Purchases of our 2024 PA Calendar and PA Amusement Parks Book

2024 PA Calendar and PA Amusement Parks Book Purchase Options

5.15.2022

Pikes Peak Scenic Overlook Above The Susquehanna River, Liverpool, PA


Pikes Peak Overlook is located halfway between Harrisburg and Sunbury, just off of Route 15. It gives a great view of the Susquehanna River from State Game Lands. The ride between Harrisburg and Sunbury is very pretty and underrated in regards to its scenic aspects. Be sure to check it out. It is located just off of Overlook Road, with a 50 foot hike over. Be careful driving up Overlook Road because it is a state forest road and steep. The wide views over this scenic stretch of river and highway are really worth checking out. I was thoroughly impressed by this overlook because of the wide expanses of views that you get. 

GPS coordinates are 40.609803, -76.954436


5.08.2022

Exploring Beautiful Black Moshannon State Park Bog & More, Centre County

Black Moshannon State Park is a nice and little outdoor recreation gem for Central PA. It has a lot to offer for the region, with the central focus being a nice mountain lake, with lots of opportunities for boating with small boats, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, swimming at a beach, picnicking, sightseeing, hiking, and more. CCC era cabins can be rented out, complete with fireplaces. There is even a one room schoolhouse that is preserved at the park. It is a lovely little state park near Philipsburg, Centre County. The highlight that brought us though is the unique bog habitat. 


The Bog Trail consists of nearly a half mile of hybrid shoreline and boardwalk hiking. The bog has wildflowers, three species of carnivorous plants, and lots of frogs, salamanders, and snakes, and is pretty neat to explore. I love these bog habitats in Pennsylvania, which are pretty rare for the region. Other great examples include the Spruce Flats Bog, and the bog on the John Taylor Trail. 
A look at a boardwalk portion of the bog trail.
Because of the higher elevation of this state park on the Allegheny Front, it stays cooler and migrating bird species that are generally seen in more northern areas are seen at this state park. 

The bog trail is easy to get to, located at the end of the road on the eastern side of the lake area. The Bog and Moss-Hanne Trails are cool. We highly recommend stretching your legs and checking out this rare habitat for Pennsylvania. 


5.01.2022

6+ Raystown Lake Scenic Overlooks and Vistas

There are lots of great places to take in scenic views at Raystown Lake. Specifically at Raystown Dam you get views of the Juniata River valley to get a sense of what the valley looked like before it was filled in with the lake, and in the other direction towards the lake you get a view of the giant lake itself. On the river side, you can even get views of eagles and an eagles nest. 

Coordinates to Recreation Area at Dam:

40.431419, -78.006977

If you continue up the road to the dam, you also get a look at the start of the lake from this cool amphitheater area that is built like a pagoda, giving a great place to both reflect and take in views of the lake.

Hawn Overlook at Sunset
Up at the Hawn and Ridenour Overlooks you get sweeping high level vistas of the lake. 
Parking Area Coordinates:
40.431635, -78.016826
Ridenour Overlook. On this particular visit we watched an eagle glide around for like 20 minutes.
Ridenour gives a view of the dam and lake and is especially great for bird watching and it within feet of a parking area. 
Hawn's Overlook is just a few hundred feet walk down a trail from the parking area that give sweeping views of the lake. It is especially cool at sunset and approaching dusk. You can see the boats go by and their lights from all the way up at this vantage point and they look so small. 
The Seven Points Recreation Area has lots of places to take in scenic views of the lake and the valley in which it is located, and multiple places to take a dip in the water, fish, canoe, kayak, boat, camp, walk or bike along the shoreline. 
The Coffee Run Overlook is roadside on a pull off from Route 994. It gives a great view of the lake, across the lake from the area of the Lake Raystown Resort. 
Coordinates:
40.316226, -78.179576

Raystown Lake is a beautiful place for sightseeing and relaxing and it is well within weekend trip distance of most people within the state. For all of the articles we have written on Raystown Lake Destinations, check out this link. 


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