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Parker Dam State Park
This rustic, remote park in the heart of Moshannon State Forest is almost entirely wooded and offers picturesque areas of forest and swamp meadows, pine plantations and mixed hardwoods. The CCC Interpretive Center interprets the Civilian Conservation Corps. Parker Dam is a good base to explore the surrounding state forest. The 968-acre Parker Dam State Park offers old-fashioned charm and character. A scenic lake, rustic cabins, quaint campground and unbounded forest make Parker Dam an ideal spot for a relaxing vacation. For wilderness explorers, Parker Dam provides a gateway to the vast expanses of the Moshannon State Forest. You can walk through a tornado ravaged woods, backpack into the 50,000-acre Quehanna Wilderness, mountain bike to your heart's content or enjoy quiet solitude searching for elusive Pennsylvania elk. |
Explore
Directions - Weather - Recreation - Trails - Stay the Night - Winter Activities - Winter Report - Environmental Education - Special Events - Accessibility - History - Calendar of Events - Wildlife Watching - Nearby Attractions - Nearby Services - Volunteers - Rules and Regs - In an Emergency - Contact Us - Downloadables and Maps
Park Advisories
| 9/24/2008 8:28:00 AM | Hikers should be advised that Moshannon State Forest will has authorized a timber cutting operation near Snow Trail. Snow Trail ties into the Parker Dam Trail system. Patrons should be alert while hiking in this area and know that sections of Snow Trail will be closed due to timber operations. |
| 8/17/2008 1:29:00 PM | Campsite renovations are scheduled to begin after July 1, 2007. Please be advise that certain sites may be unavailable for reservations as a result. Renovations include lengthening and leveling some sites. |
| 8/5/2008 9:16:00 AM | Firewood Advisory: Invasive Beetles found in Firewood Threaten Forests! Before bringing firewood to a Pennsylvania State Park, please read the information in the linked page about a very real threat to forests in Pennsylvania and all of North America. Firewood Advisory |
| 6/5/2008 11:41:00 AM | Starting on November 3, 2008, Loops 1, 2 and the Cut-Off will be closed as a cost saving measure. Loop 3 and the new showerhouse will remain open until the regular campground closing date in December. |
Directions
 Parker Dam State Park is in northern Clearfield County. From Interstate 80, take Exit 111 onto Route 153 North for 5.5 miles. Turn right onto Mud Run Road, and then drive 2.5 miles to the park. |
Recreational Opportunities
Hiking - Picnicking - Swimming - Boating - Fishing - Hunting - Wildlife Watching - Sledding - Snowmobiling - Ice Fishing - Ice Skating - Cabin Classroom - Organized Group Tenting - Cabins - Camping
Boating: Electric powered and non-powered boats are permitted on 20-acre Parker Lake. Motorboats must display a boat registration from any state. Non-powered boats must display one of the following: boat registration from any state; launching permit or mooring permit from Pennsylvania State Parks that are available at most state park offices; launch use permit from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
Courtesy mooring spaces are available for overnight guests. A seasonal boat concession rents paddleboats, canoes and rowboats from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
For complete information on boating rules and regulations in Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Web site.
Picnicking: About 430 picnic tables, with charcoal grills, restrooms and drinking fountains, are scattered through a mostly wooded area. Of the seven picnic pavilions, five have lights and electric outlets. Choose from modern, open pavilions or cozy, stone, CCC-built pavilions. Each picnic pavilion holds about 75 people. Picnic pavilions may be reserved up to 11 months in advance for a fee. Unreserved picnic pavilions are free on a first-come, first-served basis.
Make a reservation
Swimming: The swimming area in Parker Lake features a beautiful sand beach 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 maximum water depth is five feet at the far buoy line.
Hunting and Firearms: Approximately 526 acres of the park are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are deer, turkey, grouse, bear, rabbit and squirrel. Hunting woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day following Labor Day to March 31 in designated hunting areas. Hunting is also available on over 185,000 acres of surrounding Moshannon State Forest. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations apply. Call the park office for accessible hunting information.
Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. Other visitors use the park during hunting seasons. Firearms and archery equipment 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 camp.
For complete information on hunting rules and regulations in Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission Web site.
Fishing: Fishing is popular throughout the year. Brook trout are stocked in the spring, fall and winter. Anglers also can catch largemouth bass, sunfish and brown bullhead.
For complete information on fishing rules and regulations in Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Web site.
Hiking: Many hiking trails begin or pass through Parker Dam State Park and continue into the surrounding Moshannon State Forest. Explore Trails for complete trail descriptions.
