Poe Valley State Park
Encyclopedia
Poe Valley State Park is a 620 acres (251 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Penn Township
, Centre County
, Pennsylvania
in the United States. The park is surrounded by Bald Eagle State Forest
. Poe Paddy State Park
is 4 miles (6.4 km) to the west. The forests of the park surround the 25 acres (10.1 ha) Poe Lake. Poe Valley State Park is in isolated Poe Valley which lies between Potters Mills on U.S. Route 322
and Millheim
on Pennsylvania Route 45
. The park will be closed for the 2008 and 2009 season while the lake is drained for dam repairs and the park facilities are upgraded.
were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
during the Great Depression
of the 1930s. The young men of the CCC also worked to clear the regrowing forests of brush to prevent forest fires
. They constructed roads throughout the forests, built state park facilities, constructed bridges on the state roads, planted trees for reforestation, and cleaned stream
s.
on Big Poe Creek during the Great Depression
. The lake provides a habitat for perch
, pickerel
, sunfish
, catfish
, and trout
. Fishing
is permitted in the lake, and non-powered boats such as canoes, kayaks, and johnboats are allowed if they are properly registered with any state. Powered boats must have electric motors as gas powered motors are prohibited. The beach is open from Memorial Day
weekend until Labor Day
weekend. Ice fishing
and ice skating
are permitted at the lake during the winter months. Visitors fish and skate at their own risk: the thickness of the ice is not monitored.
is permitted on 450 acres (182.1 ha) of Poe Valley State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission
. The common game species are Ruffed Grouse
, squirrels
, turkey
, white-tailed deer
, and black bears
. The hunting of groundhog
s is prohibited. The shores of Poe Lake are closed to hunting.
and ends in Poe Valley State Park. The other trails in the park all connect with the system of hiking trails in Bald Eagle State Forest
. The Pennsylvania Mid State Trail
, a hiking trail 306 miles (492.5 km) long, passes through Poe Valley. Hunters use the trails to access Bald Eagle State Forest. During the winter the trails are open to cross-country skiing
and recreational snowmobile
use.
season in mid December. There are no showers or flush toilets at the campground. A sanitary dump station is provided. Campers are permitted to moor their boats near the dam on Poe Lake. The campground is just below the dam on Big Poe Creek. The picnic area is on the shore of the lake and provides tables, pavilions
and charcoal grills.
Penn Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania
Penn Township is a township in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,044 at the 2000 census...
, Centre County
Centre County, Pennsylvania
Centre County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 153,990....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States. The park is surrounded by Bald Eagle State Forest
Bald Eagle State Forest
Bald Eagle State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #7. The main office is located in Laurelton in Union County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The forest is found in Centre, Clinton, Mifflin, Snyder, and Union Counties...
. Poe Paddy State Park
Poe Paddy State Park
Poe Paddy State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Haines Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrounded by Bald Eagle State Forest. Poe Valley State Park is to the east. The park is at the confluence of Big Poe Creek and Penns Creek. Poe Paddy State Park is...
is 4 miles (6.4 km) to the west. The forests of the park surround the 25 acres (10.1 ha) Poe Lake. Poe Valley State Park is in isolated Poe Valley which lies between Potters Mills on U.S. Route 322
U.S. Route 322
U.S. Route 322 is a long, east–west United States Highway, traversing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The road is a spur of U.S. Route 22 and one of the original highways from 1926...
and Millheim
Millheim, Pennsylvania
Millheim is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...
on Pennsylvania Route 45
Pennsylvania Route 45
Pennsylvania Route 45 or State Route 45 is an long state highway located in central Pennsylvania. PA 45 is called the Purple Heart Highway.The western terminus of the route is at Pennsylvania Route 453 in the Morris Township near the community of Water Street...
. The park will be closed for the 2008 and 2009 season while the lake is drained for dam repairs and the park facilities are upgraded.
History
Poe Valley State Park and nearby Poe Paddy State ParkPoe Paddy State Park
Poe Paddy State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Haines Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrounded by Bald Eagle State Forest. Poe Valley State Park is to the east. The park is at the confluence of Big Poe Creek and Penns Creek. Poe Paddy State Park is...
were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s. The young men of the CCC also worked to clear the regrowing forests of brush to prevent forest fires
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
. They constructed roads throughout the forests, built state park facilities, constructed bridges on the state roads, planted trees for reforestation, and cleaned stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s.
Poe Lake
Poe Lake is a man-made lake covering 25 acres (10.1 ha), built by the Civilian Conservation CorpsCivilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
on Big Poe Creek during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The lake provides a habitat for perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
, pickerel
American pickerel
The American pickerels are two subspecies of Esox americanus, a species of freshwater fish in the pike family of order Esociformes: the redfin pickerel, E. americanus americanus Gmelin, 1789, and the grass pickerel, E. americanus vermiculatus Lesueur, 1846.Both subspecies are native to North America...
, sunfish
Centrarchidae
The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...
, catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, and trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
. Fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
is permitted in the lake, and non-powered boats such as canoes, kayaks, and johnboats are allowed if they are properly registered with any state. Powered boats must have electric motors as gas powered motors are prohibited. The beach is open from Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
weekend until Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
weekend. Ice fishing
Ice fishing
Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice anglers may sit on the stool in the open on a frozen lake, or in a heated cabin on the ice, some with bunks and amenities.-Locations:It is a popular pastime...
and ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
are permitted at the lake during the winter months. Visitors fish and skate at their own risk: the thickness of the ice is not monitored.
Hunting
HuntingHunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
is permitted on 450 acres (182.1 ha) of Poe Valley State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission
Pennsylvania Game Commission
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is the state agency responsible for wildlife conservation and management in Pennsylvania in the United States...
