Springtime in Pennsylvania means a plethora of outdoor activities for millions of people and Pennsylvania’s Canoe Creek State Park is just one of the many excellent destination options.

Few things in life are better than relaxing on the bank of a quiet pond or stream with a fishing rod in your hand.

Surrounded by the melodies of songbirds and a few croaking bullfrogs hiding in the cattails. Suddenly a splash of a largemouth bass or trout enjoying a midday snack shatters the mirror-like surface of the water.

The afternoon soon arrives with a gentle breeze of warm spring air mixed with the sweet smell of honeysuckle and you have a small taste of heaven.

Lately, my family and I have been spending a lot of time fishing at Canoe Creek, one of our local state parks in central Pennsylvania.

The weather has been beautiful here even when it rains. My children and grandchildren have a blast catching lots of little sunfish from the “Beaver Ponds” on the east side of the lake near where Canoe Creek flows in. We even managed to catch a few trout in the stream above and below the Lake.

If you happen to be in the Blair County area and you have some free time, I recommend that you visit Canoe Creek. It’s not too far out of the way from most of the county and like most state parks in the Keystone State, there is no entrance fee.

As a fairly small park, it is easy to see much of Pennsylvania’s Canoe Creek State Park in just an afternoon or two.

Canoe Creek State Park

Canoe Creek State Park is a 961-acre state park located about 12 miles from Altoona in Frankstown Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania.

Some of the outdoor opportunities that Canoe Creek State Park offers are:

• Fishing
• Boating (with electric motors only)
• Biking
• Hunting
• Swimming
• Picnicking
• Wildlife watching
• Horseback riding
• Disc Golf
• Ice Skating
• Cross-country Skiing
• Sled Riding

Boating

There are two non-powered boat launches and two powered boat launches on the lake. Boating on Canoe Lake is limited to electric motors only.

Boat rentals are available for kayaks, canoes, rowboats, paddle boats, and standup paddle boards.

Fishing

The main attraction at Pennsylvania’s Canoe Creek State Park is the 155-acre Canoe Lake.

The lake is home to several species of fish including trout, bass, perch, sunfish, crappie, carp, walleye, chain pickerel, and muskellunge.

Canoe Lake is open to fishing year-round including ice fishing.

To help promote larger and healthier populations of bass, Canoe Lake and the two small ponds are part of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission’s Big Bass Program and therefore are subject to special regulations.

A habitat improvement map of Canoe Lake is available on the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s website.

The park features two cold-water trout streams with easy access: Mary Anne’s Creek and Canoe Creek.

Annual Panfish Derby

The Blair Bassmasters Fishing Club hosts an annual pan-fish derby for children ages 3- 16 at Canoe Creek State Park. For more information about this check out their website at http://www.blairbassmasters.com/homepage

For information regarding fishing and boating regulations, visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission website at https://www.fishandboat.com/Pages/default.aspx

Hunting

Approximately 550 acres are open to hunting within Canoe Creek State Park for deer, rabbit, squirrel, ruffed grouse, and pheasant. All Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations apply.

Staying Overnight

There are eight modern cabins that each sleep six people and are available for overnight visits throughout the year. The cabins overlook Canoe Lake and are within walking distance of the swimming area, ball field, playground, and food concession.
Click here for more information about cabins at Canoe Creek State Park.

Twelve Miles of Hiking Trails

Nine marked hiking trails range from just one-half mile to over three miles in length allowing you to explore the fields, forests, and shoreline or visit sites like the old Blair Limestone Company Kiln and the Hartman Kiln remnants and quarries.

We have explored several of the trails with our children and grandchildren ages 4 through 8 including the Moore’s Hill trail which is the longest and most difficult. Make sure to take along some water and a camera.

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Biking

A one-mile bike trail runs from the East Shore day-use area out to US Route 22 at Flowing Spring Station. From there, it connects to the Lower Trail (Lower rhymes with flower) for sixteen and one-half miles along the Frankstown branch of the Juniata River through Williamsburg, PA, and then on to Alfarata Station in Huntingdon County near Alexandria, PA.

Disc Golf

Canoe Creek State Park also offers a Nine Basket Disc Golf Course in the main day-use area.
Click here for more information on Disc Golf.

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Sand Beach

The beach area is open from late May until September and includes a bathhouse as well as a food concession area.
Beach Area GPS Coordinates 40.486163, -78.283682

Smoking is prohibited on the beach and in the swimming area.

Wildlife Watching

Canoe Creek State Park is home to a diverse population of wildlife from white-tailed deer, grouse, and turkey to birds of prey like bald eagles and osprey.

