Trough Creek State Park
Encyclopedia
Trough Creek State Park is a 554 acres (224.2 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Cass
, Penn
and Todd
Townships, Huntingdon County
, Pennsylvania
in the United States. The majority of the park is in Todd Township along Pennsylvania Route 994
, east of the unincorporated
village
of Entriken. Huntingdon
is the nearest borough
. The park borders Rothrock State Forest
and Raystown Lake
National Recreation Area. There is a growing population of Bald Eagle
s at the lake. Fourteen eagles were spotted in January 2007. This is up from two that were spotted in 1990, the first year that an eagle survey was taken. These three sections of state and federal owned property combine together to provide hunting
, hiking
and fishing
opportunities for the outdoorsman.
Trough Creek State Park was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
(DCNR) and its Bureau of Parks as one of "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks".
Native American
inhabitants who hunted and fished in the area prior to being forced out by colonial settlers who came to the area just after the American Revolutionary War
. The first Europeans in the area cleared land for farming
and built a gristmill
to support the farms. Later settlers built iron furnaces
clearing the old-growth forests to provide fuel for the furnaces. Edgar Allan Poe
is rumored to have visited the area and found inspiration in the raven
s that lived on the cliffs along Great Trough Creek
just prior to writing his poem "The Raven
".
powered gristmill along Trough Creek. A bloomery
was constructed in 1790. This iron furnace produced about 100 pounds (45.4 kg) of iron
a day.
A larger furnace, Paradise Furnace, was constructed in 1827 by Rueben Trexler. Paradise Furnace greatly increased the production in the Great Trough Creek area. It rose from just 100 pounds (45.4 kg) a day to 12 short tons (10.7 LT) a day. Savage Forge was built alongside Paradise Furnace in 1832. The forge turned cast iron
into wrought iron
. The community surrounding the iron industry thrived until the mid 1850s when Paradise Furnace closed. It reopned for a brief time during the American Civil War
before shutting down permanently at the conclusion of the war.
s of Pennsylvania did not reach the Great Trough Creek area until 1910. At this time the area was a thriving second growth forest
that had grown in place of the forests that were stripped during the industrial era. The mountains were stripped by the lumbering operation of Caprio and Grieco who had built a railroad into the area and built a sawmill
at Paradise Furnace. The lumbermen took the logs to the sawmill
where they were cut into lumber
. Smaller logs were used to reinforce the mine shafts at the Broad Top Coal and Mineral Company mines in Jacobs, Pennsylvania. The only thing the lumbermen left behind was the treetops. These tree tops were left to dry. The passing steam locomotive
s on the railroads would ignite this dry brush causing massive wildfire
s that swept through the mountains and valleys. The Great Trough Creek area was left to waste. The forests struggled to regrow in the wake of the wildfire. The hills began to erode. The streams were dying and wildlife was scarcely found.
and Civilian Conservation Corps
during the Great Depression
helped to bring about the revitalization of the forests.
Under the direction of the National Park Service
and the U.S. Army
the men working for the WPA and CCC began the process of building what was to become Trough Creek State Park in June 1933 at CCC camp SP-57-PA. These men cleared the streams and forests tangled brush, they built bridges on state roads, cleared paths in the forests, planted trees and built many of the facilities used today at Trough Creek State Park which was formally opened in 1936.
in the Appalachian Mountains
, which have been greatly reduced in size by the effects of wind and water erosion. The bedrock
formations within the park are (in ascending stratigraphic
order): Devonian
Catskill Formation, the Mississippian-Devonian Rockwell Formation
, and the Mississippian Pocono Formation
.
Balanced Rock and Copperas Rocks are two examples of the effects of erosion
that can be seen by visitors to Trough Creek State Park. Balanced Rock is perched atop a cliff alongside Great Trough Creek. It appears as if it could tumble into the creek below with the sligthest push, but it has held the same position for thousands of years. Balanced Rock is made up of a hard type of rock that did not erode like the rock surrounding it. As the mountains eroded away Balanced Rock remained.
