Sizerville State Park

The 386-acre Sizerville State Park is nearly surrounded by Elk State Forest and is near the largest blocks of state forest in the state. Sizerville has many interesting recreational and natural opportunities and is a good base to explore the nearby public lands.

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Directions - Weather  - Recreation  - Winter Activities  - Winter Report  - Environmental Education  - Calendar of Events  - Accessibility  - History  - Wildlife Watching  - Nearby Attractions  - Volunteers  - Rules and Regs  - In an Emergency  - Contact Us  - Downloadables and Maps

Park Advisories

Directions

Sizerville State Park is six miles north of Emporium on PA 155 in Cameron and Potter counties.

Recreational Opportunities

Hiking  - Picnicking  - Swimming  - Fishing  - Hunting  - Wildlife Watching  - Cross-country Skiing  - Snowmobiling  - Camping

Camping: showers and flush toilets
The 23-site campground opens the second Friday in April and closes after deer season in December. Facilities include flush toilets, showers and a sanitary dump station. Eighteen campsites have electricity. Five walk-in tent sites offer a secluded streamside setting. The park also features a play area and outdoor amphitheater. The maximum stay in this camping area is fourteen days during the summer season and 21 days during the off-season. Campers must vacate the park for 48 hours before setting up again. Pets are not permitted in overnight areas.

Explore the campground map.

Explore camping for more information.

Make a reservation

Picnicking: Six picnic pavilions and over 200 picnic tables are throughout the two picnic areas. These areas are mostly shaded with hardwoods, hemlock and white pine. Restrooms and playground facilities are available. 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. Horseshoe pits are nearby each pavilion. Accessible parking and picnic tables are throughout the day use areas. Make a reservation

Swimming: The 105-foot long concrete pool, with an adjacent wading pool, is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, unless otherwise posted. The maximum depth is five feet. There is a lift at the pool.

Fishing: Anglers will find that the east and west branches of Cowley Run, which flow through the park, contain brook and brown trout. Cowley Run is a high quality stream offering mountain freestone fishing at its best. It is not unusual to catch native brook trout in these waters. Nearby, the Portage and Driftwood branches of the Sinnemahoning Creek provide anglers with an opportunity to fish for smallmouth bass and trout. All streams receive spring stockings and are under the laws of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

For complete information on fishing rules and regulations in Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Web site.

Hiking: 5 miles of trails
The hiking trail system offers a series of five loop trails. The Bottomlands, Campground and North Slope trails take the visitor through a variety of lowland habitats and are relatively easy to walk making them ideal for hikers of any age.

The Sizerville Nature Trail is a three-mile loop that nearly everyone can enjoy. It has educational stopping points. Maps are available in the park office.

Nady Hollow Trail Nady Hollow Trail is a 1.5-mile loop that ascends a 1,900-foot mountain. Proper footwear is recommended for any hiking and is essential for the Nady Hollow Trail.

Nady Hollow Connector is a less challenging alternative to Nady Hollow Trail.

Sizerville State Park is also a trailhead for the Bucktail Path Trail, which is part of an extensive trail system throughout the northern tier region of central Pennsylvania.

For Your Safety: If you are planning to hike from the park onto the Elk State Forest trail system, be sure you have an Elk State Forest map and advise park personnel of your hiking plans.

Hunting and Firearms: About 200 acres are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are deer, turkey, grouse, bear and squirrel. Hunting is permitted on the Elk State Forest lands that adjoin the park.

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 accessible hunting information.

Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. The park is used by other visitors 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.

Winter Activities

The average yearly snowfall is 60-70 inches. The park provides parking and restrooms. Explore the Winter Report for current snow and ice depths.

Snowmobiling: The two miles of park trails provide access to 66 miles of groomed snowmobile trails on adjacent state forest land.

Cross-country Skiing: Park trails provide access to many miles of trails on adjacent state forest land.

Environmental Education and Interpretation

The park offers a wide variety of 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. For more detailed information contact the park office.

The Environmental Education Building provides exhibits and information on what to do and see while in the area. The native plantings surrounding the building include a butterfly garden that attracts many species of these flying jewels.

Explore the Calendar of Events for a listing of events from today forward.

Explore environmental education and interpretation for more information.

Annual Autumn Festival

Held the first Saturday of October, weather permitting, this festival is a celebration of old time skills and crafts. There are make-it and take-it crafts, examples of old time crafts like quilting, tatting, bee keeping, woodcarving and candle making, and lots of good food. Contact the park office for more information.

Access for People with Disabilities

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)

Wildlife Watching

In the spring and summer, small woodland flowers, flowering trees and mountain laurel blossom in profusion, adding their loveliness to the park and surrounding area. During the fall, the flaming foliage of the mixed hardwood forest provides a colorful backdrop for visitors to enjoy the park. The topography of the entire park is a severely dissected plateau with narrow stream valleys.

Volunteers

The Conservation Volunteer Program encourages individuals, groups, and/or corporations to help the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources carry out its mission of stewardship in state parks and state forestlands. Contact the park office for more information about volunteer opportunities at Sizerville State Park. Current volunteer opportunities at Sizerville State Park:

Campground Hosts
Annual Autumn Festival
Trail Maintenance
Naturalist Assistant
Litter Picker

Explore here for more information on volunteering for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

History

Sizerville State Park opened for public use in 1924 with the first facilities built in 1927. The name "Sizerville" comes from a logging boomtown of the same name that flourished around the turn of the century. Sizerville itself was named for the Sizer family who were, according to local legend, the first settlers in the area.

Beautiful white pines and hemlocks grace Sizerville and bring to the visitor's eye and mind a quiet, relaxed atmosphere. The pines were planted in the 1930s as a conservation effort by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Several thousand acres in and around the park were planted to replace the massive tracts of old growth timber logged at the turn of the century.

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

The East Branch of Cowley Run, located in the park, has historical significance in game management in Pennsylvania. In 1917, a pair of beavers was presented to the Pennsylvania Game Commission by the State of Wisconsin because beavers had become extirpated in Pennsylvania. This first pair was released on East Branch Cowley Run, and beavers are still found in the area. Elk once lived throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Now through the efforts of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Bureau of Forestry, reintroduction of this majestic animal to the Commonwealth has succeeded. Pennsylvania's only elk herd lives in the mountainous, mostly wooded area of Elk, Clinton and Cameron counties.

Nearby Attractions

For information on nearby attractions, please contact the Northwest Pennsylvania Great Outdoors, 800-348-9393, www.pagreatoutdoors.com.

Sinnemahoning State Park: Featuring the 142-acre George B. Stevenson Reservoir, Sinnemahoning has camping, picnicking and wildlife watching. 814-647-8401.

State Forests: Elk and Susquehannock state forests are open to hunting, fishing, hiking and general recreation. Elk State Forest, 814-486-3353. Susquehannock State Forest, 814-274-3600.

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.

Nearest Hospital:
Charles Cole Memorial Hospital
1001 East Second Street
Coudersport, PA 16915
814-274-9300

For More Information Contact

Sizerville State Park
199 E Cowley Run Road
Emporium, PA 15834-9608
814-486-5605
Manager: Vacant

E-mail: sizervillesp@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.

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