Raymond B. Winter State Park
R.B. Winter State Park covers 695 acres of the Ridge and Valley Province in central Pennsylvania. Located within Bald Eagle State Forest, the park lies in a shallow basin surrounded by rocky ridges covered with an oak and pine forest. The focal point of the park is Halfway Lake which is filled by spring-fed mountain streams and contained by a hand-laid, native sandstone dam. Open year-round, the park provides diverse opportunities for recreation.
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Hiking - Mountain Biking - Picnicking - Swimming - Fishing - Hunting - Education - Cross-country Skiing - Snowmobiling - Ice Fishing - Camping Cottages - Camping Picnicking: About 150 picnic tables are dispersed throughout the park. Charcoal grills, drinking water fountains, restrooms, horseshoe pits, play areas, and other park facilities are within easy access from picnic areas. Three separate picnic pavilions may be reserved up to 11 months in advance for a fee. Unreserved pavilions are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Make a reservation. Swimming: The swimming beach features 300 feet of white sand and is open from late-May to mid-September, 8 a.m. to sunset. Swim at your own risk. Please read and follow posted rules for swimming. The beach area includes restrooms, dressing facilities, a beach volleyball court and a children’s play area. A seasonal food and refreshment concession is at the beach house. The limited menu includes hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, cold drinks and ice cream. Fishing: The park is a coldwater fishery, stocked with brown, rainbow and brook trout. With the exception of the swimming area, the lake and its tributary streams are open to public fishing. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission stocks the lake and Rapid Run regularly during the season. Many anglers gather near the sandstone dam or the fishing pier. Complete information on fishing rules and regulations in Pennsylvania is available from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Web site.
Bald Eagle State Forest are also available for hunting and trapping. 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. Hiking: 6.3 miles of trails Bake Oven Trail: 0.96 miles, most difficult hiking Boiling Spring Trail:1.41 miles, easiest hiking Brush Hollow Trail: 0.73 mile, more difficult hiking Old Boundary Trail: 0.77 mile, easiest hiking Overlook Trail: 0.33 mile, more difficult hiking Rapid Run Nature Trail: 1.09 miles, easiest hiking West Boundary Trail: 0.64 mile, most difficult hiking Mid State Trail: 250 miles, most difficult hiking Mountain Biking: Mountain biking is permitted on designated trails. R.B. Winter State Park provides access to 25 off-road mountain bike trails located in Bald Eagle State Forest. Riders will find over 48 miles of trails with nearly 100 miles of connecting forestry roads. The Central Mountains Shared-Use Trail System brochure provides general information about a number of the trails. The brochure also contains a map showing trails of varying lengths and difficulty. Maps are available at the park office and the mountain bike trailhead in the main parking lot. Stay the Night
Explore the campground map. Explore camping for more information.
Make a reservation. Free Camping for Campground Hosts: one host position Camping Cottages: The three cottages sleep five people in single bunks and double/single bunks, and have wooden floors, windows, skylights, porch, picnic table, fire ring, electric lights and outlets, and a small baseboard heater. The cottages require a two-night minimum stay with advance reservations. A one-night stay is accepted for walk-ins.
