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.