Upper Pine Bottom State Park

{{Short description|State park in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}  {{Infobox park | name = Upper Pine Bottom State Park | image = Upper Pine Bottom State Park Run 4.jpg | image_caption = | image_alt = Stream | location = [[Cummings Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania]], United States | coordinates = {{coord|41.31885|-77.42076|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | coords_ref = <ref name="dcnr"/> | area = {{convert|5|acre|abbr=on}}<ref name="forrey2"/> | elevation = {{convert|932|ft}} | established = 1923 | administrator = [[Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources]] | free_label = Named for | free_data = Upper Pine Bottom Run | visitation_num = | visitation_year = | visitation_ref = | website = {{Official website}} | module = {{Infobox protected area | map = USA Pennsylvania#USA | label = Upper Pine Bottom State Park | label_position = | map_caption = Location in Pennsylvania | relief = 1 | module = [[List of Pennsylvania state parks|Pennsylvania State Parks]] }} }} '''Upper Pine Bottom State Park''' is a {{convert|5|acre|0|adj=on}} [[List of Pennsylvania state parks|Pennsylvania state park]] in [[Lycoming County, Pennsylvania]], United States. The park is in [[Cummings Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Cummings Township]] on [[Pennsylvania Route 44]] and is surrounded by the [[Tiadaghton State Forest]]. It is on Upper Pine Bottom Run, which gave the park its name and is a [[tributary]] of [[Pine Creek (Pennsylvania)|Pine Creek]]. Upper Pine Bottom State Park is in the [[Pine Creek Gorge]], where the streams have cut through five major rock formations from the [[Devonian]] and [[Carboniferous]] periods.

The earliest recorded inhabitants of the area were the [[Susquehannock]]s, followed by the [[Iroquois]], [[Lenape]], and [[Shawnee]]. Upper Pine Bottom Run was the site of a [[Metallurgical furnace|furnace]] for [[pig iron]] in 1814, the first [[sawmill]] was built on it in 1815, and in 1825 an earlier bridle path across its headwaters became a [[toll road|turnpike]]. The lumber industry led to the [[clearcutting]] of the area in the 19th century. The state forest was started in 1898 and the park was formed from it by 1923 as a Class B public camp. The [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] had a camp on the run and improved the park in the 1930s, but it was not transferred to the Bureau of State Parks until 1962. Though it began as a public campsite and once had a [[picnic]] pavilion, {{as of|2017|lc=on}} it is for day use only and its only facilities are a few picnic tables and a parking area.

Upper Pine Bottom State Park is one of the smallest state parks in Pennsylvania, and is maintained by staff from nearby [[Little Pine State Park]]. In addition to picnics, its chief use is as a parking area for local [[hunting|hunters]], [[fishing|anglers]], [[hiking|hikers]], [[cross-country skiing|cross-country skiers]], [[snowmobile]]rs, and [[all-terrain vehicle]] riders. Upper Pine Bottom Run is state-approved and [[fish stocking|stocked]] for [[trout]] fishing in season. [[Second-growth forest]] now covers the region; the surrounding state forest and park are home to a variety of flora and fauna.

