Tuscarora State Park

Tuscarora State Park
Pennsylvania State Park
Natural Monument (IUCN III)
Tuscarora State Park
Named for: the Tuscarora
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Schuylkill
Township	Rush, Ryan, Schuylkill
Location	^[1]
- coordinates	40°48′00″N 76°01′29″W / 40.80000°N 76.02472°W / 40.80000; -76.02472Coordinates: 40°48′00″N 76°01′29″W / 40.80000°N 76.02472°W / 40.80000; -76.02472
- elevation	1,079 ft (329 m) ^[1]
Area	1,618 acres (655 ha)
Founded	June 26, 1971
Managed by	Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Location of Tuscarora State Park in Pennsylvania
Website : Tuscarora State Park

Tuscarora State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 1,618 acres (655 ha) in Rush, Ryan, Schuylkill Townships, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The most prominent features of the park are Locust Mountain and Tuscarora Lake. The park is named for the Tuscarora Indians, who lived in the area, following the Tuscarora War in North Carolina, until they were forced out by the colonial settlers of Pennsylvania. Tuscarora State Park is 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Tamaqua just off of Pennsylvania Route 309.

History

Tuscarora State Park is located in Locust Valley. This land was covered by an old-growth forest of eastern white pine, American chestnut, eastern hemlock, ash, hickory, elm, oak and cherry trees. The land was controlled at various times by the Susquehannock, Lenape and at the time of the arrival of colonial settlers, the Iroquois League of Five Nations.^[2]

Anthracite coal was discovered in Schuylkill County. The forests of the Locust Valley were harvested to provide lumber for supports in the coal mines and the various buildings and homes erected by the coal mining companies. Hemlock was used to produce leather goods in the tanneries that were built in the area. The massive destruction of the forests left the Locust Valley an area of shrubby land that was susceptible to flooding, erosion and wild fires. Some of the land was cleared and farmed.^[2]

The area in and around Tuscarora and Locust Lake State Parks was purchased by the Marchalonis family. They constructed Locust Lake and allowed the forests and the area to grow back. They sold their land to the state of Pennsylvania in 1966 and the parks were opened soon afterwards.^[2]

Recreation

Trails

The park has seven hiking trails that wander through deciduous forests, meadows and fields. The trails are all reclaimed logging roads, making them quite wide, and are not marked with identifying blazes.^[3]

Log Trail is an "easy" 0.3-mile (480 m) long hiking trail. This former logging road connects Laurel and Edge trails as it makes its way through a second growth forest.^[3]
Locust Mountain Trail is a "moderate" 0.4-mile (640 m) hiking trail. This trail ascends Locust Mountain from Crow Trail and passes through a second growth forest.^[3]
Laurel Trail is an "easy" 0.4-mile (640 m) grassy road that was built to gain access to the trees that died from severe gypsy moth caterpillar damage during the 1980s.^[3]
Lake View Trail is an "easy" 1-mile (1.6 km) trail that parallels Tuscarora Lake. This trail is sometimes used as a service road by park employees and park concessionaires.^[3]
Hill Trail is a "moderate" 0.3-mile (480 m) short, but steep trail that parallels a power line and provides easy and direct access to the picnic area and beach from the park office.^[3]
Edge Trail is an "easy" 0.3-mile (480 m) grassy trail. It forms a boundary between the forest and farmer's fields.^[3]
Crow Trail is an "easy" 1.4-mile (2.3 km) old dirt road. It passes through second growth forests, pine and larch plantations, grassy fields and an overgrown meadow.^[3]

Ferns and trees in the park

Tuscarora Lake

Tuscarora Lake is a warm water fishery containing bass, muskellunge, walleye, pickerel, catfish, yellow perch, trout and sunfish. Night fishing and ice fishing are permitted. The rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission apply. All boats must be either row boats or powerboats with electric motors. They must have a launch permit from the fish commission or valid registration from any state. Rowboats, canoes and pedal boats are available to rent.^[4]

The lake is open for swimming beginning on Memorial Day weekend and ending Labor Day weekend. Beginning in 2008 lifeguards will not be posted at the beach.^[5] The maximum depth of the lake in the swimming area is 5.5 feet (1.67 m).^[4]

Hunting

Hunting is permitted on about 1,100 acres (445 ha) of Tuscarora State Park. The hunting of groundhogs is prohibited. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The primary game species are squirrels, white-tailed deer, rabbits, pheasant, woodcocks, doves, turkey, and ruffed grouse.^[3]

Overnight area

Tuscarora has an overnight area with camping cottages and yurts.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within 30 miles (48 km) of Tuscarora State Park:^[6]^[7]^[8]

Beltzville State Park (Carbon County)
Hickory Run State Park (Carbon County)
Lehigh Gorge State Park (Carbon and Luzerne Counties)
Locust Lake State Park (Schuylkill County)
Nescopeck State Park ( Luzerne County)
Swatara State Park (Lebanon and Schuylkill Counties)

References

1 2 "Tuscarora State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. August 30, 1990. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
1 2 3 "Tuscarora State Park: History". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Tuscarora State Park". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
1 2 "Tuscarora-Locust Lake State Parks". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2007-02-13. Archived February 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
↑ "Pa. state parks going without life guards at beaches in 2008". The Times Leader. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
↑ "Find a Park by Region (interactive map)". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
↑ 2007 General Highway Map Schuylkill County Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). 1:65,000. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division. Retrieved 2007-07-27. (Note: shows Tuscarora State Park)
↑ Michels, Chris (1997). "Latitude/Longitude Distance Calculation". Northern Arizona University. Retrieved 2008-04-23.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tuscarora State Park.