. The common game species are Ruffed Grouse
Ruffed Grouse
The Ruffed Grouse is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is non-migratory.The Ruffed Grouse is frequently referred to as a "partridge"...
, squirrels
Eastern Gray Squirrel
The eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada...
, turkey
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
, white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, and black bears
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
. The hunting of groundhog
Groundhog
The groundhog , also known as a woodchuck, whistle-pig, or in some areas as a land-beaver, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other marmots, such as the yellow-bellied and hoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but...
s is prohibited. The shores of Poe Lake are closed to hunting.
Trails
Reeds Gap Spur Trail is a hiking trail 18 miles (29 km) long, that begins in Reeds Gap State ParkReeds Gap State Park
Reeds Gap State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Armagh Township, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is largely a wilderness area with large white pine and hemlock trees. Honey Creek flows through the park, providing a habitat for trout. Reeds Gap State Park is from U.S...
and ends in Poe Valley State Park. The other trails in the park all connect with the system of hiking trails in Bald Eagle State Forest
Bald Eagle State Forest
Bald Eagle State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #7. The main office is located in Laurelton in Union County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The forest is found in Centre, Clinton, Mifflin, Snyder, and Union Counties...
. The Pennsylvania Mid State Trail
Pennsylvania Mid State Trail
The Mid State Trail is a long main trail network with many side trails located in the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians and Allegheny Plateau of Central Pennsylvania. It is known as "The Wildest Trail in Pennsylvania"...
, a hiking trail 306 miles (492.5 km) long, passes through Poe Valley. Hunters use the trails to access Bald Eagle State Forest. During the winter the trails are open to cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
and recreational snowmobile
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
use.
Camping and picnicking
The rustic campground opens with trout season on the second Friday in April and closes at the end of doeWhite-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
season in mid December. There are no showers or flush toilets at the campground. A sanitary dump station is provided. Campers are permitted to moor their boats near the dam on Poe Lake. The campground is just below the dam on Big Poe Creek. The picnic area is on the shore of the lake and provides tables, pavilions
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
and charcoal grills.
Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within 30 miles (48.3 km) of Poe Valley State Park:- Bald Eagle State ParkBald Eagle State ParkBald Eagle State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Howard, Liberty, and Marion townships in Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park includes the Joseph Foster Sayers Reservoir, formed by damming Bald Eagle Creek and other smaller streams and covering . Bald Eagle State Park...
(Centre County) - Bucktail State Park Natural AreaBucktail State Park Natural AreaBucktail State Park Natural Area is a Pennsylvania state park in Cameron and Clinton Counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park follows Pennsylvania Route 120 for between Emporium and Lock Haven...
(CameronCameron County, PennsylvaniaAs of the census of 2000, there were 5,974 people, 2,465 households, and 1,624 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile . There were 4,592 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
and Clinton CountiesClinton County, PennsylvaniaAs of the census of 2000, there were 37,914 people, 14,773 households, and 9,927 families residing in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile . There were 18,166 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
) - Greenwood Furnace State ParkGreenwood Furnace State ParkGreenwood Furnace State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Jackson Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is near the historic iron making center of Greenwood Furnace. The park includes the ghost town of Greenwood that grew up around the ironworks, old roads and...
(Huntingdon CountyHuntingdon County, PennsylvaniaHuntingdon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, its population was 45,913.Huntingdon County was created on September 20, 1787, from part of Bedford County. Its county seat is Huntingdon.-Geography:According to the U.S...
) - McCalls Dam State ParkMcCalls Dam State ParkMcCalls Dam State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Miles Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in the eastern most tip of Centre County, south of Clinton County and north of Union County. McCalls Dam State Park is in a remote location on a dirt road between...
(Centre County) - Penn-Roosevelt State ParkPenn-Roosevelt State ParkPenn-Roosevelt State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Harris Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrounded by Rothrock State Forest. Penn-Roosevelt State Park is miles from U.S...
(Centre County) - Poe Paddy State ParkPoe Paddy State ParkPoe Paddy State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Haines Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrounded by Bald Eagle State Forest. Poe Valley State Park is to the east. The park is at the confluence of Big Poe Creek and Penns Creek. Poe Paddy State Park is...
(Centre County) - R. B. Winter State ParkR. B. Winter State ParkR. B. Winter State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Hartley Township, Union County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is in the ridge and valley region of Pennsylvania and is surrounded by Bald Eagle State Forest. R. B. Winter State Park is in a shallow basin that is surrounded by ridges...
(Union CountyUnion County, Pennsylvania-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 41,624 people, 13,178 households, and 9,211 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile . There were 14,684 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
) - Reeds Gap State ParkReeds Gap State ParkReeds Gap State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Armagh Township, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is largely a wilderness area with large white pine and hemlock trees. Honey Creek flows through the park, providing a habitat for trout. Reeds Gap State Park is from U.S...
(Mifflin CountyMifflin County, PennsylvaniaMifflin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 46,682. Its county seat is Lewistown. It is named after Thomas Mifflin, the first Governor of Pennsylvania.-Geography:...
) - Sand Bridge State ParkSand Bridge State ParkSand Bridge State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Lewis Township, Union County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is the smallest state park in Pennsylvania and consists of a picnic area just off Pennsylvania Route 192. It has three picnic pavilions that were built by the...
(Union County) - Whipple Dam State ParkWhipple Dam State ParkWhipple Dam State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Jackson Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Whipple Lake is a man-made lake on that was originally built during the height of the lumber era that swept through Pennsylvania in the late 19th and early 20th...
(Huntingdon County)