==History==

===Native Americans=== Humans have lived in what is now Pennsylvania since at least 10,000 BC. The first settlers were [[Paleo-Indians|Paleo-Indian]] nomadic hunters known from their [[stone tool]]s.<ref name="prehistory">{{cite book|title=Foundations of Pennsylvania Prehistory|editor1=Kent, Barry C.|editor2=Smith III, Ira F.|editor3=McCann, Catherine |year=1971|publisher=Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission|location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|series=Anthropological Series of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission|volume=1|pages=4, 7–11, 85–96, 195–201|oclc=2696039}}</ref><ref name="indians">{{cite book|last=Wallace|first=Paul A. W.|title=Indians in Pennsylvania|year=2000|publisher=Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission|location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|isbn=978-0-89271-017-1|pages=4–12, 84–89, 99–105, 145–148, 157–164|orig-year=1961}} <br/>''Note'': For a general overview of Native American History in the West Branch Susquehanna watershed, see {{cite book | last = Meginness | first = John Franklin | title = History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: including its aboriginal history; the colonial and revolutionary periods; early settlement and subsequent growth; organization and civil administration; the legal and medical professions; internal improvement; past and present history of Williamsport; manufacturing and lumber interests; religious, educational, and social development; geology and agriculture; military record; sketches of boroughs, townships, and villages; portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, etc. etc. | year = 1892 | url = https://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html | access-date = June 8, 2009 | edition = 1st | publisher = Brown, Runk & Co | location = Chicago, IL | isbn = 0-7884-0428-8 | chapter = Chapter I. Aboriginal Occupation. | chapter-url = https://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-01.html }} Retrieved on June 16, 2017. ''Note:'' ISBN refers to the Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some [[optical character recognition|OCR]] typos.</ref> The [[hunter-gatherer]]s of the [[Archaic period in the Americas|Archaic period]], which lasted locally from 7000 to 1000 BC, used a greater variety of more sophisticated stone artifacts. The [[Woodland period]] marked the gradual transition to semi-permanent villages and [[horticulture]], between 1000 BC and 1500 AD. Archeological evidence found in the state from this time includes a range of pottery types and styles, [[tumulus|burial mounds]], pipes, bows and arrows, and ornaments.<ref name="prehistory"/>

Upper Pine Bottom State Park is in the [[West Branch Susquehanna River]] drainage basin, the earliest recorded inhabitants of which were the [[Iroquoian languages|Iroquoian]]-speaking [[Susquehannock]]s. They were a [[matriarchy|matriarchal]] society that lived in [[stockade]]d villages of large [[long house]]s.<ref name="indians"/> Upper Pine Bottom Run is at the southern end of the [[Pine Creek Gorge]], and the mountains surrounding the gorge were "occasionally inhabited" by the Susquehannocks.<ref name="seasons ltw"> {{cite book | last = Owlett | first = Steven E. | title = Seasons Along The Tiadaghton: An Environmental History of the Pine Creek Gorge | year = 1993 | chapter = The Land That Was | pages = 39, 40, 43, 46, 49, 50 | edition = 1st | publisher = Interprint | location = Petaluma, California | isbn = 0-9635905-0-2 }}</ref> Their numbers were greatly reduced by disease and warfare with the Five Nations of the [[Iroquois]], and by 1675 they had died out, moved away, or been [[cultural assimilation|assimilated]] into other tribes.<ref name="indians"/><ref name="donehoo"/>

After this, the lands of the West Branch Susquehanna River valley were under the nominal control of the Iroquois. They lived in long houses, primarily in what is now [[New York (state)|New York]], and had a strong [[confederation|confederacy]] which gave them power beyond their numbers.<ref name="indians"/> The Iroquois and other tribes used the [[Pine Creek Path]] through the gorge, traveling between a path on the [[Genesee River]] in modern New York in the north, and the [[Great Shamokin Path]] along the West Branch Susquehanna River in the south. The [[Seneca nation|Seneca]] tribe of the Iroquois believed that the Pine Creek Gorge was sacred land and never established a permanent settlement there,<ref name="spotlight1">{{cite web|url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res2005/05-0315-leonardharrisonsp.aspx|title=Park Spotlight: Leonard Harrison and Colton Point state parks|access-date=June 16, 2017|author=Morey, Tim|publisher=Resource: The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources|year=2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910112726/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res2005/05-0315-leonardharrisonsp.aspx|archive-date=September 10, 2012}}</ref> though they did use the path through the gorge and had seasonal hunting camps along it.<ref name="path">{{cite book | last = Wallace | first = Paul A. W. | title = Indian Paths of Pennsylvania | edition = Fourth Printing | year = 1987 | publisher = Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission | location = [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]] | isbn = 0-89271-090-X | pages = 66–72, 130–132 }} ''Note:'' ISBN refers to 1998 impression</ref>

