Simon B. Elliott State Park

Hiking   -  Picnicking   -  Fishing   -  Hunting   -  Cross-country Skiing   -  Snowmobiling   -  Cabins   -  Camping

Picnicking: Picnicking amidst towering pine and oak trees is a treat for the whole family. The park offers ample parking, tables, three reservable picnic pavilions, drinking water and composting restrooms.

Make a reservation.

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Fishing: Fishing in small mountain streams surrounding the park offers sport for those who like to walk and fish in uncrowded streams for native and stocked trout.

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 234 acres are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are deer, turkey, rabbit, pheasant and squirrel. Thousands of acres of surrounding Moshannon State Forest are open for hunting

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: 3 miles of trails
Hiking trails take visitors to various places on the mountaintop while backpack hikers can get on the Quehanna Trail by way of the Central Pennsylvania Lumber Company Trail. The Quehanna Trail System offers over 75 miles of hiking and backpacking. Hikers can go for up to seven overnights without retracing steps by using the northern and southern loops and connecting trails. This trail also connects on to the Susquehannock Trail System above the community of Sinnemahoning.

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Stay the Night

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Camping: composting toilets
A 25-site camping area, across from the log cabin park office, offers modern restrooms but no showers and a sanitary dump station. The maximum stay in this area is 14 days during the summer season and 21 days in spring and fall. The restroom and site seven are ADA accessible. The campground is open from the Friday before Memorial Day to Labor Day. All sites are first-come, first-served.

Explore the campground map.

Explore camping for more information.

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Free Camping for Campground Hosts: one host position
The campground host site has amenities including electric service. The host is required to assist park personnel for 40 hours per week with a two-week minimum stay. The host’s responsibilities will be as follows:

1. Provide on site contact with campers during the time the park office is closed.
2. Litter pick up around restrooms, play areas and throughout the campground.
3. Check all restrooms prior to retiring for the night, stock toilet paper, report any problems.
4. Maintain campsite markers so they are straight and have a place to display permit.
5. Collect fees for pets, extra car parking, showers, and camping as required.
6. Notify Park Ranger/Manager/911 in case of emergency at the park by phone or radio.

Contact the park office for additional information and availability.

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Rustic Cabins: Six rustic cabins, of CCC origin, are available for rent. Minimal furnishings include: single bunk beds, chairs, table, a gas stove, refrigerator, gas heaters, electric lights and fireplace. The cabins are open from the second Friday in April to late December.

Explore the cabin map.

Explore cabins for more information.

Make a reservation.

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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: Ski on more than four miles of easy to moderate roads and trails.

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Snowmobiling: During the winter months, the main parking lot is plowed to allow re gistered snowmobiles to unload and operate on the roads and trails in the Moshannon State Forest. A map of the roads and trails open to snowmobiling is available at the Parker Dam park office. Snowmobiles may be operated on designated trails and roads from the day following the last deer season in December until April 1, weather permitting.

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.

 

This mountaintop was once covered in giant white pine and hemlock trees. At the turn of the century, the Central Pennsylvania Lumber Company and the Goodyear Lumber Company built railroads and roads to harvest the timber.

This logging devastated the area, entirely wiping out the magnificent stands of pine and hemlock. The logging companies swiftly departed, allowing the forests to regrow. The devastated land was eventually sold to the Commonwealth, usually at tax sales. This accumulation of land eventually became Moshannon State Forest.

Now about a century later, many of the logging roads and railroad grades can be seen in the maturing stands of oak and maple.

The Honorable Simon B. Elliott was a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature and a member of the old State Forestry Reservation Commission, a precursor to the Department of Forestry. This early conservationist promoted the idea of creating a nursery to raise trees for planting in the surrounding area.

In 1911, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania established the Clearfield Forest Tree Nursery in a mountain pasture atop Penfield Mountain. This nursery was later renamed for District Forester William F. Dague who was in charge of its operation from its start in 1911 until 1947. The Dague Nursery closed in 1978, but its buildings and facilities are still in use as the Moshannon State Forest maintenance headquarters and the seed orchards still supply seeds for the other state nurseries.

In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established Camp S-116 on land along the edge of the nursery and built the cabins, pavilions, roads, trails and many of the other buildings that exist today in the park.

In that same year, 1933, the former Department of Forests and Waters erected a plaque dedicating Simon B. Elliott State Park. The plaque is on a stone in the pines along the northern edge of the park.

For more information on the CCC, explore the Civilian Conservation Corps Online Archive.

Keep in Touch

Add yourself to the DCNR's online community to receive info on this park, or parks in general.

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.
   

Scouts and organized groups can earn free camping by completing service projects.

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

To 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 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.

Simon B. Elliott State Park

Nearby Attractions

Information on nearby attractions is available from the Northwest Pennsylvania’s Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau. www.pagreatoutdoors.com

Services available in towns surrounding the park include grocery stores, restaurants, mechanics, gasoline stations, post office and car wash in Penfield, nine miles north; Clearfield offers these services in addition to shopping centers and a hospital nine miles south.

Parker Dam State Park: A leisurely 15-minute drive will take visitors to nearby Parker Dam State Park. The park offers beach swimming, camping, year-round cabins, nature programs, boating and many other activities.

Moshannon State Forest: For detailed information contact the Moshannon State Forest, 814-765-0821.

Explore Pennsylvania Wilds

Pennsylvania Wilds is two million acres of public lands for hiking, biking, fishing, boating, hunting and exploration in northcentral Pennsylvania. Within the twelve-county region are: 29 state parks, eight state forest districts (1.3 million acres); 50 state game lands and Allegheny National Forest (500,000 acres). www.pawilds.com

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

Simon B. Elliott State Park Map (.pdf) (362 kb, 3/11)
Simon B. Elliott State Park Recreational Guide (.pdf) (542 kb, 3/11)
    large print version of the guide text (.rtf)

Interactive GIS Map

The 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 Map

Simon B. Elliott Campground Map (.pdf)  (1,041 kb, 4/13)
    large print version of the brochure (.rtf)

Cabin Map

Simon B. Elliott cabin map (.pdf)  (36 kb, 3/11)