"Tuscarora State Park official map" (PDF). (507.7 KB)

Protected areas of Pennsylvania

Federal

NPS National Historical Parks & National Historic Sites	Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS Edgar Allan Poe NHS Eisenhower NHS Friendship Hill NHS Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church NHS Hopewell Furnace NHS Independence NHP Steamtown NHS Valley Forge NHP

National Memorials	Benjamin Franklin Flight 93 Johnstown Flood Thaddeus Kosciuszko

National Battlefields and National Military Parks	Fort Necessity NB Gettysburg NMP

National Trails	Appalachian Trail

Other protected areas	Allegheny National Recreation Area Blue Marsh National Recreation Area Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area Middle Delaware National Scenic River Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

National Forests	Allegheny

USFS National Historic Sites	Grey Towers

National Wildlife Refuges	Cherry Valley Erie John Heinz Ohio River Islands

State

State Parks	Allegheny Islands Archbald Pothole Bald Eagle Beltzville Bendigo Benjamin Rush Big Pocono Big Spring Black Moshannon Blue Knob Boyd Big Tree Buchanan's Birthplace Bucktail Caledonia Canoe Creek Chapman Cherry Springs Clear Creek Codorus Colonel Denning Colton Point Cook Forest Cowans Gap Delaware Canal Denton Hill Elk Erie Bluffs Evansburg Fort Washington Fowlers Hollow Frances Slocum French Creek Gifford Pinchot Gouldsboro Greenwood Furnace Hickory Run Hillman Hills Creek Hyner Run Hyner View Jacobsburg Jennings Joseph E. Ibberson Kettle Creek Keystone Kings Gap Kinzua Bridge Kooser Lackawanna Laurel Hill Laurel Mountain Laurel Ridge Laurel Summit Lehigh Gorge Leonard Harrison Linn Run Little Buffalo Little Pine Locust Lake Lyman Run Marsh Creek Maurice K. Goddard McCalls Dam McConnells Mill Memorial Lake Milton Mont Alto Moraine Mt. Pisgah Nescopeck Neshaminy Nockamixon Nolde Forest Norristown Farm Ohiopyle Oil Creek Ole Bull Parker Dam Patterson Penn-Roosevelt Pine Grove Furnace Poe Paddy Poe Valley Point Presque Isle Prince Gallitzin Promised Land Prompton Prouty Place Pymatuning R. B. Winter Raccoon Creek Ralph Stover Ravensburg Reeds Gap Ricketts Glen Ridley Creek Ryerson Station S. B. Elliott Salt Springs Samuel S. Lewis Sand Bridge Shawnee Shikellamy Sinnemahoning Sizerville Susquehanna Susquehannock Swatara Tobyhanna Trough Creek Tuscarora Tyler Upper Pine Bottom Varden Warriors Path Washington Crossing Whipple Dam White Clay Creek Worlds End Yellow Creek

State Forests	Bald Eagle Buchanan Clear Creek Cornplanter Delaware Elk Forbes Gallitzin Loyalsock Michaux Moshannon Pinchot Rothrock Sproul Susquehannock Tiadaghton Tioga Tuscarora Weiser William Penn (Wild areas)

Scenic Rivers	Bear Run French Creek Lehigh River LeTort Spring Run Lick Run Lower Brandywine Octoraro Creek Pine Creek Schuylkill River Stony Creek Tucquan Creek Tulpehocken Creek Yellow Breeches Creek

Other

Other	Anders Run Natural Area Forrest H. Duttlinger Natural Area Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area Johnson Run Natural Area Stone Valley Recreation Area Trexler Nature Preserve Wykoff Run Natural Area

Hiking trails	Appalachian Baker Black Forest Central Mountains Shared Use Darlington Eastern Continental Five Star Glacier Ridge Great Eastern Greene River Horse-Shoe Indian Creek Valley Loyalsock Mid State Standing Stone Mason-Dixon North Country Ohio River Old Loggers Path Pinchot Potomac Heritage Quehanna Rachel Carson Sheepskin Susquehannock Thunder Swamp Tuscarora Valley Forge Historical West Rim Wissahickon Youghiogheny River

Rail trails	Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Beaver River East Coast Greenway Five Star Ghost Town Great Allegheny Passage Great Shamokin Path Greene River Indian Creek Valley Lebanon Valley Lehigh Gorge Liberty Bell Lower Montour Ohio River Palmer Bikeway Panhandle Perkiomen Pine Creek Plainfield Township Schuylkill River Sheepskin Struble Susquehanna Warrior Switchback Three Rivers Heritage York Country Heritage Youghiogheny River

Nature centers	List of nature centers in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

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