To fill the void left by the demise of the Susquehannocks, the Iroquois encouraged displaced tribes from the east to settle in the West Branch watershed, including the [[Shawnee]] and [[Lenape]] (or Delaware).<ref name="indians"/><ref name="donehoo">{{cite book|last=Donehoo|first=Dr. George P.|title=A History of the Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania|edition=Second Reprint|year=1999|publisher=Wennawoods Publishing|location=[[Lewisburg, Pennsylvania]]|isbn=1-889037-11-7|pages=154–155, 215–219|orig-year=1928}} ''Note'': ISBN refers to a 1999 reprint edition.</ref> The valleys of Pine Creek and its tributaries in Cummings Township were used by the Iroquois and [[Algonquian languages|Algonkian]] tribes as a [[hunting]] ground. Historians believe that there may have been a Shawnee village and burial ground just to the north of [[Little Pine State Park]] on Little Pine Creek, just a few miles from what became Upper Pine Bottom State Park.<ref name="lpsp">{{cite web|url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/littlepine/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106063239/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/littlepine/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 6, 2011|title=Little Pine State Park|access-date=June 16, 2017|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources}}</ref>

The [[French and Indian War]] (1754–1763) led to the migration of many Native Americans westward to the [[Ohio River]] basin.<ref name="indians"/> In October 1784, the United States acquired a large tract of land, including what is now Upper Pine Bottom State Park, from the Iroquois in the [[Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784)|Second Treaty of Fort Stanwix]] (this acquisition is known in Pennsylvania as the [[History of Pennsylvania#Westward expansion|Last Purchase]]).<ref name="donehoo"/> In the years that followed, Native Americans almost entirely left Pennsylvania;<ref name="indians"/> however some isolated bands of natives remained in the Pine Creek Gorge until the [[War of 1812]].<ref name="sexton">{{cite book|url=http://www.joycetice.com/1883/shippent.htm|access-date=June 16, 2017|title=History of Tioga County, Pennsylvania with Illustrations, Portraits and Sketches|chapter=Shippen Township|last=Sexton Jr.|first=John L.|publisher=W. W. Munsell & Co.|location=New York, New York|year=1883|pages=313–326}}</ref>

===Lumber and turnpike=== The land that became Cummings Township was first settled by [[European American]]s in 1784. Lycoming County was formed from a part of [[Northumberland County, Pennsylvania|Northumberland County]] on April 13, 1795.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/counties/pdfs/Lycoming.pdf|title=Lycoming County 5th class|access-date=June 16, 2017|publisher=[[Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission]]}}</ref> Upper Pine Bottom Run was originally "famed for the wonderful white pine forest that clothed all the bottomlands",<ref name="in penns woods">{{cite book|title=In Penn's Woods: A Handy and Helpful Pocket Manual of the Natural Wonders and Recreational Facilities of the State Forests of Pennsylvania|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters|last1=Illick|first1=Joseph Simon|last2=Shoemaker|first2=Henry Wharton|date=April 1925|pages=34, 35|location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|series=Bulletin 31 (revised)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zm8mAQAAMAAJ&q=upper+pine+bottom&pg=RA4-PA34|access-date=June 15, 2017}}</ref> and the region was covered with [[eastern white pine]] and [[Tsuga canadensis|eastern hemlock]] trees, which lumbermen harvested.<ref name="lpsp"/><ref name="meginness"/> To accommodate larger-scale [[lumber]] operations and the large quantities of pine logs which these floated downstream to the [[West Branch Susquehanna River]], the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly]] declared [[Pine Creek (Pennsylvania)|Pine Creek]] a public highway on March 16, 1798.<ref name="seasons ltw"/>

[[File:Pine Creek Log Raft.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A raft made of long logs lashed together with a large oar for steering is tied to the bank of a stream.|A log raft on Pine Creek]] The area surrounding Upper Pine Bottom State Park has been a wilderness for much of its history. In 1806–1807 a [[bridle path]] was cut through the woods just west of the source of Upper Pine Bottom Run as part of a {{convert|72|mi|adj=on}} path between [[Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania|Jersey Shore]] (to the south, at the mouth of Pine Creek) and [[Coudersport, Pennsylvania|Coudersport]] (to the northwest, on the [[Allegheny River]] in [[Potter County, Pennsylvania|Potter County]]). The bridle path was widened to a road to accommodate wagons in 1812.<ref name="pike"/>

