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Pennsylvania maintains one of the largest state
park and forest systems in the country. In
Westmoreland County, PA, these locations include
Keystone State Park, Laurel Mountain State Park,
Laurel Summit State Park, and Linn Run State
Park. A portion of Forbes State Forest also adds
to Westmoreland County’s extensive scenic
beauty.
While State Parks and Forests are open year
round, park facilities are generally available
from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. Unless
otherwise posted, state park day-use areas are
open from 8:00 am until sunset.
Though pets are permitted in State Park day-use
areas and in State Forests, they must be leashed
and attended at all times. Pets are prohibited
in swimming and overnight areas, except at
pet-designated camping sites.
Alcoholic beverages are not permitted in
Pennsylvania State Parks and State Forest picnic
areas.
For specific information, to make reservations,
or to request maps and pamphlets for individual
parks, please call 1-888-PA-PARKS (toll free).
You can write to the Bureau of State Parks at
P.O. Box 8551, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8551, or
email them at
parkinfo@state.pa.us. You can also visit the
Pennsylvania
Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources
website.
For information on rules and regulations for
fishing and boating in state parks, please visit
the Pennsylvania
Fish &
Boat Commission website.
Bushy
Run Battlefield
Directions
Take the
Pennsylvania Turnpike to Exit 8, the
Greensburg-New Stanton interchange. Follow Route
119 to Toll 66 North. Take Toll 66 North to the
Greensburg-Harrison City exit. Make a left off
of the exit ramp onto Business 66 North. Take
Business 66 North to Route 993 West. Bushy Run
Battlefield's entrance is 3 miles on Route 993.
Description
Located on
185 acre site, there you will experience Bushy
Run Battlefield, Pontiac's War, and the French
and Indian War period. Bushy Run Battlefield is
the site of the 1763 British encounter with
Native American forces that started the
Pennsylvania frontier. The battlefield offers
guided and self guided tours. Three miles of
historic hiking trails. Guided tours that will
allow you to gain knowledge of the battlefield.
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Park
Hours:
Wednesday - Sunday: 9:00 am - 5:00
pm Year-round schedule.
Visitors Center:
April 1st through October 31st
Wed - Sat: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm,
Sunday: 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
November 1st through March 31st only
open on weekends.
Saturday : 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday: 1200 pm to 5:00 pm
Prices:
Senior Citizens $2.50
Adults $3.00
Children $2.00
Groups Reservation only,
Also discounts for large groups. |
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Facilities:
Bushy Run Battlefield gift shop
Visitor Center
Pavilion
Amphitheater
Outdoor Exhibits
Events:
Annual fall nature walk
Annual haunted history hayride |
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For more
information on any events or any questions you
have about Bushy Run Battlefield can be answered
by calling: 724-527-5589 or 724-527-5584 or
visit their website.
Mailing Address:
Bushy Run Battlefield
P.O. Box 468
Harrison City, PA 15636-0468
Email David Miller, Museum Educator--
davmiller@state.pa.us
Keystone State Park
Directions
Keystone State Park is located in
Derry Township, Westmoreland County, along route
1018, three miles from the intersection of
Routes 981 and 22 in New Alexandria.
Description
Keystone State Park represents a rich natural
environment replete with great opportunities for
outdoor adventure and family vacation fun.
Camping, boating, winter activities, picnicking
and pavilion rental, playfields, a beach,
swimming, hiking, and wildlife observation are
but a few of the possibilities. Much of the park
and many activities are handicapped accessible.
Keystone State Park consists of 1,187 acres, a
78 acres lake (Keystone Lake), and 100
campsites.
For family camping, 100 tent and trailer sites
are available from the first Friday of April
through late December, some with electricity.
There is a lakeside campground with 40 sites and
a more remote Hillside Campground with 60 sites.
A sanitary dump station is available, and both
sites have a modern bathhouse facility.
Keystone State Park has eleven modern cabins
that are available for rent on a year round
basis. Located near the breast of the dam
between the two campgrounds, these facilities
sleep up to 6 people each and come equipped with
a modern bathroom and shower, kitchen with
stove, refrigerator, and microwave.
A boat rental concession, public boat launching
ramp and mooring area are provided for rowboats,
sailboats, and canoes. Non-powered and electric
powered boats are permitted, but must display
appropriate permits and boat registrations.
Please call 724-668-2939 for more information.
Perhaps Keystone State Park’s most famous aspect
is its 1,000-foot turf and sand beach. For your
swimming safety, the beach is monitored by
lifeguards from Memorial Day weekend through
Labor Day, 11 am to 7 pm, or as posted. A food
concession offering hot and cold food is
available during the same period.