Make a reservation. Winter ActivitiesExplore the Winter Report for the current snow and ice depths. Cross-country Skiing: Five miles of park trails provide easy skiing and snowshoeing with connecting trails and roads on surrounding state forest land. Snowmobiling: Registered snowmobiles are permitted on designated park roads which lead to over 300 miles of roads and trails in the Bald Eagle State Forest. Trailhead facilities at the park include restrooms, garbage cans, parking and unloading areas. Conditions permitting, daily snowmobiling begins after deer season in December until April 1. Maps and information are available at the park office. Ice Fishing: The ice on Halfway Lake is not monitored so be sure the ice is four inches thick and carry safety equipment. Environmental Education and InterpretationR.B. Winter State Park offers a wide variety of environmental education and interpretive programs on a year-round basis. Through hands-on activities, guided walks and programs, participants gain appreciation, understanding, and develop a sense of stewardship toward the natural and cultural resources. Curriculum-based environmental education programs are available to schools, youth organizations and homeschool associations. Group programs must be scheduled in advance by calling the park office. Popular topics for students include adaptations, bird life, amphibians, reptiles, geology, wetland or forest ecosystems, watersheds and aquatic studies. Teacher workshops are available on the Bureau of State Parks curriculum Watershed Education. Other educator workshop topics include schoolyard habitat, songbird education, and environmental education and children’s literature. Several special events including a history day and the winter Snowfest are conducted each year. The “Halfway Herald” includes a schedule of upcoming programs and activities and is available from the park office or learning center. Explore the Calendar of Events for a listing of events from today forward. Explore environmental education and interpretation for more information. Halfway Run Environmental Learning Center/Sheary-Linn Amphitheater: Equipped with many educational tools, the center is a classroom and base for educational programs. It features a hands-on science area, a computer center with environmental software, a library of field guides, classic environmental works and children’s books, and displays of native wildlife. Visitors can test their knowledge of lumber on the Wall of Woods display. Others can enjoy sitting at the center’s observation window listening to birds gathered at the microphone-equipped feeding station. Large porches provide opportunities to relax and enjoy the surrounding forest scenery. Near the center is the Sheary-Linn Amphitheater where outdoor interpretive programs are presented. Access for People with Disabilities
In an EmergencyContact a park employee or dial 911. Nearest Hospital Geologic FormationsVarious geologic formations are explained in a brochure called the Trail of Geology, which is available at the park office or environmental center. Park OverlookBy hiking the Overlook Trail or driving up McCalls Dam Road, visitors may enjoy the vista that includes Halfway Dam, the Rapid Run water gap and several mountains that surround the park. Little BubblerHalfway Lake receives a significant amount of water from underground springs, which contributes to the lake’s chilly temperatures. Visitors can observe a small boiling spring at the west end of the beach. Little Bubbler is an artesian spring. The sand bubbles as the water seeps up through the ground. The water temperature reaches highs only in the low 50s. Geologists are not certain about the cause of the Little Bubbler, but they assume that water is flowing through a crack in the bedrock. Rock FieldsFound along the mountain ridges, rock fields are areas where numerous rocks cover the ground. Formed during the last glacial period, 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, cold temperatures caused ice crystals to grow in the natural crevices of the sandstone mountains. Strong quartzite rock was split into loose boulders that eventually slid down the mountain slopes. Once temperatures became warmer, vegetation returned to the shallow soil. Patches of boulders that have resisted new growth are still visible from several park trails. Vernal PoolsThe Rapid Run Natural Area has many vernal pools. These temporary pools usually contain water through the winter and spring and dry up during the summer. Animals and plants have adapted to this unique habitat. Wetland plants inhabit the special soil in and around the pools. Fairy shrimp live only in vernal pools. Spotted salamanders, wood frogs and many insects lay their eggs in vernal pools. These animals hatch quickly into larvae and then to adults, usually before the pool dries up for the summer. Many animals depend on vernal pools for their survival. Butterfly and Bird GardensNear the park office and the Halfway Run Environmental Learning Center, several flower and herb gardens attract wildlife. Native plants and garden flowers draw butterflies such as swallowtails, satyrs, fritillaries, painted ladies, admirals, tortoiseshells and monarchs. Hummingbird moths and silver spotted skippers also frequent the gardens. Birds feeding on seeds, insects, or nectar include goldfinches, chipping sparrows, juncos, and ruby-throated hummingbirds. For more