Tuscarora State Park, The Beach Is Empty But Still Lot To See And Do

It was another sunny and warm day near my home in Green Ridge but not so everywhere in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I decided to hike in Tuscarora State Park, about 12 miles south of my home. I was surprised to find  a thick cloud and fog cover when I got there. 

The park, packed most weekends in the Summer was deserted but I didn’t mind. It made for a nice quiet and peaceful hike. As some of you  may recall I hiked the Spirit of Tuscarora trail for the first time in the Spring and I wanted to see how it looked like in late Summer. 

I walked  along the lake on a path lined with ferns under a mainly pine and hemlock forest.  When i reached the Locust Creek the woods got older and where mainly oak and maple lined with rhododendrons. 

Unfortunately I stepped on a ground hornet nest and got stung three times. Not fun.  I continued along the creek and came upon the ancient Spirit of Tuscarora tree. 

It was quiet in the woods. One fellow jogged past me and the only animals I saw were the many squirrels and chipmunks gathering up the abundant acorn crop on the ground. There was a constant sound of the acorns falling from the trees and one did hit me on the head. 

I was hoping to find some mushrooms along the stream but no luck. I found only two older mushrooms the entire five mile hike.  I wanted to walk the stream like i did last time but made a wrong turn and found myself on a loop that took me back to the lake. 

It turned out okay since I was able to hike a few more of the trails in the park, i hiked up the wide, and step, Old Log trail. and made my way down the Laurel Loop trail   Again I found little wildlife activity but did hear a few ducks as I hiked down the trail and to the lake.

As I said the public beach was deserted and the Summer crowds of swimmers, picnickers and campers was gone now. There must have been a few folks camping since I did smell that wonderful aroma of a campfire when I arrived.

Nothing exciting or exotic but it was another nice day to be out hiking in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Here is a link to some more photographs I took on my hike today. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-5/nggallery/blog-photos/tuscarora-state-park-september-19-2015

“One may lack words to express the impact of beauty but no one who has felt it remains untouched. It is renewal, enlargement, intensification. The parks preserve it permanently in the inheritance of the American citizens.”
― Bernard DeVoto