Copperas Rock rock is a rock that has been stained a coppery-yellow color by ferrous sulfate that has leached from a small coal
deposit. Ferrous sulfate is a leading cause of stream pollution in the streams of Pennsylvania, but the small amounts found in the Copperas Rock area are not enough to cause a significant problem in Great Trough Creek. A small cave found near Copperas Rock is thought to have been carved out by early settlers to used the ferrous sulfate mordant
to set dye
s to homespun fabrics.
Ice Mine is a mine shaft that may have been dug by prospectors looking for iron ore. Iron ore was not discovered but the prospectors did create a natural refrigerator. This has been formed in the shaft by the freezing and thawing of the rocks, melting snows and humid summer air. The rocks freeze in winter, contracting and allowing air to fill the empty spaces. Melting snow flows into the cave and is refrozen as ice. The ice remains thanks to cool air flowing down the mountainside and humid air rising up the mountain into the shaft. This process keeps the mine shaft icy until late summer.
Trough Creek Lodge is available to be rented at any time of the year. The lodge was built in the mid-19th century and is constructed of stone that has been covered with stucco
that has been altered to look like brick
s. The lodge has a modern kitchen, four bedrooms, two bathrooms and central heating.
There are five picnic sites in Trough Creek Lodge. Picnic tables and pavilions are available at all the picnic areas. There are restrooms, play areas, and hand pump wells available at some of the picnic areas.
. This land is open for hunting. The most common game species are Ruffed Grouse
, squirrels
, turkey
and White-tailed deer
. Hunters
are expected to follow all rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission
.
Fishing is quite popular at Trough Creek State Park. Stream fishing is available in Great Trough Creek
. Lake fishing is available in a cove of Raystown Lake
that is within the park boundaries. Great Trough Creek holds a variety of fish including, trout
, panfish
, rock bass
, sucker
and smallmouth bass
. Shad
can be caught during their run at the mouths of the streams that feed into Raystown Lake.
Cass Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Cass Township is a township in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,062 at the 2000 census.-General information:*ZIP Codes: 16622, 16623*Area Code: 814*Local Phone Exchanges: 447, 448...
, Penn
Penn Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Penn Township is a township in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,054 at the 2000 census. The township includes the village of Hesston and the Seven Points Marina of Raystown Lake.-History:...
and Todd
Todd Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Todd Township is a township in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,004 at the 2000 census.-History:The Baker Bridge and Paradise Furnace are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-Geography:...
Townships, Huntingdon County
Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, its population was 45,913.Huntingdon County was created on September 20, 1787, from part of Bedford County. Its county seat is Huntingdon.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, 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 majority of the park is in Todd Township along Pennsylvania Route 994
Pennsylvania Route 994
Pennsylvania Route 994 is a Pennsylvania highway which runs for . It runs from Pennsylvania Route 26 in Entriken, Pennsylvania to U.S. Route 522 in Orbisonia, Pennsylvania....
, east of the unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Entriken. Huntingdon
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Huntingdon County. It is located along the Juniata River, west of Harrisburg, about halfway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, in an agricultural and fruit-growing region, with valuable forests and deposits of...
is the nearest borough
Borough (Pennsylvania)
In the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a borough is a self-governing municipal entity that is usually smaller than a city. There are 958 boroughs in Pennsylvania. All municipalities in Pennsylvania are classified as either cities, boroughs, or townships...
. The park borders Rothrock State Forest
Rothrock State Forest
Rothrock State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #5. The main offices are located in Huntingdon in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania in the United States....
and Raystown Lake
Raystown Lake
Raystown Lake is a reservoir in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. The largest lake that is entirely within Pennsylvania, it was created by the United States Army Corps of Engineers around 1913 by the damming of the Raystown Branch Juniata River which created a shallow lake in the river valley. ...
National Recreation Area. There is a growing population of Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s at the lake. Fourteen eagles were spotted in January 2007. This is up from two that were spotted in 1990, the first year that an eagle survey was taken. These three sections of state and federal owned property combine together to provide hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, hiking
Hiking
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...