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Backpacking: The park is the western trailhead of the Quehanna Trail System. Through a series of loops and connecting trails, this system offers over 73 miles of hiking opportunities of one to five nights in duration. This trail connects with the Susquehannock Trail System near Sinnamahoning PA. There is no backpack camping in the park. Trail maps are available at the park office. |
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Stay the Night
Camping: The camping area is above the eastern edge of the lake. Open from the second Friday in April through mid-December, it offers partially shaded campsites with open grassy areas and some entirely forested sites. The campground has modern restrooms with showers and a sanitary dump station. Electric hookups are available at 80 of 110 campsites. The maximum stay is 14 days during the summer season and 21 days during the off-season. Campers must vacate the park for 48 hours between stays.
Explore the campground map.
Explore camping for more information.
Pets are allowed in designated campsites. Explore pets in campgrounds for more information.
Make a reservation
Free Camping for Campground Hosts: one host position in the modern campgroundThe campground host site has amenities that include 50-amp electric service. The host is required to assist park personnel for 40 hours per week with a minimum stay of two weeks. Duties will include:
- Provide on site contact with campers during the time the park office is closed.
- Litter pick up around restrooms, play areas, and throughout campground
- Check restrooms prior to retiring to stock toilet paper and report any problems.
- Maintain campsite markers so they are straight and have a place to display permit.
- Collect fees for pets, extra car parking, showers, and camping as required.
- 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 on the Campground Host Program.
Cabins: Located in peaceful woods, the 16 rustic cabins rent year-round. The cabins sleep 4, 6 or 8 people. All cabins are heated with a wall-mounted gas heater, with the option of additional heating using wood-burning fireplace inserts. Each cabin has bunk beds, mattresses, gas cooking stove, refrigerator, table and chairs. Renters must provide their own bedding, cookware, tableware and firewood. In the summer season, cabins only rent by the week. In the off season the minimum rental is two-days. Advance reservations are recommended.
Explore the cabin map.
Explore cabins for more information.
Make a reservation
Organized Group Tenting: The combined capacity of the three organized group tenting areas is 80 people. Two areas hold 20 people each and one area holds 40 people. These open, grassy areas are in the northern end of the park at the intersection of Mud Run and Tyler roads.
These reservable, organized group tenting areas contain non-flush toilets, water hydrants, picnic tables and fire rings. For a fee organized groups can use the campground showers.
Explore organized group tenting for more information.
Cabin Classroom: This unique, octagonal log building is for rent to organized groups. Featuring electric heat, stove, refrigerator, tables, chairs and a large, central, stone fireplace, it is ideal for rustic indoor camping or as a classroom. About 20 people can sleep on the wooden floor or as a classroom, it holds 25-30 people. For reservations contact the park office.
Winter Activities
Parker Dam State Park is a haven for winter activities. A heated restroom is open in the day use area. Explore the Winter Report for current snow and ice depths.
Ice Skating: Conditions permitting, an ice skating area is maintained at the swimming area. Ice thickness is monitored for safety.
Sledding: A small sledding and toboggan run is near the boat rental area.
Ice Fishing: Trout are stocked through the ice for winter anglers. Ice thickness is not monitored. For your safety, be sure the ice is four inches thick and carry safety equipment.
Snowmobiling: Unload your registered snowmobile in the park to gain access to the extensive snowmobile trail system on the adjacent state forest land. There is snowmobiling only on selected trails and joint-use roads. The snowmobile trails are open daily after the end of deer season in December.
Environmental Education
Parker Dam State Park offers a wide variety of year-round environmental education and interpretive programs. Through hands-on activities, guided walks and evening programs, participants gain appreciation, understanding, and develop a sense of stewardship toward natural and cultural resources.
Curriculum-based environmental education programs are available to schools and youth groups. Teacher workshops are available. Group programs must be arranged in advance and may be scheduled by calling the park office.
A small-scale, interpretive maple sugaring operation runs throughout March. Apple-cidering is demonstrated each October. A visitor center attached to the park office offers interpretive displays, games and resource and childrens' books. It is open during park office hours. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Interpretive Center near the breast of the dam educates visitors about the live and times of the corpsmembers which were the CCC. It is open Sunday afternoons during the summer season or upon request. Wayside exhibits interpreting the tornado are located outside of the Cabin Classroom.
For more information on educational programs contact the park office.
Explore the Calendar of Events for a listing of events from today forward.
Explore environmental education and interpretation for more information.
