A Tale Of Two Seasons. Two Very Different Hikes In Locust Lake State Park In Schuylkill County

It’s been almost 6 months since the last time I hiked in Locust Lake State Park in Schuylkill County. It  was on the 1st day of February and it was a lot different then the hike I took this past weekend.   It was a cold and windy Winter day. It was not a pleasant hike. Here is a link to my blog post from that  frigid February hike. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/snow-ice-and-wind-a-frigid-hike-in-locust-lake-state-park/

It was a  much different, and a more pleasant hike, when I returned  on Saturday. It was mostly sunny, with some high clouds,and a cool but comfortable 60 degrees when I arrived at the day use parking  lot around 8 a.m. . Unlike my hike in February,  the parking lot was filled with cars. And there was no snow! Everything  was lis, green and alive.   I walked down to the scenic  lake and found it was  already bustling with activity.  Folks, most of them campers, were biking, running or walking, some alone, some with friends and families, or with  their dogs on the road over the crest of the dam of scenic Locust Lake. There were also folks fishing along the shore or in boats on the lake. A much different scene then the wintery conditions I experienced 6 months ago.

I walked along the shore of the lake to the small moss covered  park store. It was open It was closed on my last few visits. A  few young campers were there on their bikes.

I peeked inside.   It was a  relic of past, and  I am sure many young campers will have pleasant memories of this quaint little shop in their  old age.

I continued on my hike, following the  access road to the campsites below the Brockton or Broad Mountain.   On past hikes I would hear the melodic and haunting songs of wood thrushes  echoing in the mature oak forest along the road. I didn’t hear any wood thrushes on this hike. I did hear the songs of the red-eyed vireos, a common bird in the mature forest of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

A few mushrooms grew in the woods along the road.  I enjoy foraging for , and eating wild mushrooms.  I wouldn’t eat this one. This beautiful mushroom is a deadly destroying angel.

I soon came to the campsites along the road.  Almost all were occupied. I loved hearing the voices of he many folks camping in this beautiful park.  I especially loved hearing the happy voices  of the children who were fortunate to have  parents who take them camping and  and introduce them to the beauty of nature.

I also loved the smell of the smoke from the campfires. It is one of my favorite  aromas and it took me back to the many wonderful times in my life I sat around a campfire with family and friends.

I hiked past the campsites and walked down to the small beach along Locust Lake. Here I found a group of folks participating in a religious ceremony along the lake.  This was good location to worship and give thanks for this beautiful world we live in.

Growing along the shores of the lake I saw some  jewelweed,

and large-leaved aster  flowers, both native to Pennsylvania.

There were also invasive wineberries ripening along the lake.These relatives of blackberries and raspberries  are delicious but are threatening native wildflowers.

I saw a few American robins foraging in the woods.

There were small acorns on the red oak trees along the lake, a sign that the end of   Summer was approaching.

I followed the road to the trails long Locust Creek where it enters  the lake.

I followed the trail along the creek where I saw some cinnamon ferns,

and a few different species of mushrooms, including I believe a rosy russula,

a blusher, a species of amanita mushroom and

a gray bolete mushroom. 

I came to a new bridge over the Locust Creek,

and followed the Oak Loop Trail which took me into a mature mostly  oak woodland.   Mountain laurel grew along the trail which climbed the slope of the Brockton or Broad Mountain.

In addition to the mature white and northern  red oak trees,

large and mature red maple, tulip trees, black tupelo and these white ash trees towered over the trail. Only a few rays of the morning sun filtered down through the thick canopy of leaves.

Pignut hickory nuts were scattered along the understory of the mature woodlands.

In this grove of ancient trees I saw a couple of migratory birds that nest in mature forest, A brightly colored male scarlet tanager was singing in the tree tops,

and I heard the raspy calls of a black throated green warbler,

and a blue-headed vireo  foraging for insects in the woods along the trail.

There were more cinnamon ferns, and sensitive ferns growing along the trail,

and well tea berry plants that were blooming. There red berries will be seen throughout our cold and long Winter.

The trail became rocky  as it climbed up the ridge,

and there were many fallen trees that were blocking the trail.

