Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center

Hiking   -  Mountain Biking   -  Horseback Riding   -  Picnicking   -  Fishing   -  Hunting   -  Cross-country Skiing  

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The center office is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The center’s main parking area on Belfast Road is open from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week.

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Picnicking: A small picnic area along Belfast Road is available for use by school groups and the general public.

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Fishing: Bushkill Creek, which is regularly stocked by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, provides excellent trout fishing. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission laws apply.

Complete information on fishing rules and regulations in Pennsylvania is available from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Web site.

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Hunting and Firearms: About 937 acres are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are deer, pheasant, rabbit and squirrel.

Hunting woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day following Labor Day through March 31 in designated hunting areas. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations apply. Contact the park office for ADA accessible hunting information.

Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. Other visitors use the park during hunting seasons. Firearms and archery equipment used for hunting may be uncased and ready for use only in authorized hunting areas during hunting seasons. In areas not open to hunting or during non-hunting seasons, firearms and archery equipment shall be kept in the owner's car, trailer or leased campsite. The only exception is that law enforcement officers and individuals with a valid Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms may carry said firearm concealed on their person while they are within the park.

Complete information on hunting rules and regulations in Pennsylvania is available from the Pennsylvania Game Commission Web site.

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Hiking: 18.5 miles of trails
The network of trails makes the center’s fields, woodlands and streams accessible to both students and the casual visitor. These facilities are for use by hikers, all-terrain bikers, horseback riders and cross-country skiers. Non-hunters should wear blaze orange during hunting seasons.

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Mountain Biking: 18.5 miles of trails
The network of trails makes the center’s fields, woodlands and streams accessible to both students and the casual visitor. These facilities are for use by hikers, all-terrain bikers, horseback riders and cross-country skiers. Non-hunters should wear blaze orange during hunting seasons.

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Horseback Riding: 18.5 miles of trails
The network of trails makes the center’s fields, woodlands and streams accessible to both students and the casual visitor. These facilities are for use by hikers, all-terrain bikers, horseback riders and cross-country skiers. Non-hunters should wear blaze orange during hunting seasons.

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Winter Activities

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Explore the Winter Report for the current snow and ice depths.

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Cross-country Skiing: 18.5 miles of trailsThe network of trails makes the center’s fields, woodlands and streams accessible to both students and the casual visitor. These facilities are for use by hikers, all-terrain bikers, horseback riders and cross-country skiers. Non-hunters should wear blaze orange during hunting seasons.

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Access for People with Disabilities

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If you need an accommodation to participate in park activities due to a disability, please contact the park you plan to visit.

 

Wildlife Watching

The portion of the center’s woodland known as Henrys Woods is perhaps the most beautiful natural resource in the Lehigh Valley. Visitors enjoy hiking its 1.9-mile trail loop in order to experience the sights, sounds and coolness of Bushkill Creek as it meanders past dramatic slate outcroppings and old growth stands of hemlock and white oak. Because of the wide variety of habitat found in and around Henrys Woods, many birds and wildflowers may be seen, especially during the spring months.

The Wildlife Watching Area, near the Henrys Forge Historic Area, has many opportunities for close-up viewing of the birds, butterflies and small mammals of the center.

Natural Resources

On the northern edge of the Lehigh Valley, the rolling terrain of Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center is near the foothills of the Pocono Plateau. The habitats range from fields in various stages of successional growth to mature forests dominated by oak trees. About 2.5 miles of the beautiful Bushkill Creek and its tributary, Sobers Run, wind through the center.

Jacobsburg’s natural resources are not only an excellent outdoor laboratory for environmental education and interpretation, but are also important to many visitors from the surrounding area for healthy outdoor exercise and recreation. The natural open spaces provided by this public resource are becoming increasingly important in a continually expanding urban setting.

Jacobsburg National Historic District

The Jacobsburg National Historic District encompasses the eastern side of the center lands and lies almost entirely within the boundaries of Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center. The district is on the National Register of Historic Places and its story is intertwined throughout the early development and growth of our nation. The history of Jacobsburg focuses on the Henry Family and their small arms industry, which played a key role in the American Industrial Revolution.

The first of the Henry gunmakers, William Henry I, opened his gun factory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1750. He became Armorer for the Braddock Campaign of 1755 and for the Forbes Expedition of 1758.

William Henry II established a small gunmaking shop in Christian Springs near Nazareth in 1778. In 1792, Henry II purchased land at Jacobsburg and built a gun manufactory. Henry II acquired the land from the heirs of Jacob Hubler, who in 1740 founded the community from which Jacobsburg draws its name.

