I visited it twice this summer for a little swimming and hiking after just googling it. It far…read moreexceeded my expectations. I love open water swimming, so I was pleased to have an area dedicated to swimming. Ok, I wish we could swim in the whole lake, but I'll take what I can get. The man-made was well used by all and seems like a nice place for people that can't get to a real beach. It seemed very family friendly. Good place for picnics. Several good hikes ranging from 20 minutes upward. The staff in the station helped me pick one that was just perfect for what we would looking for. Enjoy our state parks!

Been to MANY state parks across the state and have definitely been to better. We arrived and the…read moreweather was not great in early June. (They were calling for a possible tornado and we left early in order to get to the park before the bad wether.) We got there an hour early before check in and our cabin wasn't ready. Fine! We drove around and explored the park. There were booked pavilions with kids birthdays and a couple of graduations. We saw one park ranger with a tactical vest on and couldnt figure out why. We've NEVER seen rangers with those types of vests on especially since he was only walking around checking in with the kids birthday parties and graduations. Seemed totally excessive for the tactile gear. We came back 15 minutes before check in to the office thinking they would give us the key since the horrible weather started and they still told us to come back at 3. It was a torrential downpour and calling for a tornado we were forced to wait in our car for the 15 minutes. Went back in at 3 and they finally gave us our keys. We stayed at a cabin and the bathrooms definitely need a HUGE remodel. Once the rain stopped the ranger in the tacticle gear made it a point to come by our cabin and creep around. We thought that was weird. We stayed 4 nights and every single night the cabin beside our played very loud church music. It started at 6pm and went on until about 10 pm. Every. Single. Night. The whole cabin colony heard it. Quiet hours were to start at 9 pm. No one from the park office ever told them to stop playing their church music. We had no peace and were forced to listen to it for our entire trip every night we were at our cabin. We will not be back to this park. There are plenty of other state parks that are WAY more welcoming than this one.

I lost my shoes and I stepped on a crab which pinched in between my toes. It was very very painful…read moreand now I can't walk. The water was very nice though.

Small lake with free parking. There are no facilities here. There is a hiking area on the side of…read morethe lake. Nice place to stop and rest if you are in the area.

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!

Amazing park with a lot to offer. There are playgrounds and places to picnic and fish…read more It's also home to many unusual species of birds. Besides the obvious places along the creek and lakes, there is also a nice system trails for hiking and birding. There's a Frisbee golf course which is prized by that community.

Very nice park, kids had many different options for activities at the park, love that there is a…read morelittle spray park, just wish there was some canopies since the slides and stuff get very hot

Elk State Park is home to the East Branch Lake, which is, by far, the main draw here (and is…read moreliterally how it was described by the friendly staff person at Kinzua Bridge State Park who was telling us about the other state parks in the region). If you are looking to go boating or do some fishing, that this may be the park for you. The docks are private and labeled with no trespassing signs and there is no beach or swimming permitted. There is a nearby campground and a public trail that goes along part of the lake. A picnic table and grill are available at the trailhead. It is, however, adjacent to the USACE Dam Area, which offers additional recreational opportunities.

This is a beautiful and beautifully maintained rail trail along the Allegheny River. Very scenic -…read morehills, trees, and river views for pretty much the whole length from East Brady to Kittanning. Also a completely flat and nearly car-free 30ish mile bike ride in Western PA - not too easy to find either of those things. Highly recommended for a day's excursion on bikes.

I think it's a great safe and scenic place to hike and enjoy the view of the river. It's miles and…read moremiles long it almost goes to Pittsburgh Through a lot of towns. It's great for riding bikes because most of it is paved and you can see lots of wildlife.

I hit the Lakeside Beach on the North Shore today & enjoyed my visit. There is a large gravel…read moreparking lot, a concession stand & restrooms. There is a paved slope path down to the water so could push a stroller or wheelchair to the sand area. The beach is unguarded. You are supposed to swim in the roped area, but people swam outside of it due to being a busy 95 degree Saturday. It was only about 4 feet deep even out past rope that says 5 feet. There are shaded tree areas on hillside. The sandy area I preferred to South shore's Pleasantville beach. Definitely recommend for a swim or for sitting in the sun or the shade near the lake with a beautiful view.

This park is beautiful and has many types of trains as well as a lake for swimming and boating…read more Check the web site for their special events.

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!