The new road soon brought industry to the region. The discovery of [[iron ore]] along the road led seven men to form a company to manufacture iron. In 1814 they built a [[Metallurgical furnace|furnace]] to produce [[pig iron]] on Upper Pine Bottom Run. It took one to two days to haul the ore to the furnace, and other supplies had to be transported {{convert|15|mi}} to the furnace on steep mountain roads. These costs were too high, and the furnace lost almost $7,000 (approximately ${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|7000|1817|r=-3}}}} in {{inflation/year|US}}) before closing in 1817. The ruins of the iron furnace were visible through much of the 19th century.<ref name="meginness"/>{{Inflation-fn|US}}

The first two [[sawmill]]s were built on Upper Pine Bottom Run in 1815 and 1817.<ref name="meginness"/> In 1817, Michael and Henry Wolf also arrived in the area from [[Berks County, Pennsylvania|Berks County]] and built a sawmill near the mouth of Little Pine Creek,<ref name="meginness"/> which is {{convert|1.8|mi}} downstream Pine Creek from the mouth of Upper Pine Bottom Run.<ref name="river miles">{{cite book | last = Bureau of Watershed Management, Division of Water Use Planning, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection | others = Prepared in Cooperation with the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey | title = Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams | url = http://www.lycoming.edu/cwi/pdfs/paGazetterOfStreams.pdf | access-date = June 16, 2017 | year = 2001 | archive-date = September 17, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150917160158/http://www.lycoming.edu/cwi/pdfs/paGazetterOfStreams.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref> The Wolfs' sawmill and the land they cleared for farming helped establish the [[Unincorporated area#United States|unincorporated]] village of [[Waterville, Pennsylvania|Waterville]], which became the most significant population center in Cummings Township, and is about {{convert|2.5|mi}} southeast of Upper Pine Bottom State Park.<ref name="in penns woods"/><ref name="meginness"/>

[[File:Upper Pine Bottom State Park PA 44.jpg|thumb|alt=A two-lane road curving through a green forest, with grass at left|[[Pennsylvania Route 44]] passes through the park, and was the scene of a wildfire in 1894.]] The Jersey Shore and Coudersport [[toll road|Turnpike]] was built along the former bridle path between 1825 and 1834. The turnpike, which operated until 1860, had [[wikt:toll booth|toll booths]] every {{convert|5|mi|0}} and charged a horse-drawn wagon $1.68 to travel the entire road.<ref name="pike">{{cite journal|last=Morey|first=Tim|author2=Harrison, Maxine|year=2002|title=Cherry Springs State Park: Hidden Resource in the Dark (part of the "Emerald Gems" series)|journal=Pennsylvania Recreation & Parks|volume=33|issue=2|publisher=Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society|location=[[State College, Pennsylvania]]|issn=0742-793X|url=http://www.kwastronomy.com/History_of_Cherry_Springs_Park.htm|access-date=June 16, 2017|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126091804/http://www.kwastronomy.com/History_of_Cherry_Springs_Park.htm|url-status=dead}} ''Note'': URL is to an authorized reprint of the article as "History of Cherry Springs State Park" on Kevin Wigell's Astronomy Page</ref> A post office was established in nearby Waterville in 1849; early businesses there included two stores and a hotel, which still stands.<ref name="meginness"/> [[Pennsylvania Route 44]], which passes through the park, still follows the course of the former path and turnpike between Haneyville (at the western end of Upper Pine Bottom Run) and Coudersport (to the north).<ref name="pike"/>{{Ref_label|A|a|none}}

