If you live in Pittsburgh or are just visiting the area, McConnells Mill is one of the best day…read moretrips around. It's only about 40 miles north up I-79, so it's an easy drive from the city, but it feels like a completely different world once you get down into the gorge. I've been going there for years with friends and family, and it became my go-to spot to take people when they would visit from out of town. Everyone always loves checking out the historic old gristmill and the red covered bridge right next to it. It's a great, classic view, and if you go during the summer, they usually open up the mill for tours so you can see how it all used to work. The hiking there is fantastic, too, with a good mix of trails depending on what you're up for. You can take a pretty easy walk back to Hell's Hollow Falls, or you can tackle the rougher, rockier trails that run right along Slippery Rock Creek. You definitely want to wear sturdy shoes because the terrain gets steep and the rocks get slick, but the scenery with the rushing whitewater and massive boulders is totally worth it. It's just a beautiful, simple place to get outdoors for a few hours. Whether you want a challenging hike or just want to sit by the water and look at the old bridge, it never disappoints.

Visited this state park for the first time earlier this month and had a blast!…read more I parked at what I think is the main lot, up above the mill itself. I didn't take a tour of the mill (which the park volunteers and staff do offer throughout the day) but I did walk through it and read the information in it about the history of the mill. Definitely enjoyed exploring and learning. That said, I was really there for the trails, so I spent most of my day hiking. I took a loop trail down from the mill and back (with a detour up a short trail to some falls) and it was great! I love being outside and I love a good challenge; these trails were not paved or even at all and I had a great workout navigating them. During hydration breaks I'd find a nice rock to sit on by the water, which was wonderful. It was noisy as heck by the mill because of the families, but the further out I got the more peaceful it got. Definitely met my goal of unplugging for a day during my trek on the trails. I want to come back in the future and begin to try to walk the Slippery Gorge Trail, as it sounds like the gorge is another beautiful part of the park. But that is definitely a long term goal, because that trail is not a short one! I loved visiting this park and I'd be back for sure. To everyone else, PLEASE remember water and wear the proper footwear - while I enjoyed my walk in the park, these trails are definitely not a walk in the park!

Been going here for 50 years . All the garbage has been cleaned up . Railing has been fixed , it's…read moretruly a beautiful place . It won't be long though when the view is gone , you can only see a very little bit of the river now because the trees are getting too tall . It needs cut all the way to the dirt road below like the old days when the whole river could be seen . Nice trails below , watch for snakes .

Just a beautiful site to see when everything is changing.I urge anyone in the area to of Kennerdell…read moreto stop and to see for themselves

This one is going to be a partial review. Why partial? Well, we barely scratched the surface of…read morewhat's at this beautiful state park and I want to come back to see more. On our way from Ohio to the other side of PA, we took a detour to get a look at where the modern petroleum industry got its start in this country. One big downside is that because this was ad-libbed, we entered the per se, "wrong side" of the park which doesn't have a much to see as the other side. Let me explain: As the below map shows, the park is laid out in a thin vertical line. Instead of arriving at the northern end where the Drake Well Musuem is, we showed up at the southern tip by the Egbert Farm Day Use Area. The big problem with that goes back to the adlibbing and not knowing that the bridge that leads over Oil Creek is long term closed to vehicles. It's possible to go around but it's a PIA and we didn't have enough time. www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/OilCreekStatePark/pages/maps.aspx We saw Coal Oil Johnny's House, some of the Blood Farm Area and walked a bit of the snowy/muddy Gerard Trail before we ran out of daylight. uncoveringpa.com/things-to-do-oil-creek-state-park Jim at unoveringpa.com has a great list of stuff to do in the park and later this year I'm hoping to do a longer tour of the area and hit this place up for a few days along with Cherry Springs and Hyner Run. We didn't spend a long time here, but the appetite has been whet for more.

This park is an intriguing blend of history and nature. This is the site of an oil boom town, and…read morethere are a number of historical indicators left memorializing it. An interpretive trail is located near the visitor's center that lets you stroll what used to be an old street in the town. None of the actual buildings remain, but the signage is great. There is a train visitor center where a train still runs through at times. There is also a nice playground and picnic tables available. The Blood Farm area is also beautiful - there's a nice large green space near the Oil Creek, with picnic tables, a playground, and shelterhouses. The Blood Farm Interpretive Trail provides an enjoyable short hike with some information about how the Blood Farm became a site where oil was discovered, and you can still find stopped off oil wells, old equipment and old farm buildings to view. Several waterfalls can be found here during certain times of year; unfortunately, the friendly staff told us that they weren't really running at the time of our visit. Very interesting park!

I take our dog to the dog park on a regular basis. It's always clean and well maintained. He…read morereally enjoys getting out, sniffing, running and interacting with dogs of his size and temperament. He's a small dog, shih tzu pit bull mix and is easy to get along with. Taking him there has gotten him on a more social level than just running around our yard. Also I can walk him around the park and let him be as active as he should be. Thank you for making a special place for our furry friends. They deserve it! Jade's Dog Park is truly a blessing for all dog parents . Thank you very much for caring about the special creatures in our lives

My husband and I came here for the day and were pleasantly surprised…read more It is $5 per person to get in. Food They have a snack bar with the typical food you would expect (hotdogs, nachos, pretzels, popcorn) you can purchase a cup and/or a popcorn bucket for $5 a piece and get refills all summer for $1. Pool The pool is amazing! Perfect place to bring children with two kids areas. The have a small rock climbing wall in the deep end by the diving boards. Three slides, one of which is very tall. Children 12 and under can take a swim test to be allowed to swim in the deep end and go on the diving boards and rock climbing wall. You are allowed to bring floating things like noodles etc. which was really nice. You can only bring goggles that don't have the nose part (scuba goggles?) regular goggles are okay. The deep end is 5ft and the diving area is 12ft. I believe I saw that they rent out life vests for children and they also sell swimming diapers. Adult Swim Depending on how you feel about this it will either be good or bad. At the start of every hour they make all of the children get out of the pool for 15 minutes. The only people allowed in the pool are adults and children under 5 who are accompanied by an adult within arms reach. Seating They have chairs that you can use with foot rests and little tables but you have to get here pretty early to get one unless you see someone leaving you can take theirs. I would recommend bringing chairs and blankets to sit and relax on. There is plenty of space to spread out and not be right next to someone else on the grass. They have a few covered areas that you can set up at if there is space left. They also have 2 covered picnic table areas with 4 picnic tables (although I'm sure those fill up fast) Parks We don't have children so we didn't go to the parks but it looked like there was a lot to do and that it was well maintained. Crowds We went on a Sunday and there were a lot of people there but it didn't feel "crowded". We had to wait in line to get snacks but when we wanted a drink or popcorn refill there was a separate line which was nice. Conclusion- we will defiantly be back it was a great day!

Great place to camp for the family and kids. Clean campground and fun swim holes. Several music…read moreevents each year. Would recommend the Midsummer Music Festival.

Discovered this park and met the owner/operator through a friend. It is such an awesome and…read morebeautiful place and the owner is a very kind, caring person.we had our wedding there and the owner has become one of my best friends.

My husband & I hiked here for the first time last week. Hopefully, it won't be the last time as we…read morereally enjoyed it & plan to come back to the area soon. We chose to hike the "Phyllis" trail which was deemed difficult. It was challenging & gave us a great workout which is exactly what we were looking for. We thoroughly enjoyed the scenery...beautiful park.

Clear Creek was an ideal getaway. The drive was through beautiful farm country. We did it in…read moreOctober so the fall colors were still abundant. The park is very well maintained. The trails range from flat family friendly to leg burning uphills.you can hike a tremendous variety but the most scenic seem to be near the creek or Clarion River. We loved it.

Another great visit to cook forest in the books!!! I grew up, coming to cook forest and fall in…read morelove again every time I visit. The fire tower is an absolute must, and although there are trails to take to reach the fire tower, I love the drive through the forest, the best. Since many are visiting the fire tower along with Seneca point I always try and visit earlier in the mornings when there's not a lot of people. I also am a fan of the lodging in the area. The cabins (River & McBeth) are very affordable & comfortable and sometimes we even stay nearby in Brookville. A lot to book up fast but they do have availability from time to time so even if its last minute, still check their websites. The sawmill is so fun to shop at as well as Parkers Indian trading Post. We love Cook Forest & will always return!!

