In 2023, I set out to hike in all 124 Pennsylvania State Parks. I began with day trips to state parks nearest my home in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Eventually, I expanded to weekend getaways that included multiple state park visits, often with my husband and five children.

In my first year of hiking in state parks, I visited the Happy Valley region several times. I discovered that Happy Valley is much more than the Penn State campus. It is surrounded by over 750,000 acres of some of the most beautiful public lands. It is the perfect base camp for outdoor adventures. Each time I visited, I left wanting to see more.

In the fall of 2023, I had a memorable trip with my children to Poe Valley and Poe Paddy state parks. We stayed in a camping cottage in Poe Valley State Park and had the best time adventuring throughout the parks. I loved the rugged beauty of the surrounding Bald Eagle State Forest and the soothing sounds of Penns Creek. I knew this was an area I wanted to return to for further exploration.

I returned to the area in September 2024. This time, I came equipped with Purple Lizard Maps for the Bald Eagle and Rothrock State Forests. Purple Lizard Maps are highly detailed and beautifully designed maps created by cartographer and Centre County resident Michael Hermann. I connected with Michael and his wife/co-owner, Justine Andronici, after using their maps in my journeys around Pennsylvania. Anyone who has traveled through the forests of Pennsylvania will know cell phones are often unreliable and a paper map is a must-have.

I left the kids behind and brought my friend and fellow hiking enthusiast, Tiffany, to explore as much of southern Centre County, the region known as Penns Valley, as we could in three days.

On our first day, we checked in to Sandstone Sanctuary, a property owned by Michael and Justine. It is a luxury one-bedroom cottage situated on 20 secluded acres in Spring Mills. The property is set up as a place to escape and recharge in nature. It features a spring-fed pond, a mountain meadow, a private mile-long hiking trail, and a wrap-around deck. It is surrounded by the Bald Eagle State Forest and near many fantastic trails.

After check-in, we headed out to explore the Bald Eagle State Forest. We hiked the John and Ann Snyder Trail along Penns Creek to the Poe Paddy Tunnel at Poe Paddy State Park. We took on the challenge of the steep Hunters Path from Poe Valley State Park to the Mid State Trail in Bald Eagle State Forest. We also checked out the beautiful Sand Mountain trails near the Sanctuary.

On our second day, we explored the area using the Rothrock State Forest Purple Lizard Map. We hiked through the magical Alan Seeger Natural Area before heading to Penn Roosevelt State Park. The 41-acre park is steeped in Civilian Conservation Corps history and visitors can still see the remains of the CCC builds, including a 195-foot log crib dam that has since been stone-faced.

On our final day, we began with a hike on Hobie’s Trail at Colyer Lake, also on the Rothrock State Forest Lizard Map. The 2.6-mile scenic loop around the lake is fairly easy and offers a walk through a forest of tall pines with boardwalks, bridges, and lake views.

Next, we enjoyed a tour of some scenic overlooks in the Bald Eagle State Forest. Anyone who has traveled through the forests of Pennsylvania will know the roads are often not paved and a 4WD vehicle is preferred. My minivan is great for
toting around my large family but not great at traveling unpaved forest roads. Thankfully, Michael and Justine offered us a ride in the Purple Lizard truck and showed us three incredible overlooks: Bell’s Majestic, Penn’s View, and Ingleby View. We stopped in charming downtown Millheim where we grabbed some coffee and a bite to eat at the Meandering Mallard Coffee House, took a walk through Fountain Park, and met the ducks of Millheim at the millrace. We ended our day with a beautiful sunset paddle on Colyer Lake.

We spent the next morning soaking up every last bit of relaxation at the Sanctuary before our departure. We made one final stop in Centre Hall at Brother’s Pizza before heading home.

I did not realize when I began my state park hiking journey that I would fall in love with the different regions of Pennsylvania along the way. The Penns Valley region of Happy Valley is special and has some of my favorite hiking trails in the Commonwealth. There is something for everyone in these beautiful forests. I look forward to my next adventure in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania.