Cowans Gap State Park

We celebrated the annual First Day Hike event on New Year's Day by taking a hike on the Plessinger Trail. It was an icy, drizzly, and beautiful day to get outdoors!

We found some neat icicles hanging above the Little Aughwick Creek along Plessinger Trail!

Snowmelt from the remnants of winter storm Gail created some wonderful waterfalls in the south branch of the Little Aughwick creek along Plessinger Trail!

The woods offer something wonderful to see in every season! On our last hike in December 2020, we discovered lots of neat tracks, icicle formations, and temporary waterfalls in the south branch of the Little Aughwick Creek along Plessinger Trail.

Though there are clouds, rain, and snow in the forecast, we might be lucky and get a break in the weather on Sunday evening to catch a glimpse of the upcoming Quadrantids meteor shower! The peak will occur after midnight on Sunday, Jan 3rd and continue through sunrise on Monday, Jan 4th. In areas with a dark and clear sky, you might be able to see 60 to 90 meteors an hour! The place to look in the sky is towards the "handle" of the Big Dipper. You can read more about viewing tips and information about the shower: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov//meteor/quadrantids/in-depth/

We had a fantastic treat on this drizzly Christmas Eve! The maintenance staff spotted 4 tundra swans out on the lake, near the beach area. You can identify tundra swans by their large size, all white feathers (in adults), black feet/legs/bills, and time of the year seen. They look very similar to trumpeter swans, but tundra swans usually have a small yellow marking on the side of their bill and more space between their black bill "mask" and eye. Tundra swans live in Alaska ...and Canada and are migratory through PA in the winter months. Some swans will pass through and briefly stop on a lake or a pond on their routes further south, while others will overwinter in southern parts of PA. Thousands of tundra swans and snow geese can be observed during migration in January/February at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Stevens, PA (Lancaster County). https://www.pgc.pa.gov//MiddleC/Pages/MigrationUpdate.aspx You can read more about tundra swans in the PA Game Commission wildlife note: https://www.pgc.pa.gov//WildlifeNot/Pages/Tundra-Swan.aspx