I love visiting Cook Forest State Park! If you enjoy being outdoors, this is a place you should add…read moreto your bucket list. There is truly something here for everyone. If you're the hiking type, there are 52 miles of trails to explore. If you're a birder, you'll definitely want to grab your binoculars and check out different parts of the park, as numerous birds inhabit the forest. If you prefer spending a day on the water, you can go swimming in the Clarion River, as well as rent kayaks, canoes, and river tubes. It's not hard to find a good spot to fish, and in the winter you can also enjoy cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, sledding, and ice-skating. In my case, Cook Forest is just a couple of hours away - a day trip isn't out of the question. Still, it's so much nicer to spend an entire weekend in this beautiful place. Fortunately, that's pretty easy to do! Campgrounds and log cabins alike are available within the park. The cabins are very popular, but have no fear: there are hotels within driving distance of the park as well. Do keep in mind that cell service is not guaranteed here; this is totally OK in my book, but it does mean that having a rough idea of where you'll be driving is essential. Grab a map or write down some directions from Google Maps - then go forth and enjoy your time in this beautiful place!

Great place for nature walks of various lengths. There's a short boardwalk area on one side, a…read morelonger wooded walk, and a field area as well. As bury has a number of great programming for kids and families and a nice nature center too. A nice way to spend some time outdoors

Asbury Woods is such a gem! This review is only for the hike, but I will definitely come back to…read morecheck out the nature center and everything else Asbury Woods has to offer. TL;DR - Free parking, Greenway Trail is the longest, is not very strenuous (just a few hills) is very shaded (unless you continue into the meadows, which is beautiful, you should go!), there are boardwalks on the trail which is pretty nice so your shoes don't get as muddy, you can customize trail distance if you don't want to do the whole Greenway (you can take a map at the entrance), Walnut Creek is beautiful and peaceful, and it's dog and family friendly. I saw lots of families on the trail with young kids. So for the details, my bf and I were looking for a place to hike and we tend to go for 2+ mi with some shade along the trail and some body of water, big or small. I browsed the web for info on Asbury Woods trails and saw that they were all short but the pictures seemed really nice and it was within 10 minutes of where I live so I figured I'd give it a shot. While driving here, I noticed there are 2 lots to park, one by the park, and the other is across the street by the main entrance by the nature center. So that's where I parked. We took one of their trail maps by the entrance and decided to go on the Greenway Trail, which we were pleasantly surprised to find is 2.2 mi and crosses Walnut Creek. Along the trail, we realize it is pretty shaded. Checks off all that I look for in a hike! This trail is beautiful!! Once you get to Walnut Creek, you'll realize it is such a gem! There weren't too many people on the trail for a Saturday around noon. The trail takes you across a bridge and into a meadow. Once we got to the meadow, I realize there are multiple places to enter the Woods, but I guess Google Maps took me to the main entrance. (The other way is the barn entrance.) Have fun!!

most intriguing; quite a curious story behind it all. Very easy access. -and Brookville is a nice…read moreborough to visit (including the Cadillac Museum 5 weekends per year).

Scripture Rocks Heritage Park contains a well-maintained set of trails that meander among the…read morepark's namesake. The rocks here were carved in the early 1900s by Douglas M. Stahlman. The park includes several placards and a trail guide (for $1 donation) that explain the sad and curious story of Stahlman, and the history of how the scripture rocks came to be. The trails are color-coded, with the various carvings all clearly numbered along the way. (The numbers correspond to the listings in the trail guide.) The park is clearly marked by a large road sign. There is plenty of free parking. The park also has several picnic tables, a small picnic pavilion, and maybe the cleanest outhouse bathroom we've ever seen, at least the day we were there. There is also a shed with many brochures for other regional attractions. The park is free, but donations are welcome in cash donation receptacles. This is a small park, with relatively short trails that could be walked in an hour or less. But you can spend a lot longer time here, hours easily, if you stop at each rock carving along the way. The rocks are really works of art. The carvings are purposeful, intricate and truly fascinating to explore and investigate. You of course cannot deface, move, or alter the rocks in any way. But you can touch and trace and climb on the rocks. I crawled up on several rocks and traced the etchings with my finger. That alone was an effort that was tough on my knees and my back. I cannot even imagine the stress Stahlman put on his body to create these engravings in stone--truly awe-some! Scripture Rocks is a free public park with something here for religious and secular visitors alike. My husband and I are not religious nor Christian. But we had a serene time exploring the grounds, discussing along the way, stopping to contemplate and meditate, and just admiring the beauty of the carvings and the grandeur of the rocks. We were on a road trip to the area, and greatly enjoyed our time at Scripture Rocks. What a gem of an art, history, and nature attraction all in one in this lovely park.