Please bring your binoculars and meet at the Fire Tower Parking Lot for an historical interpretive tour of the Fire Tower and Seneca Point by DCNR Conservation Volunteer, Greg Burns. Learn about local logging history, observe Indian sign, and take a breathtaking view from the top of the Fire Tower.
Are you curious as to what scenic surprises, wildlife, and local history lie within the newly acquired Clarion River Lands? If so, you’ll need a guide to get you there. Trails are steep, rocky, and sometimes hard to find, but the wilderness experience will be worth the effort. This 3-mile interpretive, very strenuous, and often times off-trail hike climbs 460ft from the valley floor to the hilltop. We’ll investigate rock outcrops along the way for wildlife and historic use. The tail end of the hike loops back down along the picturesque Blyson Run Valley and its numerous small waterfalls. Meet the Friends of Cook Forest at Park Office where we will drive to the starting point roughly 9 miles downriver. Access to the kick-off point is not easy. Pick-ups and jeeps are good, low clearance vehicles are bad. Pack a lunch and bring plenty of water!
Join the Friends of Cook Forest and celebrate the New Year with a hike on the iconic Longfellow Trail. We’ll meet at the Log Cabin Inn for a 2-mile hike through some of the finest old growth forest in the Northeastern U.S. We’ll also see remnants of the tallest tree in the northeast which fell in a windstorm 7 years ago. Please be prepared for the weather. Leashed, people-friendly pets welcome. (2 hrs)
Please meet at the Park Office where we will conduct a driving “battlefield tour” to historic lumber sites on the Clarion River. See where the community 40ft long dugout canoe was likely kept, recollect about the great Ol’ Copper Still on Whiskey Run, recount “Wash” Dunkle’s epic fist fight, contemplate the Maze Gap drowning, and view remnants of the Bartley Mill. (3 hrs)
Please bring your cross country skis and headlamps and meet at the Nuthole Cabin, located at the entrance to Ridge Camp, for an evening candlelit interpretive cross country ski trip in the old growth forests within and surrounding our family campground. If snow conditions aren’t good, we’ll snowshoe or hike instead. Hot chocolate and a cozy cabin will be available to warm us up! (2.5hrs)
Please bring your binoculars and spotting scopes to the Park Office for a driving tour to otter hotspots along the National Wild & Scenic Clarion River. This is the prime time of the year to witness otter activity. Chances are good to observe otter sign such as slides, tracks, and latrines along the banks of the river. Hot chocolate and coffee will be available at the Park Office to warm us up. Maybe we’ll even get a chance to see a river otter romp in action!