Economic development and increased settlement led the Pennsylvania General Assembly to establish Cummings Township in 1832 from land taken from parts of [[Mifflin Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Mifflin]] and [[Brown Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania|Brown Townships]]. The new township was named for John Cummings, who was an associate judge in the local court system at the time. Early industry in the township included lumber and quarries for [[flagstone|flag]] and building stone.<ref name="meginness">{{cite book | last = Meginness | first = John Franklin | title = History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania ... | year = 1892 | url = https://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html | access-date = June 16, 2017 | edition = 1st | publisher = Brown, Runk & Co. | location = Chicago, IL | isbn = 0-7884-0428-8 | chapter = Chapter XLVI. Brown, Cummings, Pine, and McHenry. | chapter-url = https://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-46.html | quote = (''Note:'' ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some [[optical character recognition|OCR]] typos).}}</ref> In 1839 [[Clinton County, Pennsylvania|Clinton County]] was formed from the western part of Lycoming County,<ref name="clinton">{{cite web|url=https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/counties/pdfs/Clinton.pdf|title=Clinton County 7th class|access-date=June 16, 2017|publisher=Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission}}</ref> with much of the eastern border of the new county formed by the turnpike.<ref>{{cite book|title=Historical view of Clinton County: from its earliest settlement to the present time: comprising a complete sketch and topographical description of each township in the county|last=Maynard|first=D. S.|chapter=Chapter XXVIII Gallauher Township|chapter-url=http://www.kcnet.org/~history/Gallauher.html|access-date=June 16, 2017|year=1875|publisher=Enterprise Printing House|location=Lock Haven, Pennsylvania|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050327112831/http://www.kcnet.org/~history/Gallauher.html|archive-date=March 27, 2005}}</ref>

In 1851 the [[Susquehanna Boom]] opened on the West Branch Susquehanna River at Williamsport. The [[log boom]], a series of artificial islands with chains between them to catch logs, led to an expansion of the lumber industry and to Williamsport's nickname, "Lumber Capital of the World".<ref name="taber">{{cite book|last=Taber III|first=Thomas T.|title=Williamsport Lumber Capital|edition=1st|publisher=Paulhamus Litho, Inc.|location=[[Montoursville, Pennsylvania]]|page=88|chapter=Chapter Two: The Boom — Making It All Possible|oclc=35920715|year=1995}}</ref> In 1852, the {{convert|3|mi}} of Upper Pine Bottom Run upstream of the mouth were made a public highway by the state legislature,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uvkqAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Upper+Pine+Bottom+Run%22&pg=PA789|title=Laws of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Passed at the Session of 1852, in the Seventy-sixth Year of Independence. With an Appendix|year=1852|page=716|publisher=Theo. Fenn & Company, Printers to the State|location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|access-date=June 16, 2017}}</ref> and by 1888 the West Branch Lumber Company owned the headwaters of Upper Pine Bottom Run.<ref name="coal"/>

The lumber era did not last; the [[old-growth forest]]s were clearcut by the early 20th century and the Pine Creek Gorge was stripped bare. Nothing was left except the discarded, dried-out tree tops, which became a fire hazard, so much of the land burned and was left barren.<ref name="timber">{{cite web|url=https://www.lumbermuseum.org/history.html|title=The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum – History|access-date=July 22, 2008|publisher=Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission}}</ref> In the spring of 1894 a fire burned in what is now Tiadaghton State Forest along Route 44 to near Haneyville. In the summer of 1908 the area around the park burned again, in a fire that stretched from [[Galeton, Pennsylvania|Galeton]] to Jersey Shore.<ref name="crown jewel">{{cite book|title=The Crown Jewel of Pennsylvania: The State Forest System|first=R.R.|last=Thorpe|publisher=Pennsylvania Forestry Association, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service|year=1997|pages=68–70|oclc=37033507}}</ref> The soil was depleted of nutrients, fires baked the ground hard, and jungles of blueberries, blackberries, and mountain laurel covered the clearcut land, which became known as the "Pennsylvania Desert". Disastrous floods swept the area periodically and much of the wildlife was wiped out.<ref name="seasons doaf">{{cite book|last=Owlett|first=Steven E.|title=Seasons Along The Tiadaghton: An Environmental History of the Pine Creek Gorge|year=1993|chapter=The Death of a Forest|pages=53–62|edition=1st|publisher=Interprint|location=Petaluma, California|isbn=0-9635905-0-2}}</ref>