The trail became steeper as it switch backed  up  the hill side. 

There were now less mature trees in the woods along the trail with many older chestnut oak trees.   There was a lot more sunshine as I approached the top of the ridge. I could here the traffic from the nearby Burma Road  highway.

Mushrooms and fungi  still grew along the trail and I saw  Peck’s milky cap mushrooms,

yellow patches,

tawny  grisette mushrooms  both species of Amanita mushrooms.

I also saw these two mushroom which look alike but are not related. This is an edible gem studded puffball,

and this a pigskin poison puffball. It is not a puffball but is  actually a species of earthstar mushrooms. 

I also  saw some of these beautful but unusual fugus,  scambled egg or dog vomit fungus.

I now walked along the top of the ridge.  here I saw a juvenile red-bellied woodpecker,

and a juvenile eastern wood pewee.

The trail descended  the mountian ridge

and I came to a few rock outcrops.  Here I encountered a couple hiking up the trail, the only other people I saw on my hike on the Oak Loop Trail.

As I walked down the steep trail,

I saw a lot of lush green hay-scented ferns,

and sadly, I also found large matts  of Japanese stilt grass. I hate seeing this invasive species of grass. It destroys the habitat where native ferns, wildflowers and mushrooms grow.   It has destroyed beautiful area of cinnamon ferns on property I own.   

The trail  met up with the Locust Creek again. There were campsites on the other side of the creek, and I again heard the  sounds of families enjoying the outdoors, and smelled the wonderful aroma of the smoke from the campfires.

I found a lot of the same mushrooms growing along the creek and also some new ones, this is a hare’s ear fungus. I want to again remind every one who read’s my blog. I am not an expert on anything and rely on my iPhone apps and Google images for my identifications.   Please correct me if I misidentify something.

I saw an Acadian flycatcher,

and a wood thrush in the woods along the streams.  It was the only one I heard or saw on my hike.

I also encountered a lot of folks on the trail along the creek walking from their campsites down to Locust Lake.

The trail took me back to the lake,

where I stopped at the camp  amphitheather  along the lake and reflected on the many folks who  spent evenings here and the wonderful memeories it created for them  over the years.

I walked along the road, and past many campsites,  inhaling the wonderful aroma of the smoke from the campfires.

I came  back to the road over the crest of the dam, and followed a trail below the crest.

It took me through a meadow and down to the outflow pond from the lake.   Here  I saw some mid-Summer flowers still in bloom,

including invasive knapweed,

and native prairie fleabane. I was too late to see the milkweed in bloom. In past years I saw many wasps, bees and butterflies visiting the milkweed flowers. This year the milkweed plants had already produced their seed pods. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos of the fungi and plants  I saw on my  5 mile hike in the State Park.  Locust Lake fungi and plants  July 25 2026.

I didn’t see the monarch butterflies that visit the milkweed flowers but I did see  some silver spotted skipper butterflies,

and spicebush swallowtail butterflies visiting the wildflowers.

As I have in the past, I saw a few American goldfinches feeding on the  wildflower seeds in the meadow.

It was close to noon when I was finishing my 5 mile hike. The strong July sun  warmed the cool morning air and the temperature was now near 80 degrees.  I had hiked 2 miles before my drive to Locust Lake so I was tired. Walking up the steep steps from the pond to the road above the lake was not easy on my old legs.

I took one last look at the lake, so different  a scene from the walk I took on that frigid  February day.  I walked very quickly that cold and windy morning. It wasn’t a pleasant walk.  This hike  was so different.  I love the warm months when everything is so alive. There is so much beauty in our woodlands  and I love to look for it and share it here on my blog.   The Summers  seem to pass much faster every year as I grow older. So I try and take advantage of these warm and long days. Every day now we lose a few minutes of daylight. It won’t be long until the cold dark Winter returns. And complain as much as I do, I will still be taking my Winter hikes. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos from  my  5 mile hike.  Locust Lake July 25 2026.

“…But the air is perfumed
By the burning firewood
The seeds are bursting
The spring is a-seeping
Lay down my darling
Love ain’t for keeping…”   The Who 

“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” — Mary Davis