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
opportunities for the outdoorsman.
Trough Creek State Park was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources , established on July 1, 1995, is the agency in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania responsible for maintaining and preserving the state's 117 state parks and 20 state forests; providing information on the state's natural resources; and...
(DCNR) and its Bureau of Parks as one of "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks".
History
The history of Trough Creek State Park dates back to the pre-colonialProvince of Pennsylvania
The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as Pennsylvania Colony, was founded in British America by William Penn on March 4, 1681 as dictated in a royal charter granted by King Charles II...
Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
inhabitants who hunted and fished in the area prior to being forced out by colonial settlers who came to the area just after the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. The first Europeans in the area cleared land for farming
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and built a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
to support the farms. Later settlers built iron furnaces
Bloomery
A bloomery is a type of furnace once widely used for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. A bloomery's product is a porous mass of iron and slag called a bloom. This mix of slag and iron in the bloom is termed sponge iron, which...
clearing the old-growth forests to provide fuel for the furnaces. Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
is rumored to have visited the area and found inspiration in the raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
s that lived on the cliffs along Great Trough Creek
Great Trough Creek
Great Trough Creek is a tributary of the Raystown Branch Juniata River in Bedford, Fulton and Huntingdon counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The creek is long, flows northeast for half its length then northwest, and its watershed is in area....
just prior to writing his poem "The Raven
The Raven
"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness...
".
Industrial era
The area in and surrounding Trough Creek State Park was settled in 1780 by Nicholas Crum. Crum built a turbineTurbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
powered gristmill along Trough Creek. A bloomery
Bloomery
A bloomery is a type of furnace once widely used for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. A bloomery's product is a porous mass of iron and slag called a bloom. This mix of slag and iron in the bloom is termed sponge iron, which...
was constructed in 1790. This iron furnace produced about 100 pounds (45.4 kg) of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
a day.
A larger furnace, Paradise Furnace, was constructed in 1827 by Rueben Trexler. Paradise Furnace greatly increased the production in the Great Trough Creek area. It rose from just 100 pounds (45.4 kg) a day to 12 short tons (10.7 LT) a day. Savage Forge was built alongside Paradise Furnace in 1832. The forge turned cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
into wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
. The community surrounding the iron industry thrived until the mid 1850s when Paradise Furnace closed. It reopned for a brief time during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
before shutting down permanently at the conclusion of the war.
Lumber era
The lumber boom that swept through the hills and forestForest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s of Pennsylvania did not reach the Great Trough Creek area until 1910. At this time the area was a thriving second growth forest
Secondary forest
A secondary forest is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a major disturbance such as fire, insect infestation, timber harvest or windthrow, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident...
that had grown in place of the forests that were stripped during the industrial era. The mountains were stripped by the lumbering operation of Caprio and Grieco who had built a railroad into the area and built a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
at Paradise Furnace. The lumbermen took the logs to the sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
where they were cut into lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
. Smaller logs were used to reinforce the mine shafts at the Broad Top Coal and Mineral Company mines in Jacobs, Pennsylvania. The only thing the lumbermen left behind was the treetops. These tree tops were left to dry. The passing steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s on the railroads would ignite this dry brush causing massive wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s that swept through the mountains and valleys. The Great Trough Creek area was left to waste. The forests struggled to regrow in the wake of the wildfire. The hills began to erode. The streams were dying and wildlife was scarcely found.
The forests come back
The area in and surrounding Trough Creek State Park no longer resembles the desolate wasteland left behind the irommen and lumbermen. It is now a thriving third and fourth growth forest that is home to a wide variety of wildlife. The efforts of the men of the Works Progress AdministrationWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
and 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...
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...
helped to bring about the revitalization of the forests.
Under the direction of the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
the men working for the WPA and CCC began the process of building what was to become Trough Creek State Park in June 1933 at CCC camp SP-57-PA. These men cleared the streams and forests tangled brush, they built bridges on state roads, cleared paths in the forests, planted trees and built many of the facilities used today at Trough Creek State Park which was formally opened in 1936.
