{{Short description|State park near Emporium, Pennsylvania}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox park | name = Sizerville State Park | image = SSP Hall of Conifers.jpg | image_caption = | image_alt = Conifers | image_size = 280 | location = [[Cameron County, Pennsylvania|Cameron]] and [[Potter County, Pennsylvania|Potter]] counties, [[Pennsylvania]], United States | coordinates = {{coord|41.59582|-78.18358|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | coords_ref = <ref name="sizervillesp"/> | area = {{convert|386|acre|abbr=on}}<ref name="sizervillesp"/> | elevation = {{convert|1627|ft}} | established = 1924<ref name="sizervillesp"/> | administrator = [[Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources]] | free_label = | free_data = | visitation_num = | visitation_year = | visitation_ref = | website = {{Official website}} | module = {{Infobox protected area | map = USA Pennsylvania#USA | label = Sizerville State Park | label_position = | map_caption = Location in Pennsylvania | relief = 1 | module = [[List of Pennsylvania state parks|Pennsylvania State Parks]] }} }} '''Sizerville State Park''' is a {{convert|386|acre|adj=on}} [[List of Pennsylvania state parks|Pennsylvania state park]] in [[Portage Township, Cameron County, Pennsylvania|Portage Township]], [[Cameron County, Pennsylvania|Cameron County]] and [[Portage Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania|Portage Township]], [[Potter County, Pennsylvania|Potter County]], [[Pennsylvania]] in the United States. The park is nearly surrounded by [[Elk State Forest]] making it part of one of the largest blocks of state-owned land in Pennsylvania. Sizerville State Park is on [[Pennsylvania Route 155]], six miles (10 km) north of the [[borough]] of [[Emporium, Pennsylvania|Emporium]].
==History== Sizerville State Park is named after the nearby [[ghost town]] of Sizerville, Pennsylvania, which was in turn named for the Sizer family, early settlers of the region. With the end of the logging boom of the late 19th century, the town was gradually abandoned. Sizerville State Park was first opened in 1924. The first park facilities were opened in 1927. The [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] led an effort to reforest the lands surrounding Sizerville State park during the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s. Thousands of acres of old growth timber had been logged at the turn of the 20th century. The CCC planted thousands of acres of [[Eastern White Pine|white pine]] and [[tsuga|hemlock]] trees. Today these trees have reached maturity and make up most of the forested acres of Sizerville State Park.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/history/ccc-years |title=Pennsylvania State Parks: The Civilian Conservation Corps |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=2026-01-20}}</ref>
==Recreation== Sizerville State Park features five different loop trails for [[hiking]]. Bottomlands, North Slope, and Campground are all on fairly flat land. Sizerville Nature Trail is a three-mile (5 km) loop that features several educational stopping points. It is also a trailhead for the Bucktail Path Trail. Nady Hollow Trail climbs a {{convert|1900|ft|adj=on}} mountain.<ref name="sizervillesp">{{cite web |url=https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/find-a-park/sizerville-state-park |title=Sizerville State Park |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=2026-01-20}}</ref>
Sizerville State Park has a 23-site campground. Eighteen of the sites have an [[electricity|electrical]] hook-up. The campground facilities include a sanitary dump, flush toilets and showers. Those interested in camping in [[tent]]s can hike into five sites that are on the bank of a creek.<ref name="sizervillesp" /> The swimming pool is open to the public from [[Memorial Day]] until [[Labor Day]].<ref name="sizervillesp" />
There are six picnic [[pavilions]] and over 200 picnic tables on the grounds of Sizerville State Park. The picnic areas are shaded by the forest of white pine and hemlock. Many of the picnic areas are within walking distance of restrooms and [[playground]] facilities.<ref name="sizervillesp"/>
There are six creeks within Sizerville State Park that make for some ideal fishing. The east and west branches of Cowley Run are the home of [[brook trout|brook]] and [[brown trout]]. Cowley Run offers some of the best fishing in the park. It contains a population of native brown trout and is [[fish stocking|stocked]] each spring by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Portage Creek and [[Driftwood Creek]], branches of [[Sinnemahoning Creek]], also contain trout and a population of [[smallmouth bass]]. Sinnemahoning Creek is another site for the fishing of bass and trout.<ref name="sizervillesp"/>
Hunting is permitted in {{convert|200|acre|0}} of Sizerville State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the [[Pennsylvania Game Commission]]. The common game species are [[ruffed grouse]], [[eastern gray squirrel|squirrels]], [[wild turkey]]s, [[white-tailed deer]], and [[American black bear]]s.<ref name="sizervillesp"/>
[[Snowmobile|Snowmobiling]] and [[cross-country skiing]] take place in the winter months at Sizerville State Park. An average of {{convert|60|-|70|in|cm|0}} of snow falls on the park every winter. The park provides access to miles of groomed snowmobile and cross-country skiing trails in the nearby state forest lands.<ref name="sizervillesp"/>
==Environmental education== [[File:Phot sizerfritillary2.jpg|thumb|Great spangled fritillary butterfly at the park's butterfly garden]] The Environmental Education Building houses exhibits and information about the plant and wildlife found in the park. Homeowners are taught how to plant around their homes to make them more attractive to creatures like [[butterflies]] and [[Eastern Gray Squirrel|squirrels]]. Sizerville State Park provides environmental education programs to youth groups, schools, and teachers. Park rangers also lead guided tours of the park, providing hands on learning experiences.<ref name="sizervillesp"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category|Sizerville State Park}} {{portal|Pennsylvania}} *[https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/find-a-park/sizerville-state-park Sizerville State Park] Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources * {{cite web|url= http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd2/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003071.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121115054251/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd2/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003071.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= November 15, 2012 |title=Sizerville State Park official map }} {{small|(578 KB)}} {{Protected Areas of Pennsylvania}}
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[[Category:State parks of Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Protected areas established in 1924]] [[Category:Civilian Conservation Corps in Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Parks in Potter County, Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Parks in Cameron County, Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Campgrounds in Pennsylvania]] [[Category:1924 establishments in Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Protected areas of Cameron County, Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Protected areas of Potter County, Pennsylvania]]