Special Events
Woodsy Owl Weekend: Each spring volunteers gather to do service projects like litter pick-up, painting, tree planting and trail maintenance. Volunteers receive free weekend camping.
Woodhick Weekend: Held on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, visitors compete in five events for the coveted title of Woodhick (or Woodchick) of the Year. Established in 1984 to celebrate the logging history of the park, visitors can roll logs, crosscut saw, or try other events to discover the lives and recreation of early loggers. Logging demonstrations are also held.
Explore the Calendar of Events for the dates of these special events and for any other programs at Parker Dam State Park.
Concessions
All concessions are near the swimming beach and open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. The food concession offers hot foods, snacks and ice cream. The camp store has camping equipment and supplies. The boat rental has canoes, rowboats and paddleboats.
Recycle
Visitors are asked to recycle their refuse. Recycling centers in the campground and cabin area recycle aluminum cans.
Access for People with Disabilities
Accessible picnic tables, campsites, picnic pavilions 1 & 2, restrooms and parking spaces are available.
If you need an accommodation to participate in park activities due to a disability, please contact the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks:
888-PA-PARKS (voice)
888-537-7294 (TTY)
711 (AT&T Relay Services)
Natural Resources
Parker Lake: The eastern shoreline of this 20-acre lake has a mix of maples, cherries, oaks and eastern hemlocks which makes the fall foliage gorgeous. A pathway from the campground to the swimming area travels over the breast of the earthen dam.
Windstorm Preserve: The tornado of 1985 blew a swath of destruction across Parker Dam State Park. The forest to the west of Mud Run Road has been left in a natural state. Note the large, bare tree trunks still standing in testimony to the power of the storm. The Trail of New Giants runs through this area. On the east side of Mud Run Road fallen trees have been salvaged and removed. Explore the two areas to see if the forest regrows differently in the two areas.
Viewing Wildlife: Parker Dam State Park and the surrounding Moshannon State Forest harbor deep forests where wildlife thrives in unbroken wilderness. Look for black-throated green and blackburnian warblers and ravens in conifer forests. The shy ovenbird and American redstart make the deciduous forest their home. Look for turkey in Abbot Hollow, along Laurel Ridge and Mud Run roads. Evenings are great for wildlife watching. White-tailed deer feed by the park office, ball field or near picnic pavilion seven. A drive on Tyler Road might yield a coyote or fox. Look for the elusive bobcat, free-ranging elk or porcupine in the tornado blowdown area in the evening. Watch for beaver on Mud Run, Abbot Run or on the campground side of the lake. Please do not feed wildlife and observe from a safe distance.
Pennsylvania Elk Herd: Elk (Wapiti) are about four times larger than white-tailed deer. Elk may weigh from 400 to 1,000 pounds and vary from 6 to 8 ½ feet in length. Adult males carry very large antlers that can be six feet long and weigh 30 pounds. September and October is the best time to see elk. Big bulls bugle a high pitched whistle to attract cow elk. Never approach elk, but especially during the autumn rutting season.
The heart of the elk range is only a 40-minute drive from Parker Dam State Park. An elk-viewing platform is in State Game Lands 311 between Benezette and Grant PA. A second population of elk lies to the east in Sproul State Forest. Parker Dam is in the elk range and wild elk may be observed in the woodlands and fields.
Nearby Attractions
S. B. Elliott State Park: Located off PA Route 153, near I-80, offers picnicking, hunting, hiking, camping, rustic cabins and winter activities.
Moshannon State Forest: This 183,918-acre state forest stretches across northcentral Pennsylvania. Beautiful scenery abounds in several wild and natural areas. For additional state forest information contact: Moshannon State Forest, Telephone: 814-765-0821.
For information on nearby attractions, contact the Northwest Pennsylvania's Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau. www.pagreatoutdoors.com
Nearby Services
Services available in nearby towns: Penfield (5 miles) - convenience stores, restaurants, Laundromat, mechanics, gasoline stations, post office and car wash. Clearfield (17 miles south), DuBois (19 miles west) and St. Marys (20 northeast) offer shopping centers and hospitals.
In an Emergency
Contact a park employee or dial 911.
For directions to the nearest hospital, look on bulletin boards or at the park office.
Clearfield Hospital
809 Turnpike Avenue
Clearfield PA, 16830
814-765-5341
For More Information Contact
Parker Dam State Park
28 Fairview Road
Penfield, PA 15849-9799
814-765-0630
Manager: Beth Grove
E-mail: parkerdamsp@state.pa.us
An equal opportunity employer
Make online reservations or call toll-free 888-PA-PARKS, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, for state park information and reservations.