===State forest and park=== [[File:Upper Pine Bottom State Park Foundation 1.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A rough stone wall, made of several courses of flat stones in concrete, in an overgrown area with a tree trunk|The only remnant of the former picnic pavilion is this stone foundation.]] As the timber was exhausted and the land burned, many companies simply abandoned their holdings.<ref name="seasons doaf"/> Conservationists like [[Joseph Rothrock]] became concerned that the forests would not regrow if they were not [[forest management|managed]] properly. They called for the state to purchase land from the lumber companies and for a change in the philosophy of forest management. In 1895 Rothrock was appointed the first commissioner of the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, the forerunner of today's [[Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources|Department of Conservation and Natural Resources]]. In 1897 the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed legislation which authorized the purchase of "unseated lands for forest reservations" and the first [[List of Pennsylvania state forests|Pennsylvania state forest lands]] were acquired the following year.<ref name="vfsfhistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/valleyforgehistory.aspx|title=History of the William Penn State Forest|access-date=September 14, 2009|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616130010/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/valleyforgehistory.aspx|archive-date=June 16, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On July 13, 1898, the state bought a {{convert|409|acre|adj=on}} tract of land in Cummings Township for $72.99 (${{Inflation|US|72.99|1898}} in {{inflation/year|US}} terms).{{Inflation-fn|US}} This was the first purchase for what became Tiadaghton State Forest, which surrounds Upper Pine Bottom State Park.<ref name="crown jewel"/> Most of the major purchases for it were made between 1900 and 1935. {{As of|2017}}, the Tiadaghton State Forest covered {{convert|146539|acre}}, chiefly in Lycoming County with small tracts in [[Clinton County, Pennsylvania|Clinton]], [[Potter County, Pennsylvania|Potter]], [[Tioga County, Pennsylvania|Tioga]], and [[Union County, Pennsylvania|Union]] Counties. The largest section of the state forest covers {{convert|105000|acre}} in the Pine Creek valley (and encircles the park).<ref name="tiadaghton map">{{cite map|title=A Public Use Map for Tiadaghton State Forest|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry|url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20032740.pdf|access-date=June 14, 2017}}{{dead link|date=February 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} ''Note'': The print version is a map on one side, with a guide to the state forest and its resources on the other side</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/tiadaghton/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326103724/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/tiadaghton/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 26, 2015|title=Tiadaghton State Forest|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry|access-date=June 14, 2017}}</ref>

Upper Pine Bottom State Park traces its existence to the early 1920s, when the Pennsylvania Department of Forestry built 31 campsites on state forest land between 1921 and 1925. The park was established by 1923 as "Upper Pine Bottom Class B Public Camp",<ref>{{cite book|title=In Penn's Woods: Handbook of Pennsylvania State Forests Giving Locations, Descriptions, and Historical Information of State Forest Monuments, State Forest Parks, Public Camp Grounds and Recreation Centers on State Forest Lands|date=May 1923|page=12|location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|series=Bulletin 31|publisher=Office of Information, Pennsylvania Department of Forestry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zm8mAQAAMAAJ&q=upper+pine+bottom&pg=RA4-PA34|access-date=June 15, 2017}} ''Note:'' While this is the earliest reference to Upper Pine Bottom Public Camp in the Bulletin of the Pennsylvania Department of Forestry, the first public camps on state forest land were established in 1921.</ref> and named for the stream that flows through it. Class B camps were on secondary highways and were "used primarily by hikers, hunters, fishermen, vacationists, and picknickers who desire to go far into the woods and make their stay comfortable".<ref name="in penns woods"/> Each Class B camp had a lean-to shelter for camping, potable water, picnic tables, a fireplace, garbage can, and a latrine. There was no charge to use any of the camps, but stays were limited to two consecutive nights.<ref name="forrey">{{cite book|title=History of Pennsylvania's State Parks|last=Forrey|first=William C.|year=1984|publisher=Bureau of State Parks, Office of Resources Management, Department of Environmental Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania|location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|pages=13–16, 90, 91, 97|oclc=17824084}}</ref>

