Parker Dam State Park

We've got some new items in our Gift Shop! Open during office hours, daily 8am-4pm.

Memorial Day Weekend is soon upon us - the swimming area will be open for those who want to brave it.

Annual competition my wife and I have this annual competition each spring as to who sees what sign first i.e., who sees the first red-winged blackbird? (She does, invariably.) Who sees the first coltsfoot bloom? (Varies) Who sees the first buzzard? (I did, this year.) Learn some of the harbingers of spring during this virtual program - Thursday, May 20 at 11:00 AM. Register at: https://events.dcnr.pa.gov//virtual_-_signs_of_spring_an_a

50 years ago tomorrow, the PA Environmental Rights Amendment was ratified by a margin of four to one.

Winter wonderland has come to Parker Dam State Park. We have two to three inches of snow down blanketing everything and sticking to the trees. Beautiful.

Looking back to Parker Dam - September 19, 1941.

Winter is a month away, but the snow is falling. We had a light dusting, which melted quickly. And now it is snowing again ...

I was greeted this chilly morning on the park office steps by this lovely splash of color. Every Autumn I keep my eyes open for that special leaf color - this year it turned out to be a Dogwood leaf instead of the usual Maple. What leaves have been special to you this season?

Do you remember making a Styrofoam model of the solar system when you were young? Paint the different planets with their colors, dowel rods, etc.? Is this an accurate model of our solar system? About the only thing accurate is the names and the colors. Is it any wonder that most folks do not feel comfortable about discussing the planets and night sky? Come to Parker Dam State Park and take yourself on a walk, a sojourn if you will, through a scale-model of our solar system. Print off the two pages, visit the park, and learn what our solar system really looks like. Teach your children well, and throw away those Styrofoam balls.

Tonight, mars is in opposition - on the opposite side of the earth from the sun. Much like a full moon, opposition equals a "full mars" - the entire side of the planet facing us will be illuminated. And mars is only 39 million miles away, the closest it will be to us until 2035. Click on the "Learn More" button to learn more .

50 Years Ago - In the Clearfield Progress Sept. 30, 1970 The water level of five recreational lakes, including Parker Dam State Park in Clearfield County, will be lowered next week to permit maintenance work, the Department of Forests and Waters said today. All of the water at Parker Dam will be released to allow maintenance of the swimming area and inspection, cleaning and painting of the sluice pipe and valve in the dam. The lake is expected to be refilled in March.

A quiet visitor to the park was recently seen. American Woodcock - Migration: As days grow shorter and temperatures drop, timberdoodles begin to head south. Woodcock migrate at low altitudes (about 50 feet), flying at night and resting and feeding in secluded thickets during the day. They typically travel alone. Birds from farther north may start to pass through Pennsylvania in October; the migration peaks in late October and early November, with stragglers up until the end of November. Heavy northwest winds and cold nights may start large numbers of timberdoodles winging south.

One thing about the drought in Clearfield County - it allows us to see the engravings that the CCC boys chiseled into the rocks below the stilling basin. Take advantage of the low water and come out and search - a fun historical scavenger hunt.

Words of wisdom for those folks planning on visiting to see elk.

A Giant Swallowtail butterfly was seen today in our butterfly garden. This happens to be the very first Giant Swallowtail butterfly I have ever seen. Read more about it here: http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/factsheets/11697.pdf

NEWS! Current manager Jim McCorkle just got promoted! That was the good news - the bad news is that he is leaving Parker Dam State Park for Shawnee State Park :(. Our loss is Shawnee's gain. We will miss Jim and his family as they begin another chapter in their State Park adventure. Best wishes.

Even though the 2020 Perseid meteor shower will be at its best on Tuesday, Aug. 11 and Wednesday, Aug. 12, it is already producing enough meteors to make it worthwhile to do some early stargazing. It will still be possible to see some Perseids for 10 days or so after the peak. While it’ll be at reduced numbers, there will be less moonlight to light up the sky, with the moon waning each night up until Aug. 17, when there will be moon-free skies all night long. You can see the... Perseid’s meteors from almost anywhere, but experts say you increase your chances if you go to a park or open area in a rural place, as far away as possible from bright city lights and street lights. The best time to see any meteor shower is after midnight. That’s when the part of the Earth that you are on is moving into the stream of meteors. That’s why the best time to view the Perseid meteor shower is after midnight, any time until dawn. Those hours are ideal for seeing the most shooting stars, and maybe even some larger and brighter meteors, known as fireballs. - Excerpted from NJ.com

Due to COVID-19 mitigation guidance, we regretfully announce that this year’s Woodhick event (9/6/20) as well as the annual Fall Festival (10/17/20) will be canceled. We appreciate your support in previous years and are looking forward to next year’s events.

I've seen lots of different fungi, but I have never seen this one before. Please share with your mushroomy friends and let me know what they think. On Red Oak stump.