Geology
Trough Creek State Park is in the southern section of the Ridge and Valley region of Pennsylvania. Great Trough Creek carved a valley through the Broad TopBroad Top
Broad Top is a plateau located in south-central Pennsylvania. It extends into Huntingdon County to the north, Fulton County to the southeast, and Bedford County to the southwest. It is bounded to the west by Saxton Mountain and Terrace Mountain, and to the east by Sideling Hill. In Bedford...
in the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
, which have been greatly reduced in size by the effects of wind and water erosion. The bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
formations within the park are (in ascending stratigraphic
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
order): Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
Catskill Formation, the Mississippian-Devonian Rockwell Formation
Rockwell Formation
The Rockwell Formation is a late Devonian and early Mississippian mapped bedrock unit in West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, in the United States.-Description:...
, and the Mississippian Pocono Formation
Pocono Formation
The Mississippian Pocono Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia, USA. It is also known as the Pocono Group in Maryland and West Virginia,...
.
Balanced Rock and Copperas Rocks are two examples of the effects of erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
that can be seen by visitors to Trough Creek State Park. Balanced Rock is perched atop a cliff alongside Great Trough Creek. It appears as if it could tumble into the creek below with the sligthest push, but it has held the same position for thousands of years. Balanced Rock is made up of a hard type of rock that did not erode like the rock surrounding it. As the mountains eroded away Balanced Rock remained.
Copperas Rock rock is a rock that has been stained a coppery-yellow color by ferrous sulfate that has leached from a small coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
deposit. Ferrous sulfate is a leading cause of stream pollution in the streams of Pennsylvania, but the small amounts found in the Copperas Rock area are not enough to cause a significant problem in Great Trough Creek. A small cave found near Copperas Rock is thought to have been carved out by early settlers to used the ferrous sulfate mordant
Mordant
A mordant is a substance used to set dyes on fabrics or tissue sections by forming a coordination complex with the dye which then attaches to the fabric or tissue. It may be used for dyeing fabrics, or for intensifying stains in cell or tissue preparations. The term mordant comes from the Latin...
to set dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
s to homespun fabrics.
Ice Mine is a mine shaft that may have been dug by prospectors looking for iron ore. Iron ore was not discovered but the prospectors did create a natural refrigerator. This has been formed in the shaft by the freezing and thawing of the rocks, melting snows and humid summer air. The rocks freeze in winter, contracting and allowing air to fill the empty spaces. Melting snow flows into the cave and is refrozen as ice. The ice remains thanks to cool air flowing down the mountainside and humid air rising up the mountain into the shaft. This process keeps the mine shaft icy until late summer.
Recreation
Trough Creek State Park is open to year round recretion including camping, picnicking, hunting and fishing.Lodging and picnicking
Trough Creek State Park has 32 modern camp-sites, all equipped with a hook-up to electricity. RV's of any size can use the facilities at Trough Creek. Each campsite also has a picnic table, tent pad and campfire ring. There is a public restroom, but there are no showers.Trough Creek Lodge is available to be rented at any time of the year. The lodge was built in the mid-19th century and is constructed of stone that has been covered with stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
that has been altered to look like brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
s. The lodge has a modern kitchen, four bedrooms, two bathrooms and central heating.
There are five picnic sites in Trough Creek Lodge. Picnic tables and pavilions are available at all the picnic areas. There are restrooms, play areas, and hand pump wells available at some of the picnic areas.
Hunting and fishing
Only 100 acres (40 ha) of the park are open to hunting. But Trough Creek State Park adjoins state forest land and land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of EngineersUnited States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
. This land is open for hunting. The most 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...
, 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...
and 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...
. Hunters
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
are expected to follow all 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...
.
