Tucked into the rugged highlands where Cameron and Potter Counties meet, Sizerville State Park offers 386 acres of deep Appalachian forest along the First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek. Established in 1924, this quiet park sits in some of Pennsylvania’s most remote and least-developed terrain — the kind of place where you can hike for an hour without seeing another person.

The park’s main draw is its sense of genuine seclusion. The surrounding Pennsylvania Wilds region is one of the darkest, least light-polluted areas east of the Mississippi, making Sizerville an excellent spot for stargazing on clear nights. Several miles of trails wind through dense hemlock and hardwood forest, with elevations that reward hikers with long views across the Sinnemahoning valley. The park’s network includes paths suitable for casual walkers and more challenging terrain for experienced hikers looking to cover ground.

Sizerville sits along a corridor popular with Pennsylvania elk watchers — the state’s free-roaming elk herd, the only one in the Northeast, frequents the surrounding valleys, particularly during the fall rut from September through October. This makes autumn an especially compelling time to visit, when the elk are active and the hardwood canopy erupts in color.

Swimming is available at a small pool during summer months, and picnic areas are scattered throughout the park for day use. Fishing along the creek draws anglers after native brook trout.

For travelers exploring the Pennsylvania Wilds, Sizerville is an ideal basecamp — small, peaceful, and surrounded by thousands of acres of unbroken forest.

Explore Nearby

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• Allegheny National Forest — National Forest in Pennsylvania
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• South Buffalo North Side Light — Lighthouse in New York