Best Pennsylvania state parks for scenic ice skating PennLive.com 2/16/2021 Marcus Schneck, pennlive.com
Lakes in state parks across Pennsylvania often are surrounded by woodland that creeps right up to the shoreline in many spots, providing an idyllic setting for a bit of ice skating.
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources lists ice skating as an activity available in 47 state parks.
Most parks are described as skating “permitted on the natural ice of the lake as conditions permit.” Some monitor the thickness of the ice, which can be checked on the DCNR State Parks Winter Report.
A handful of parks go a bit further by designating and maintaining areas of their lakes for skating, even to the extent of providing lighting at night. Here’s a look at those 14:
Harrisburg, Pa. â Beginning this week, due to the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Commonwealth, all in-person programs staffed by state park employees and DCNR volunteers or friends groups have been canceled. The cancellations will remain in effect until further notice for all state parks.
The cancellation applies to all in-person programs on the parks calendars of events at events.dcnr.pa.gov. Virtual and self-guided programs may be offered.
First Day Hikes on January 1 have all been canceled, including those at Hills Creek, Lyman Run, and Sinnemahoning State Park.
Planning for in-person programs at five of the Hills Creek State Park Complex sites (Hills Creek, Lyman Run, Cherry Springs, Leonard Harrison, and Colton Point) is also impacted by this shutdown. No in-person programs will be held at the other three state parks in the complex (Prouty, Patterson and Denton Hill).