Sizerville State Park
Encyclopedia
Sizerville State Park is a 386 acres (156.2 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Portage Township
, Cameron County
and Portage Township
, Potter County
, Pennsylvania
in the United States. The park is nearly surrounded by Elk State Forest
making it part of one of the largest blocks of state-owned land in Pennsylvania. Sizerville State Park is on Pennsylvania Route 155
, six miles (10 km) north of the borough
of Emporium
.
of Sizerville, Pennsylvania, which was in turn named for the Sizer family, early settlers of the region. With the end of the logging boom of the late 19th century, the town was gradually abandoned. Sizerville State Park was first opened in 1924. The first park facilities were opened in 1927. The Civilian Conservation Corps
led an effort to reforest the lands surrounding Sizerville State park during the Great Depression
of the 1930s. Thousands of acres of old growth timber had been logged at the turn of the 20th century. The CCC planted thousands of acres of white pine
and hemlock
trees. Today these trees have reached maturity and make up most of the forested acres of Sizerville State Park.
. Bottomlands, North Slope, and Campground are all on fairly flat land. Sizerville Nature Trail is a three mile (5 km) loop that features several educational stopping points. It is also a trailhead for the Bucktail Path Trail. Nady Hollow Trail climbs a 1900 feet (579.1 m) mountain.
The swimming pool is open to the public from Memorial Day
until Labor Day
.
Sizerville State Park has a 23-site campground. Eighteen of the sites have an electrical
hook-up. The campground facilities include a sanitary dump, flush toilets and showers. Those interested in camping in tent
s can hike into five sites that are on the bank of a creek.
There are six picnic pavilions
and over 200 picnic tables on the grounds of Sizerville State Park. The picnic areas are shaded by the forest of white pine and hemlock. Many of the picnic areas are within walking distance of restrooms and playground
facilities.
There are six creeks within Sizerville State Park that make for some ideal fishing. The east and west branches of Cowley Run are the home of brook
and brown trout
. Cowley Run offers some of the best fishing in the park. It contains a population of native brown trout and is stocked
each spring by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Portage Creek and Driftwood Creek, branches of Sinnemahoning Creek
also contain trout and a population of smallmouth bass
. Sinnemahoning Creek is another site for the fishing of bass and trout.
Hunting is permitted in 200 acres (81 ha) of Sizerville State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission
. The common game species are Ruffed Grouse
, squirrels
, Wild Turkey
, White-tailed deer
, and American Black Bear
.
Snowmobling
and Cross-country skiing
take place in the winter months at Sizerville State Park. An average of 60–70 in (152.4–177.8 cm) of snow falls on the park every winter. The park provides access to miles of groomed snowmobile and cross-country skiing trails in the nearby state forest lands.
. Sizerville State Park provides environmental education programs to youth groups, schools and teachers. Park rangers also lead guided tours of the park, providing hands on learning experiences for all.
Portage Township, Cameron County, Pennsylvania
Portage Township is a township in Cameron County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 258 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 18.1 square miles , of which, 18.1 square miles of it is land and...
, Cameron County
Cameron County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,974 people, 2,465 households, and 1,624 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile . There were 4,592 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
and Portage Township
Portage Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania
Portage Township is a township in Potter County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 223 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 37.7 square miles , all of it land.Portage Township is bordered by Keating Township...
, Potter County
Potter County, Pennsylvania
Potter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is in the Allegheny Plateau region. As of 2010, the population was 17,457. Its county seat is Coudersport. Potter County was named after James Potter, who was a general from Pennsylvania in the Continental Army during the...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States. The park is nearly surrounded by Elk State Forest
Elk State Forest
Elk State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #13. The main offices are located in Emporium in Cameron County , Pennsylvania in the United States....
making it part of one of the largest blocks of state-owned land in Pennsylvania. Sizerville State Park is on Pennsylvania Route 155
Pennsylvania Route 155
Pennsylvania Route 155 is an long state highway located in Cameron, Potter and McKean counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 120 in Emporium...
, six miles (10 km) north of the borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Emporium
Emporium, Pennsylvania
Emporium is a borough in Cameron County, Pennsylvania, west-northwest of Williamsport. Early in the twentieth century, it had large powder plants and manufactories of radio tubes, incandescent lamps, paving brick, flour, iron, lumber, sole leather, etc. In 1900, 2,463 people lived in Emporium, and...
.
History
Sizerville State Park is named after the nearby ghost townGhost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
of Sizerville, Pennsylvania, which was in turn named for the Sizer family, early settlers of the region. With the end of the logging boom of the late 19th century, the town was gradually abandoned. Sizerville State Park was first opened in 1924. The first park facilities were opened in 1927. The Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
led an effort to reforest the lands surrounding Sizerville State park during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s. Thousands of acres of old growth timber had been logged at the turn of the 20th century. The CCC planted thousands of acres of white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
and hemlock
Tsuga
Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock....
trees. Today these trees have reached maturity and make up most of the forested acres of Sizerville State Park.
Recreation
Sizerville State Park features five different loop trails for hikingHiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
. Bottomlands, North Slope, and Campground are all on fairly flat land. Sizerville Nature Trail is a three mile (5 km) loop that features several educational stopping points. It is also a trailhead for the Bucktail Path Trail. Nady Hollow Trail climbs a 1900 feet (579.1 m) mountain.
The swimming pool is open to the public from Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
until Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
.
Sizerville State Park has a 23-site campground. Eighteen of the sites have an electrical
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
hook-up. The campground facilities include a sanitary dump, flush toilets and showers. Those interested in camping in tent
Tent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
s can hike into five sites that are on the bank of a creek.