[[File:Upper Pine Bottom State Park.JPG|thumb|right|upright|alt=A wooden picnic table in the snow, with a small stream and bare and conifer trees in the background|Picnic table and Upper Pine Bottom Run at Upper Pine Bottom State Park]] During the [[Great Depression]], the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] (CCC) set up nine camps in Tiadaghton State Forest. The camps included two near Upper Pine Bottom State Park: CCC Camp S-82-Pa (Waterville, also known as Haneyville) was on Upper Pine Bottom Run about {{convert|2.5|mi}} west of the park and operated from May 1933 to 1941;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.apps.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/ccc/Camp.aspx?ID=108|title=Pennsylvania CCC Archive Camp Information for S-82-Pa|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources|access-date=June 16, 2017}}{{dead link|date=February 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> CCC Camp S-129-Pa (Little Pine) was at the site of nearby Little Pine State Park and operated from 1933 to 1937.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.apps.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/ccc/camp.aspx?ID=56|title=Pennsylvania CCC Archive Camp Information for S-129-Pa|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources|access-date=June 16, 2017}}{{dead link|date=February 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Little Pine State Park History|url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/littlepine/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106063239/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/littlepine/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 6, 2011|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources|access-date=June 16, 2017}}</ref> The CCC planted large numbers of trees in the state forest, did work in the park, and built a pavilion at the site in 1936.<ref name="cupper"/> Although the roof of a structure was still visible in the park in a 1959 aerial photo,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.cei.psu.edu/pennpilot/era1960/lycoming_1959/lycoming_1959_photos_jpg_200/lycoming_050659_aqe_4w_57.jpg|title=Photograph AQE-4W-57|date=May 6, 1959|publisher=Penn Pilot Historical Aerial Photos of Pennsylvania (Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Geological Survey and the [[Pennsylvania State University]])|author=United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Adjustment Administration (now known as the [[Farm Service Agency]])|access-date=June 16, 2017|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225446/http://data.cei.psu.edu/pennpilot/era1960/lycoming_1959/lycoming_1959_photos_jpg_200/lycoming_050659_aqe_4w_57.jpg|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Ref_label|B|b|none}} by 2017 there were no pavilions or other buildings in the park.<ref name="dcnr">{{cite web |url=https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/find-a-park/upper-pine-bottom-state-park |title=Upper Pine Bottom Run State Park |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=2026-01-22}}</ref> The United States' entry into the [[World War II|Second World War]] in 1941 led to the end of the CCC, and all its camps were closed by the summer of 1942.<ref name="npsccc">{{cite book|last=Paige|first=John C.|title=The Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Park Service, 1933–1942: An Administrative History|url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/ccc/index.htm|access-date=June 16, 2017|year=1985|publisher=[[National Park Service|U.S. National Park Service]], Department of the Interior|location=Washington, D.C.|chapter=Chapter One: A Brief History of the Civilian Conservation Corps|oclc=12072830}}</ref>

In 1950 the park was known as "Upper Pine Bottom State Forest Picnic Area" and was mentioned in a ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' article on the Pine Creek Gorge.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon: Camps and Picnic Areas Abound in Wilds Along Pine Creek Gorge|last=Bryan|first=Curtis Townley|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 16, 1950|page=X19}}</ref> On November 11, 1954, the Pennsylvania Geographic Board made the picnic area name official.<ref name="forrey"/> The Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry's Division of State Parks became the Bureau of State Parks in 1962 and Upper Pine Bottom (and all state parks and picnic areas) were transferred to it from Forestry that year.<ref name="crown jewel"/> In 1972, Upper Pine Bottom was one of 10 state forest picnic areas kept by the Bureau of State Parks (35 were transferred to the Bureau of Forestry), and Forrey's 1984 ''History of Pennsylvania's State Parks'' referred to it as a state forest picnic area.<ref name="forrey"/> The [[Pennsylvania Department of Transportation]] (Penn DOT) 1993 map still called it a picnic area,<ref>{{cite map|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division|url=https://gis.penndot.gov/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/Type_10_GHS_Historical_Scans/Lycoming_1993_Sheet_2.pdf|title=1993 General Highway Map Lycoming County Pennsylvania|access-date=June 16, 2016}}</ref> but Cupper's 1993 ''Our Priceless Heritage: Pennsylvania's State Parks 1893–1993'' called it a state park,<ref name="cupper">{{cite book|last=Cupper|first=Dan|title=Our Priceless Heritage: Pennsylvania's State Parks 1893–1993|year=1993|publisher=Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, [[Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission]] for Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of State Parks|location=[[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]]|isbn=0-89271-056-X|pages=20–29}}</ref> as did the Penn DOT 2002 map.<ref>{{cite map|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division|url=https://gis.penndot.gov/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/Type_10_GHS_Historical_Scans/Lycoming_2002_Sheet_2.pdf|title=2002 General Highway Map Lycoming County Pennsylvania|access-date=June 16, 2017|scale=1:65,000}}</ref>