Only foundations remain at the colonial village of Jacobsburg and at the Henry’s Forge historic site. Henry II erected a forge (bloomery) to supply the gun factory with iron to manufacture guns. In 1812, a larger manufactory was built in nearby Boulton in order to accommodate large government firearms contracts. Three succeeding generations of Henrys produced small arms at Boulton until the late 1800s. Competition from arms companies using mass production techniques made the Henry’s handcraft technology obsolete.

The Henrys not only produced firearms for all of our nation’s major conflicts from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War, but they also were the primary suppliers of rifles for the largest American business enterprise of the early 19th century, John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company.

The Henry firearm became the most prominent weapon of the western frontier due to its durability, accuracy and relatively low cost.

Boulton Historic Site

In the southern portion of the Jacobsburg Historic District is the Boulton Historic Site, which is administered by the Jacobsburg Historical Society.

Visitors can explore historic buildings and take a selfguiding trail that interprets the life of the Henry Family and the Boulton Gun Works. The Henry Homestead, which was built in 1812, houses the Pennsylvania Longrifle Museum.

The nearby John Joseph Henry House was built in 1832. Contact the center office for a schedule of historical programs or for information on the historic district.

Keep in Touch

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Volunteering

Like to spend time in the outdoors, meet friendly people and help make Pennsylvania State Parks great? Volunteering at a park might be for you.

Becoming a Conservation Volunteer is easy.

• Sign up to be a Conservation Volunteer
  OR
• Contact your local state park directly and ask for the Conservation Volunteer coordinator - you'll be hooked up with an interesting and appropriate project in Pennsylvania's natural resources.
   

Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation

Believing that each generation is responsible for leaving behind a better legacy of good conservation, the Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation (PPFF) was created in 1999 to give supporters and users of Pennsylvania's parks and forests a positive way to contribute to the conservation of our publicly-owned properties. The Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation welcomes the support of individuals and businesses who share a commitment to conserving, protecting, and enhancing the natural, scenic, and recreational areas of this commonwealth. www.paparksandforests.org

Make a Donation

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Through a purchase at a park gift shop

Thank you for your support!

Education Programs

We love when young people ask us how to get involved!

DiscoverE has programs for young people ages 4 to 17, provided by Pennsylvania State Park educators. By combining recreation and education, we hope to motivate children to learn more and return often, leading to a lifetime of outdoor enjoyment and conservation leadership. 

In Watershed Education, teachers and students assess water quality of a local stream on a quarterly basis and develop strategies to solve local water quality problems. 

ECO Camp - Exploring Careers Outdoors - is a week-long residential camp for a cross-section of high school youth from across Pennsylvania, sponsored by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Participate in action-packed, hands on activities and recreational adventures in Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests that expose youth to conservation, recreation and careers in natural resources. Learn how people make a living working in the outdoors.

Explore education for more information on these and other programs.

Explore the Calendar of Events to find a program near you.

iConservePA

Do you take conservation personally? iConservePA is a Web site managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources whose vision is to inspire citizens to value their natural resources, engage in conservation practices and experience the outdoors. Take conservation personally.

Come Work with Us

Pennsylvania State Parks and the Department of Conservation and Natrual Resources offer a wide range of civil service and non-civil service jobs, from foresters, to rangers, to engineers, to educators, to botanists and so much more. Learn what is currently available.

Tell us What You Think

Contact this park with compliments, concerns and issues about the park.

Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center

Nearby Attractions

Information on nearby attractions is available from Discover Lehigh Valley. www.discoverlehighvalley.com

The Jacobsburg Historical Society operates the Pennsylvania Longrifle Museum at the Henry Homestead and the Boulton Visitors Center, which are adjacent to Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center. www.jacobsburg.org

Maps and Downloadables

Below are many of the maps and publications for this park. You can read them or download them and might need special software (all free) to view the publications.

You must have the free Adobe Reader to view the maps and brochures that are in pdf format (.pdf).

Alternate versions of the text of the brochures are in rich text and text formats. Click on the files to view them. To download (.rtf) files:
For Windows users, right click on the link then left click on "Save target as" to download the file to your computer. For Mac users, hold down the "Options" button and click on the link, then select "Save" to download the file to your computer.

Recreational Guide

Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center Map (.pdf) (429 kb, 9/11)
Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center Recreational Guide (.pdf) (335 kb, 9/11)
    large print version of the guide text (.rtf)

Interactive GIS Map

The interactive map uses Geographic Information Systems to create a map that does not need to be downloaded and features driving directions, searchable park amenities and customizable maps. Please note that the background maps are maintained by a variety of public sources.

Directions Map

Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center Directions Map (.pdf) (170 kb, 3/11)