Fresh air

Area parks, recreation areas offer outdoor activities

As warm weather approaches, many University students are looking forward to getting outside and going hiking, mountain biking or simply relaxing in the fresh air.

There are many hidden recreation areas in and around State College that some students are not familiar with. Most are easy to get to and offer great trails and beautiful scenery.

Areas such as the University's Deer Research Center, located on Fox Hollow Road past Beaver Stadium, offer hiking and mountain biking trails.

"The area is, at most, a five-minute bike ride from campus," Kline said.

State game lands are accessible from the deer pens area, which offer additional trails and dirt roads to explore.

Sunset Park, located off McKee Street, has ball fields and two pavilions available to the public, said Ronald J. Woodhead, director of Centre Region Parks and Recreation. The park also is an access point for the bike trail that weaves through State College and Ferguson Township, from Vairo Boulevard to Overlook Heights.

"It is a pretty nice trail because it goes through a big hollow," Woodhead said.

Mount Nittany is located close to campus as well, in nearby Lemont. The Penn State Outing Club offers an annual walk during Fall Semester from campus to the mountain. For those who prefer to drive part of the way, there is an access road and parking area at the base.

State College also has many recreation areas within a short drive from campus.

Stone Valley Recreation Area is about 20 minutes east of campus. It covers more than 700 acres, including a 72-acre lake, according to the Recreational Map of State College and Penn State by Michael Hermann of Purple Lizard Publishing.

At Shaver's Creek Environmental Center within Stone Valley, there are exhibits as well as a Raptor Center that houses about 20 birds representing 12 different species, said Lynne Hudson, a program director for Shaver's Creek.

Rothrock State Forest, which extends south from Tussey Mountain across Huntingdon, Centre and Mifflin counties, offers areas for hiking, cycling, canoeing and fishing. The Alan Seeger Natural Area located in the forest has "some of the oldest living trees on the East Coast," according to the recreational map.

Kline also recommended the Alan Seeger Natural Area as one of particular beauty.

"The first-growth trees are so huge," she said. "It removes you from the daily routine. It's an incredible place that has been really well preserved."

Cory Jakobsen (junior-recreation and parks management) recommends the Mid-State Trail.

"It took about a half-hour by car to get there," he said, "but it's a good hike."

The trail runs east to west across most of Pennsylvania. It runs near the University in sections that intersect Rothrock State Forest and Bald Eagle State Forest.

The Bear Meadow Natural Area off the Mid-State Trail offers unusual scenery, Kline said.

"It's like a glacial conglomerate gone awry -- you forget you're in Pennsylvania," she said.

Both Rothrock and Bald Eagle State forests offer several picnicking and camping areas open to the public. According to the map, Rothrock State Forest may also provide views of deer, wild turkey and possibly black bear.