The wetlands around the park provide habitat for waterfowl passing through the area during their spring and autumn migration. Wildlife checklists can be obtained at the education center (40.486163, -78.283682) or park office (40.480445, -78.290937).

Frank Fellbaum Bat Sanctuary

Along with the lake and the Kilns, another very popular attraction at Canoe Creek State Park is the bats. During summer evenings you can observe what was once one of the largest nursing colonies of little brown bats located in Pennsylvania leaving their nest at the “Bat Church”.

The church was originally the Canoe Creek Church of the Brethren. Canoe Creek State Park purchased the church in the late 1980s and it is now named the “Frank Fellbaum Bat Sanctuary“. It is located on Turkey Valley Road just outside the main entrance to the Park.

Prior to 2009, there were approximately 19,000 little brown bats residing in the church. In 2009 the little brown bat colony was attacked by white-nose syndrome and it is estimated that approximately 98% of the colony was lost. One estimate is that there were only 10 individual bats left.

The colony is starting to make a recovery and the bat church population is close to 250 bats at the present time.

Additionally, within the park, there are abandoned limestone mines and mine shafts that are home to about 400 Little Brown Bats. The mines are gated to protect the bats.

Before 2009, the population of this colony of bats was approximately 35,000. After the white-nose syndrome attack, the population plummeted down to about 70 individual bats.

Bat Watching

At nightfall, you can watch the bats leave through the small window at the top of the building. The bats leave one or two at a time becoming more numerous until they have all left the building.

Just before sunrise the bats gather outside of the church and swirl around outside of the building. They do this as a social gathering. When they have all returned, they proceed to enter the building all at the same time.

The park requests that you remain behind the signs posted while observing the bats so that the cemetery is not disturbed.

Race to Save Pennsylvania Bats is an Emmy Award-winning documentary produced by WQED Multimedia in Pittsburgh.

Be sure to check the Events Calendar List on Canoe Creek’s main page often since there are many educational programs available for learning about bats and other nature and park-related subjects.

Blair Limestone Company Kiln

Operating during the early 1900s, the Blair Limestone Company processed limestone quarried from the area by heating it in the kilns.

You can visit some of the remnants of the Blair Limestone Company Kiln on the Limestone Loop trail. There are a few quarries located within the park and can be seen around the Moore’s Hill area.

Friends of Canoe Creek State Park

The Friends of Canoe Creek State Park is an organization formed in the fall of 2013 as a chapter of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation.

This organization is a group of individuals who care deeply for Canoe Creek State Park and want to take their desire to help the park to the next level.

Their mission is to promote the educational and recreational opportunities within the park by creating, maintaining, and enhancing park facilities, programs, and natural resources for the community.

Some of the projects the Friends of Canoe Creek State Park have completed are the butterfly garden with native plants located near the education center and the playground located next to the beach. The playground cost was about $25,000.

For more information about the Friends of Canoe Creek State Park  
Facebook page – Friends of Canoe Creek State Park

Pennsylvania State Parks & State Forests Passport

Be sure to get your Pennsylvania State Parks & State Forests Passport checked when you visit the park. The passport is a way to keep track of the 121 state parks and 20 state forest districts that you have visited in the commonwealth.

Directions and Information

From Hollidaysburg PA, at the intersection of US Route 22 and PA Route 36, follow US Route 22 east for 6.8 miles. Turn left onto Turkey Valley Road for .6 miles. Turn Right on Canoe Creek Road.

From Huntington PA, at the intersection of US Route 22 and PA Route 26, follow US Route 22 west for 19.5 miles. Turn Right onto Turkey Valley Road for .6 miles. Turn right on Canoe Creek Road.

GPS Coordinates – Decimal Degree Lat. Long
Park Office 40.480445, -78.290937
Education Center 40.486163, -78.283682
Beach Area 40.486163, -78.283682

Canoe Creek State Park
205 Canoe Creek Road
Hollidaysburg, PA 16648-9752
814-695-6807
Email – canoecreeksp@pa.gov
Website – https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/CanoeCreekStatePark/Pages/default.aspx
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CanoeCreekSP

Maps of Canoe Creek State Park
https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/CanoeCreekStatePark/Pages/Maps.aspx

For information on other Pennsylvania State Parks and Forests, visit www.visitPAparks.com.

Conclusion

Have you ever visited Canoe Creek State Park? If you have, let us know how you liked it and what your favorite part is.

If you have any recommendations or tips that you would like to share, please let us know in the comments.

We hope that you have enjoyed your visit and this was helpful.

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