I give the same answer, Worlds End State Park. 

It’s an easy answer for me since I fell in love with th...

What’s the best gift you’ve been given? It’s a tough question. I’ve been fortunate to have received a lot of great gifts over the years. The minibike from my parents. The engraved knife from my brother. The souvenir medal from my wife. And countless others. 

They’re awesome and they each hold a special place in my heart. 

But when I learned of the recent gift that...