Hills Creek State Park

Hills Creek State Park
Pennsylvania State Park
Natural Monument (IUCN III)
A view of Hills Creek Lake from the main parking area near the park office.
Named for: Hills Creek
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Tioga
Township	Charleston
Location	^[1]
- coordinates	41°48′48″N 77°10′00″W / 41.81333°N 77.16667°W / 41.81333; -77.16667Coordinates: 41°48′48″N 77°10′00″W / 41.81333°N 77.16667°W / 41.81333; -77.16667
- elevation	1,614 ft (491.9 m) ^[1]
Area	407 acres (165 ha)
Founded	1953
Managed by	Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Location of Hills Creek State Park in Pennsylvania
Website : Hills Creek State Park

The entrance sign for Hills Creek State Park

Hills Creek State Park is a 407-acre (165 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Charleston Township, Tioga County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Hills Creek Lake, a 137-acre (55 ha) man-made lake, is the focal point of the park. It is open for year-round recreation. Hills Creek State Park is in the Allegheny Plateau region of Pennsylvania, just north of U.S. Route 6 near the boroughs of Wellsboro and Mansfield.

History

Hills Creek State Park was opened for public use in 1953. The land had previously been used as a pigment mine for the paint industry. The park is named for Hills Creek which runs through it and is dammed to make Hills Creek Lake. Hills Creek gets its name from Captain William Hill, one of the first settlers in the area around 1820.^[2] In 2000 the park became part of the "Hills Creek State Park Complex", an administrative grouping of eight state parks in Potter and Tioga counties.^[3]

Hills Creek Lake

Hills Creek Lake is a 137-acre (55 ha) impoundment lake. An earthen dam was built by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania across Hills Creek in the early 1950s. The dam is 34 feet (10 m) high, and 422 feet (129 m) long.^[2]

Before the dam was built much of the area that is now under water was flooded by beaver dams. Beavers are still abundant in Hills Creek State Park.^[2]

Hills Creek Lake is classified as a warm water fishery. The waters are the home to many species of fish, including walleye, yellow perch, largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, and muskellunge. The lake is one of the stops on the Bass Masters tour. Anglers on the tour have reeled in some largemouth bass that weighed in at over eight pounds.^[2]

Ice fishing takes place on Hills Creek Lake during the winter months. Ice fishermen have brought in mostly yellow perch and bluegill as well as the occasional walleye.^[2]

Swim at your own risk in Hills Creek Lake. A sandy beach is open from around Memorial Day until just after Labor Day. A bathhouse and snack bar are also open for the public during the summer months. There are no lifeguards at the beach and swimmers are encouraged to use safe practices at all times.^[2]

Gas powered motors are prohibited on Hills Creek Lake. Motorized boats must be powered by electric motors only. Sailboats, rowboats, canoes, kayaks, and paddleboats are permitted on the waters of the lake. All boats must be properly registered with the state.^[2]

Camping

Hills Creek State Park has a 102-site camping area. The campsites feature several different types of scenery, ranging from open grassy areas to forested areas highlighted by immense hemlock trees. All of the campsites are within walking distance of warm showers, restrooms and water fountains.^[2]

Three cottages are available to rent by interested parties. The cottages can sleep up to five people in single and double bunks. The cottages have wooden floors, a porch that is heated by electricity, glass windows, picnic tables, and a fire ring. All cottages have electric lights and outlets.^[2]

One of the ten cabins available to rent at Hills Creek State Park.

There are ten cabins at Hills Creek State Park. The cabins are furnished and have a kitchen/dining area. The cabins also have a shower and two bedrooms. There are no linens or kitchen utensils. Renters should bring their own.^[2]

Yurts are available for rent. Each yurt, built on a wooden deck, sleeps four people in two bunk beds. They also have a cooking stove, refrigerator, countertop, table and chairs, electric heat and outlets, a fire ring and picnic table and are near a water pump.^[2]

A campsite for large groups is on a peninsula in Hills Creek Lake. The 40 person capacity area is equipped with picnic tables, a pavilion, fire ring, water and flush toilets. Campers may use the showers near the RV campsite. This campground, on the peninsula, is among some of the largest hemlock, beech, maple and ash trees in the park.^[2]

Wildlife

Hills Creek State Park is home to a variety of wild creatures. There is an active beaver colony near the shores of the lake. Other water loving animals such as the muskrat, wood duck and great blue heron can be seen in and around the waters of hills Creek Lake. Birds of prey like the osprey and bald eagle can be seen soaring the skies to hills Creek State Park. Woodland creatures also make a home in this park. Black bear, wild turkey and white-tailed deer can be seen on occasion. Ruffed grouse, rabbits, and groundhogs are commonly seen. The sharp eyed bird watcher may even spy a pileated woodpecker. Hills Creek Lake is a stop over for migrating waterfowl like the loon, bufflehead and merganser.^[2]

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within 30 miles (48 km) of Hills Creek State Park:^[4]^[5]^[6]

Colton Point State Park (Tioga County)
Leonard Harrison State Park (Tioga County)
Mt. Pisgah State Park (Bradford County)
Pinnacle State Park and Golf Course (New York)

References

1 2 "Hills Creek State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. April 1, 1989. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Hills Creek State Park". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2006-10-24.
↑ "Manager named at Hills Creek Lake". Wellsboro Gazette. 2000-02-02. p. 6. Retrieved 2009-04-09. Note: the eight parks in the Hills Creek State Park Complex are Cherry Springs, Colton Point, Denton Hill, Hills Creek, Leonard Harrison, Lyman Run, Patterson, and Prouty Place.
↑ 2007 General Highway Map Tioga County Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). 1:65,000. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division. Retrieved 2007-07-28. Note: shows Hills Creek State Park
↑ Michels, Chris (1997). "Latitude/Longitude Distance Calculation". Northern Arizona University. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
↑ "Find a Park by Region (interactive map)". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved November 18, 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hills Creek State Park.

Hills Creek State Park official map PDF (277 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 Lackawanna Loyalsock Michaux Moshannon 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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