Fishing is quite popular at Trough Creek State Park. Stream fishing is available in Great Trough Creek
Great Trough Creek
Great Trough Creek is a tributary of the Raystown Branch Juniata River in Bedford, Fulton and Huntingdon counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The creek is long, flows northeast for half its length then northwest, and its watershed is in area....
. Lake fishing is available in a cove of Raystown Lake
Raystown Lake
Raystown Lake is a reservoir in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. The largest lake that is entirely within Pennsylvania, it was created by the United States Army Corps of Engineers around 1913 by the damming of the Raystown Branch Juniata River which created a shallow lake in the river valley. ...
that is within the park boundaries. Great Trough Creek holds a variety of fish including, trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, panfish
Panfish
A panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an edible game fish that usually doesn't outgrow the size of a frying pan. The term is also commonly used by anglers to refer to any small catch that will fit in a pan, but is large enough to be legal. However its definition and usage varies with...
, rock bass
Rock bass
The rock bass , also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller...
, sucker
Catostomidae
Catostomidae is the sucker family of the order Cypriniformes. There are 80 species in this family of freshwater fishes. Catostomidae are found in North America, east central China, and eastern Siberia...
and 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...
. Shad
Shad
The shads or river herrings comprise the genus Alosa, fish related to herring in the family Clupeidae. They are distinct from others in that family by having a deeper body and spawning in rivers. The several species frequent different areas on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea....
can be caught during their run at the mouths of the streams that feed into Raystown Lake.
Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within 30 miles (48.3 km) of Trough Creek State Park:- Big Spring State ParkBig Spring State Park (Pennsylvania)Big Spring State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Toboyne Township, Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 274, southwest of New Germantown. Big Spring State Park is a hiking and picnic area...
(Perry CountyPerry County, PennsylvaniaAs of the census of 2000, there were 43,602 people, 16,695 households, and 12,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 79 people per square mile . There were 18,941 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile...
) - Blue Knob State ParkBlue Knob State ParkBlue Knob State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Kimmel, Lincoln, and Pavia townships in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The average annual snowfall at the park is about . The park is named for Blue Knob, the second highest mountain in Pennsylvania at . It is the location...
(Bedford CountyBedford County, PennsylvaniaBedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,762. The county seat is Bedford. It is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
) - Buchanan's Birthplace State ParkBuchanan's Birthplace State ParkBuchanan's Birthplace State Park is a Pennsylvania state park near Cove Gap, in Peters Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 16 along Tuscarora Mountain...
(Franklin CountyFranklin County, PennsylvaniaAs of the census of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
) - Canoe Creek State ParkCanoe Creek State ParkCanoe Creek State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Frankstown Township in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is 12 miles east of Altoona, the nearest city. Canoe Lake, at , is the focus of recreation at the park and is open for fishing year round. Canoe Creek State Park is a half mile off U.S....
(Blair CountyBlair County, Pennsylvania-Significant Topographic Features:*Brush Mountain*Logan Valley*Morrison Cove*Tussey Mountain-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 129,144 people, 51,518 households, and 34,877 families residing in the county. The population density was 246 people per square mile . There were 55,061...
) - Cowans Gap State ParkCowans Gap State ParkCowans Gap State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Todd Township, Fulton County and Metal Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is largely surrounded by Buchanan State Forest in Allens Valley just off Pennsylvania Route 75 near Fort Loudon.-French and Indian...
(Fulton CountyFulton County, PennsylvaniaFulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 14,845.Fulton County was created on April 19, 1850, from part of Bedford County and named for inventor Robert Fulton.Its county seat is McConnellsburg....
) - Warriors Path State ParkWarriors Path State ParkWarriors Path State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Liberty Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is named for the Great Indian Warpath that was used by the Iroquois in war raids with the Cherokee and other tribes. Warriors Path State Park is surrounded on three...
(Bedford County) - Whipple Dam State ParkWhipple Dam State ParkWhipple Dam State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Jackson Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Whipple Lake is a man-made lake on that was originally built during the height of the lumber era that swept through Pennsylvania in the late 19th and early 20th...
(Huntingdon County)