A well-loved picnic area each summer, Keystone
State Park boasts over 440 picnic tables in
several picnic areas. There is ample parking.
Drinking water and restrooms are available. Two
picnic pavilions offer charcoal grills and
electricity and can be reserved for use up to 11
months in advance. Pavilion #1 is located on the
north side of the lake and Pavilion #2 is below
the breast of the dam, near the ball field. Five hiking trails offer a wonderful view of the
park.
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Davis Run Trail follows 2.5 miles of wetland
and upland forest area.
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Lake Side Trail follows a 2 miles loop around
Keystone Lake. This trail is excellent for
bicycle enthusiasts.
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McCune Run Trail offers a short trip to visit
a beaver pond and wetland area.
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Pine Trail offers a short scenic hike through
a plantation of red and white pine.
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Stone Lodge Trail follows 1.4 miles along a
steep loop through hardwoods and ridge top
conifers.
Trout stockings throughout the year by the
Pennsylvania Fish Commission make Keystone Lake
a favorite of area fishermen. Keystone Lake is a
Big Bass Lake and special regulations apply.
Other fish include tiger muskellunge, northern
pike, black crappie, yellow perch, carp, and
bullhead catfish. There is a handicapped
accessible fishing area near the spillway.
Fishing is not allowed at the beach, dam breast,
and boat launch and mooring sites.
Hunters of deer, turkey, squirrel, pheasant, and
grouse will find about half of Keystone State
Park open to hunting. Hunting is prohibited on
the lake and in the surrounding vicinity. As the
park is open to public use, extreme caution must
be used with any firearm or archery equipment.
Please call 724-668-2939 for detailed
regulations. Pennsylvania Game Commission rules
and regulations are in effect for all activities
in the park
Winter activities such as Ice Fishing, Ice
Skating, and Sledding are popular, however
extreme caution is always recommended. Please
contact the park manager to determine ice and
snow conditions in advance of any planned
outing.
Registered snowmobiles may use designated
snowmobile trails. These trails are closed to
snowmobiling from September 25 to the last day
of antler-less deer season, Sundays excepted.
Daily snowmobiling begins after the antler-less
deer season.
For more information, contact the Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources, Keystone
State Park at 724-668-2939. Mail and email
address follow:
Keystone State Park
R.D. 2, Box 101
Derry, PA 15627
E-mail:
keystonesp@state.pa.us
Other informative websites on Keystone State
Park include Fay-West.com’s page on Keystone
State Park and the Department of Conservation
and Natural Resource’s website.
Keystone State Park at Fay-West.com
Keystone State Park at the DCNR website
Laurel Mountain State Park
Directions
From Ligonier, PA in Westmoreland
County, take Route 30 East for 8 miles. Turn
south and proceed on Laurel Summit Road for 2
miles.
Description
Laurel Mountain State Park provides great
downhill and cross country skiing opportunities.
The terrain in the Laurel Mountains ranges from
1300 to 2800 feet above sea level. The Laurel
Mountain ski area was the first major ski resort
in western Pennsylvania, with a history going
back to 1939. After World War II it was knows as
the Ski Capital of Pennsylvania.
Today, the Laurel Mountain Ski Resort has modern
facilities including a lodge, quad chair lift,
and snow making equipment. There is a half-pipe
snowboarding park, snowtubing run, rental
facility, and ski shop.
For more information call 412-238-6623, or visit
the websites of the Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources and the Laurel Mountain
Ski Resort.
Laurel Mountain Ski Resort web site includes a live camera image of the mountain.
Laurel Mountain State Park at the DCNR
website
Laurel Summit State
Forest
Directions
From Ligonier in Westmoreland
County, PA, take Route 30 East for 7.4 miles.
Turn Right onto Laurel Summit State Forest Road.
Stay straight onto Laurel Summit Road and State
Forest Road. 1.3 miles after the turn, make a
slight right onto Laurel Summit Road, then a
slight right onto State Forest Road. When State
Forest Road becomes Laurel Summit Road, you are
3.7 miles from Laurel Summit.
Description
This six acre scenic park provides for the
perfect family outing high in the Laurel
Mountains. There are picnic tables, a pavilion,
water, and a restroom. Laurel Summit State Park
is 2,739 feel above sea level, and you can
expect it to be several degrees cooler than
lower elevations, an especially pleasant feature
at the height of summer’s heat. In winter, cross
country skiing is available.
Laurel Summit also provides trailhead parking
for Spruce Flats Bog and Wolf Rocks Trail. The
Spruce Flats Wildlife Management Area includes a
28 acre bog which rests in a depression on the
top of Laurel Ridge. Cranberry, pitcher plant,
sundew, cotton grass, and other interesting
plant species can be observed here. The Audubon
Society of Western Pennsylvania conducts an
annual bird survey here in late spring.