specific information on these model backyard habitat areas, a free handout is available at the park office or the learning center. Rapid Run Natural AreaWhen colonists first arrived in Pennsylvania, they were overwhelmed with the dense forests. Conrad Weiser, one of the area’s earliest explorers, claimed that “the wood is so thick that for a mile at a time we could not find a place the size of a hand, where the sunshine could penetrate, even in the clearest day...” Even though most settlers found the forest to be an obstacle, it supported abundant wildlife and plants. Although the forests of Pennsylvania have been logged several times, visitors to R.B. Winter State Park can step back in time and encounter the forest as it appeared in 1850. The 39 acres surrounding the Rapid Run Nature Trail is one of the first State Park Natural Areas. Natural areas are set aside “to provide locations for scientific observation of natural systems, to protect examples of typical and unique plant and animal communities, and to protect outstanding examples of natural interest and beauty.” When exploring the natural area, look for trees containing large, oval cavities chiseled by the large, black and white pileated woodpecker. In the evenings, listen for the “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all” call of the barred owl. During spring hikes, a close observation of vernal pools can reveal fairy shrimp, caddisfly cases, and spotted salamander and wood frog eggs. A discovery guide, called The Shrouded Forest, is available at the park office, Halfway Run Environmental Learning Center, or at the Rapid Run trailhead and describes the one-mile loop trail and suggests activities to explore the trail. Visitors will discover bogs, vernal ponds, wetlands, springs, seeps and a white pine and hemlock forest. The Bear TruthsMany Pennsylvania state parks are habitat for black bears. Although they appear cute and cuddly like a teddy bear, black bears are wild animals. A black bear can scramble up a tree like a raccoon and sprint as fast as a race horse. Bears use their claws to tear apart rotting logs to find food, and those claws also work well to open garbage cans and coolers. The size and strength of a black bear are astonishing. Black bears have poor eyesight and fair hearing, but an excellent sense of smell. Aromatic scents coming from your personal items can attract a curious and hungry bear from a great distance. Bears are attracted to the smell of toothpaste, deodorants, air fresheners, food and even the clothes worn while cooking. Store all food items concealed inside a vehicle. At primitive, walk-in campsites, suspend food between two trees, ten feet in the air and three feet from either tree. Black bears normally avoid people, but bears dependent on eating human food can become aggressive when people get between them and food. If you come in contact with a black bear, try chasing it away by making loud noises like yelling, honking a car horn or banging a pot. Notify a park employee if you have difficulties with bears. Never approach a bear and be especially wary of mother bears and cubs. Halfway to WinterIn 1967, Raymond B. winter wrote an account of his time in the Buffalo Valley. The following is an excerpt from his booklet Halfway to Winter. The entire brochure is available at the park office. A Forester’s Dream . . . In the mystic beauty of the Bald Eagle State Forest District is the Raymond B. Winter State Forest Park—the day dream of a young forester who was fortunate enough to see his dream come true. ... I shall n’er forget my gracious welcome to the beautiful Buffalo Valley. My first view of the Valley came from the hill south of Mifflinburg. The late summer scene was glorious—the cultivated fields, the well-kept buildings, the beautiful trees, and the sparkling over flowing reservoir all spoke of abundance and peace. . .rode north to the Forest House, going to work September 1, 1910. The Brush Valley or 14 Mile Narrows Road was laid out before the turn of the 18th century. It traversed over Sand Mountain through Pine Swamp to the Centre County line. It was later improved by building up Rapid Run to meet the original road. Its principal use was transporting farm produce, mostly in the winter time, with teams and sleds from Centre County to the Susquehanna River. The original name was Halfway House. It came from the fact that at one time a tavern with barn was located there. Teamsters could stop and feed their teams—even stay all night, about half way through the mountains. The Pennsylvania Railroad, that was built up Penns Creek through Coburn, was opened for operation in 1873. This method of transportation made the former methods more or less obsolete. No doubt during this time some logging of the Virgin forests was going on here in the Park area. Later logging was started in earnest. Lumber shacks, a saw mill, and a timber dam were built. Some of the finest white pine ever cut in Pennsylvania came from this area. I am told that trees six feet across the stump and about two hundred feet tall would cut 5,000 board feet of lumber—each enough to build a good size home. One can still find old stumps to prove it. Later the big lumbermen came in. They built large logging camps and also narrow gauge railroads connecting the land with large mills and railroads in the valleys. By the turn of the 19th century, in about one hundred years, the timber