There are six picnic pavilions
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
and over 200 picnic tables on the grounds of Sizerville State Park. The picnic areas are shaded by the forest of white pine and hemlock. Many of the picnic areas are within walking distance of restrooms and playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
facilities.
There are six creeks within Sizerville State Park that make for some ideal fishing. The east and west branches of Cowley Run are the home of brook
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
and brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
. Cowley Run offers some of the best fishing in the park. It contains a population of native brown trout and is stocked
Fish stocking
Fish stocking is the practice of raising fish in a hatchery and releasing them into a river, lake, or the ocean to supplement existing populations, or to create a population where none exists...
each spring by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Portage Creek and Driftwood Creek, branches of Sinnemahoning Creek
Sinnemahoning Creek
Sinnemahoning Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Cameron and Clinton counties, Pennsylvania, in the United States.Sinnemahoning Creek is formed by the confluence of the Bennett and Driftwood Branches at the borough of Driftwood.The tributary First Fork Sinnemahoning...
also contain trout and a population of smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
. Sinnemahoning Creek is another site for the fishing of bass and trout.
Hunting is permitted in 200 acres (81 ha) of Sizerville State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission
Pennsylvania Game Commission
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is the state agency responsible for wildlife conservation and management in Pennsylvania in the United States...
. The common game species are Ruffed Grouse
Ruffed Grouse
The Ruffed Grouse is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is non-migratory.The Ruffed Grouse is frequently referred to as a "partridge"...
, squirrels
Eastern Gray Squirrel
The eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada...
, Wild Turkey
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
, White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, and American Black Bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
.
Snowmobling
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
and Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
take place in the winter months at Sizerville State Park. An average of 60–70 in (152.4–177.8 cm) of snow falls on the park every winter. The park provides access to miles of groomed snowmobile and cross-country skiing trails in the nearby state forest lands.
Environmental Education
Sizerville State Park is a hub of environment education. The Environmental Education Building houses exhibits and information about the plant and wildlife found in the park. Homeowners are taught how to plant around their homes to make them more attractive to creatures like butterflies and squirrelsEastern Gray Squirrel
The eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada...
. Sizerville State Park provides environmental education programs to youth groups, schools and teachers. Park rangers also lead guided tours of the park, providing hands on learning experiences for all.
Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within 30 miles (48.3 km) of Sizerville State Park:- Bendigo State ParkBendigo State ParkBendigo State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Jones Township, Elk County, Pennsylvania in the United States.The park is in a valley on the East Branch Clarion River. Only of the park is developed. The other is undeveloped woodlands of beech, birch, cherry and maple.-History:Bendigo State...
(Elk CountyElk County, PennsylvaniaElk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 31,946.Elk County was created on April 18, 1843, from parts of Jefferson, Clearfield and McKean Counties, and is named for the Eastern elk that historically inhabited the region. Its county...
) - Bucktail State Park Natural AreaBucktail State Park Natural AreaBucktail State Park Natural Area is a Pennsylvania state park in Cameron and Clinton Counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park follows Pennsylvania Route 120 for between Emporium and Lock Haven...
(Cameron and Clinton CountiesClinton County, PennsylvaniaAs of the census of 2000, there were 37,914 people, 14,773 households, and 9,927 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile . There were 18,166 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
) - Cherry Springs State ParkCherry Springs State ParkCherry Springs State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Potter County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The park was created from land within the Susquehannock State Forest, and is on Pennsylvania Route 44 in West Branch Township. Cherry Springs, named for a large stand of Black Cherry trees...
(Potter County) - Denton Hill State ParkDenton Hill State ParkDenton Hill State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Ulysses Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The park is a downhill skiing resort. Denton Hill State Park is on U.S. Route 6 between Coudersport and Galeton...
(Potter County) - Elk State ParkElk State ParkElk State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Jones Township, Elk County and Sergeant Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. East Branch Clarion River Lake is a man-made lake covering within the park. The lake and streams in the park are stocked with cold and warm water fish...
(Elk County) - Kettle Creek State ParkKettle Creek State ParkKettle Creek State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Leidy Township, Clinton County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in a valley and is surrounded by mountains and wilderness. It features the Alvin R. Bush Dam built in 1961 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a flood control...
(Clinton County) - Kinzua Bridge State ParkKinzua Bridge State ParkKinzua Bridge State Park is a Pennsylvania state park near Mount Jewett, in Hamlin and Keating Townships, McKean County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park lies between U.S...
(McKean CountyMcKean County, PennsylvaniaAs of the census of 2000, there were 45,936 people, 18,024 households, and 12,094 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 21,644 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...
) - Lyman Run State ParkLyman Run State ParkLyman Run State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Ulysses and West Branch Townships in Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Lyman Run Lake is a man-made lake within the park surrounded by a northern hardwood forest of mainly maple and cherry trees...
(Potter County) - Ole Bull State ParkOle Bull State ParkOle Bull State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Stewardson Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is located on Pennsylvania Route 144, north of Renovo and south of Galeton. Ole Bull State Park is in the Kettle Creek Valley, and is surrounded by Susquehannock...
(Potter County) - Patterson State ParkPatterson State ParkPatterson State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Summit Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 44 near Sweden Valley. The park has two rustic roadside pavilions.-History:...
(Potter County) - Prouty Place State ParkProuty Place State ParkProuty Place State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Summit Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is southwest of Pennsylvania Route 44, along Long Tree Road, near Sweden Valley. The park provides access points for hiking, hunting and fishing in the...
(Potter County) - Sinnemahoning State ParkSinnemahoning State ParkSinnemahoning State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Grove Township, Cameron County and Wharton Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrounded by Elk State Forest and is mountainous with deep valleys. The park is home to the rarely seen Elk and Bald Eagle...
(Cameron and Potter Counties)