Wolf Rocks Trail is a 2.7 mile trail through
Forbes State Forest, with a beautiful vista at
the Wolf Rocks outcropping.
Until it was designated a State Park picnic
area, Laurel Summit campground had the highest
elevation of any public campground in
Pennsylvania (From 1922 until 1940).
Laurel Summit is a carry in / carry out area.
You are required to take all of your trash out
with you.
For more information, contact the Linn
Run/Laurel Mountain Complex at 724-238-6623.
Mail and email address follow:
Linn Run/Mountain Laurel Complex
P.O. Box 50
Rector, PA 15677-0050
E-mail: linnrunsp@state.pa.us
Other informative websites on Laurel Summit
State Park include the Department of
Conservation and Natural Resource’s website.
Laurel Summit State Park at the DCNR
website
Linn Run State Park
Directions
From Ligonier in Westmoreland
County, PA, follow Route 30 East for 2 miles.
Turn Right onto Route 381 (you will see signage
for the park) and proceed for two miles. Turn
left on Linn Run Road.
Description
Linn Run is perhaps the most scenic of the State
Parks in Westmoreland County, and is without a
doubt a pleasant picnic location for the entire
family. The mixed hardwood and evergreen forest
provides a secluded retreat, as well as ample
opportunity for picnicking, hiking, fishing,
horseback riding, and more. There is a small but
picturesque waterfall known as Adams Falls, and
Flat Rock is a favorite location along Linn Run
for cooling off in the midsummer heat.
The 612 acre park includes drinking water,
playgrounds, and restrooms. Adams Falls has a
picnic pavilion that can be reserved up to 11
months in advance. Ten cabins are available for
year round rental, though over the summer season
only weekly rentals are permitted. Nine of the
cabins are rustic and have simple furnishings.
One modern cabin is fully accessible.
Linn Run is a trout fishing stream. Please
follow all
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission rules.
Hiking Trails include:
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Adams Falls Trail follows a 1 mile loop,
marked by large boulders and a scenic waterfall.
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Iscrupe Trail follows a 0.75 mile trail along
the original Linn Run Road.
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Flat Rock Trail follows a 0.5 mile trail that
ends at a large, smooth rock in Linn Run Stream.
Swimming is not permitted.
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Grove Run Trail follows a 4 mile loop, part of
which proceeds along Grove Run, and part of
which is somewhat steep.
Horseback riding is permitted along Linn Run
Road.
Over 400 acres of Linn Run State Park are open
to hunting, trapping, and the training of dogs
during established seasons. As the park is open
to public use, extreme caution must be used with
any firearm or archery equipment. Please call
724-668-2939 for detailed regulations.
Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and
regulations are in effect for all activities in
the park
For more information, contact the Linn
Run/Laurel Mountain Complex at 724-238-6623.
Mail and email address follow:
Linn Run/Mountain Laurel Complex
P.O. Box 50
Rector, PA 15677-0050
E-mail: linnrunsp@state.pa.us
Other informative websites on Linn Run State
Park include the Department of Conservation and
Natural Resource’s website.
Linn Run State Park at the DCNR website
Forbes State Forest
Directions
Forbes State Forest is divided into
five divisions and 20 separate tracts of land,
across Fayette, Somerset, and southern
Westmoreland County. Most of Forbes State Forest
lies along Laurel Ridge. Linn Run State Park
offers access to Forbes State Forest., as does
the Spruce Flats Wildlife Management Area
accessible from Laurel Summit.
Description
The 54,800 acre Forbes State Forest takes its
name in honor of General John Forbes, who
ordered the construction of a road in 1757 from
Bedford to Fort Pitt for the movement of an
expeditionary army.
Today the forest plays host to uncounted
visitors each year, outdoor enthusiasts of all
types who take delight in many activities, from
hiking and hunting, to picnicking and horseback
riding. Nature observers have a variety of
habitats and native species to admire.
Forbes State Forest attractions include:
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Natural and Wildlife Areas
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Cold Water fishing
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Hunting
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Primitive Camping
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12 Miles of Hiking Trails
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40 Miles of Cross Country Ski Trails
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Mountain Biking
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2 State Forest Picnic Areas
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79 Miles of Snowmobile Trails
For more information on this vast natural
resource, please contact the Bureau of Forestry,
Forest District # 4 at 724-238-1200.
Mail and email address:
P.O. Box 519
Laughlintown, PA 15655
email:
fd01@state.pa.us
Or visit the Forbes State forest at the
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources.
Forbes State Forest at the DCNR website
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