which nature had built over the centuries was gone. What was left, in many places, was burned over through careless logging and sparks from their dinky engines. The park area was purchased from J.K. Reish in 1905. Previous to that the State took over the surrounding land to give it ownership and to rehabilitate it. Through lack of understanding and organization during the drought of 1909 thousands of acres were burned completing the destruction. In many places nothing was left but bare rocks and mineral soil. ... The Fourteen-Mile or Brush Valley Road was the only driveable road left, and it was little used and neglected. At Halfway there were several small clearings. The largest one was at the site of the present Park Shop, another on the ten-acre plot reserved by Rash Kleckner when the land was purchased by the state. This land and a small area east of it were saved from the 1909 fire and now contain some beautiful second growth timber for our enjoyment. On this clearing then known as the Kleckner place a logging shack and a horse shed were left. This was owned by the Martin G. Reed hunting and fishing party. Kleckner then lived below the crossroad south of the Forest House. ... During the spring of 1912 Steve Roadarmel and Leslie Stover were appointed Rangers, giving me permanent help. We started clearing and burning the dead brush and debris which were left from the 1909 fire. Then planting was started in the cleared areas. This was kept up the following springs and in a few years the Park area was cleaned and planted. ... While working on Bake Oven Trail and other advantageous points Ranger Stover and I recognized the natural beauty of the place and day dreamed of a beautiful park in the area someday. Putting our thoughts into action we built some crude fireplaces, picnic tables, and other improvements. Later we succeeded in getting some funds and about 400 acres were set aside for a park. The beavers moved toward the east end of the area and built dams. They were a real attraction and helped fishing. This brought in wild ducks for the hunters. ... One fine day in early 1933 lightning struck. The Bald Eagle State Forest District was to get four CCC Camps of 200 boys each. One was listed for the Halfway Park Area. We pooled our meager tools and equipment, leased, borrowed, even begged more. While other Camps over the State were sulking in their tents waiting for plans and equipments, we were off to a flying start. The first big job was the dam. Forester Sayers, Engineer Wagner, Camp Superintendent, Foremen, and boys labored hard and willingly with the excellent cooperation from our Army Commander, Lieutenant Sheppard, who later was promoted to general and headed the U. S. Marines. In a little over a year they had cleaned a seven acre area of brush debris including stumps. They removed the old dam and constructed the first cement and stone dam ever built by CCC in the United States, making a beautiful seven acre lake. The Fish Department stocked it with rainbow trout to improve fishing. A bathing beach was soon built and a diving tower in deep water was put in for swimmer’s enjoyment. ... July 1, 1955, my 45 years of doing the best I could, with the handicaps we had, came to an abrupt end. That same year (1955) Senator Samuel B. Wolf introduced Senate Resolution Serial No. 151 into the State Senate. Supported by Mr. Harry Haddon and his Sunbury Daily Item—as also many other influential friends—this Resolution passed, paying me a wonderful tribute as here recorded. For more information on the CCC, visit the Pennsylvania Civilian Conservation Corps Online Archive. Keep in TouchAdd yourself to the DCNR's online community to receive info on this park, or parks in general. Volunteering
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Scouts and organized groups can earn free camping by completing service projects. Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation
Make a DonationTo a park - find this park's address below To a park or the Bureau of State Parks - Pennsylvania Parks and Forestry Foundation www.paparksandforests.org Through a purchase at a park gift shop Thank you for your support! Education ProgramsWe love when young people ask us how to get involved!
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
Come Work with UsPennsylvania 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 ThinkContact this park with compliments, concerns and issues about the park. Raymond B. Winter State Park Nearby AttractionsInformation on nearby attractions is available from the Susquehanna River Valley Visitors Bureau www.visitcentralpa.org Maps and Downloadables
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: Recreational GuideRaymond B. Winter State Park Map (.pdf) (561 kb, 3/11) Interactive GIS MapThe Interactive GIS 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 and driving directions usually go to the nearest large road. Campground MapRaymond B. Winter State Park Campground Map (.pdf) (827 kb, 2/13)  The park is in Union County on PA 192, 18 miles west of Lewisburg. Driving Directions: The Interactive GIS Map has turn-by-turn driving directions to the park office from the Park Information Window. Please note that the background maps are maintained by a variety of public sources and driving directions usually go to the nearest large road. Raymond B. Winter State Park
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