{{As of|2017}} Upper Pine Bottom State Park is a roadside park for day use only, with a small parking lot and a few picnic tables. In addition to picnics, its chief use is as a parking area for local hunters, [[fishing|anglers]], [[hiking|hikers]], [[cross-country skiing|cross country skiers]], and [[snowmobile]]rs. Staff from nearby Little Pine State Park maintain Upper Pine Bottom,<ref name="dcnr"/> and it is one of the smallest state parks in Pennsylvania. [[Prouty Place State Park]], a picnic area to the northwest in Potter County, is also {{convert|5|acre}}. Only [[Sand Bridge State Park]], another picnic area to the south in Union County, is smaller, at {{convert|3|acre}}.<ref name="manual">Forrey's 1984 ''History of Pennsylvania's State Parks'' lists the area of each park and picnic area, but gives Upper Pine Bottom as {{convert|4.0|acre}} and Sand Bridge as {{convert|1.5|acre}}. The 2016 edition of ''The Pennsylvania Manual'' gives the current areas – see {{cite book|title=The Pennsylvania Manual|volume=122|publisher=Commonwealth of Pennsylvania|year=2016|url=http://www.dgs.pa.gov/State%20Government/Print,%20Design%20and%20Mail%20Services/Documents/Vol%20122%20-%20Section%209.pdf|location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|editor=Bogden, Sharon|chapter=Section 9: Appendix|access-date=June 17, 2017|isbn=978-0-8182-0375-6|archive-date=January 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113091555/http://www.dgs.pa.gov/State%20Government/Print,%20Design%20and%20Mail%20Services/Documents/Vol%20122%20-%20Section%209.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Geology and climate== {{See also|Climate of Pennsylvania}} Although the rock formations exposed in Upper Pine Bottom State Park and the Pine Creek Gorge are at least 300 million years old, the gorge itself formed about 20,000 years ago, in the [[Last glacial period|last ice age]]. Pine Creek had flowed northeasterly until then, but was dammed by rocks, soil, ice, and other debris deposited by the receding [[Laurentide Ice Sheet|Laurentide Continental Glacier]]. The dammed creek formed a lake near what would later be the village of Ansonia in [[Shippen Township, Tioga County, Pennsylvania|Shippen Township]] in Tioga County, and the lake's glacial meltwater overflowed the [[landslide dam|debris dam]], reversing the flow of Pine Creek. The creek flooded to the south and quickly carved a deep channel on its way to the West Branch Susquehanna River.<ref name="geology">{{cite web|url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_015925.pdf|title=Pennsylvania Trail of Geology, Leonard Harrison and Colton Point State Parks, The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania (Park Guide 5)|last=McGlade|first=William G.|year=1971|access-date=June 17, 2017|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208045437/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_015925.pdf|archive-date=February 8, 2016}}</ref><ref name="seasons obag"/>

The land on which Upper Pine Bottom State Park sits was part of the coastline of a shallow sea that covered a great portion of what is now North America about 300 million years ago, in the [[Pennsylvanian (geology)|Pennsylvanian subperiod]]. The high mountains to the east of the sea gradually eroded, causing a buildup of [[sediment]] made up primarily of [[clay]], [[sand]] and [[gravel]]. Tremendous pressure on the sediment caused the formation of the rocks that are found today in the Pine Creek drainage basin: [[sandstone]], [[shale]], [[conglomerate (geology)|conglomerates]], [[limestone]], and [[coal]].<ref name="seasons obag"/><ref name="Streams II">{{cite book|last=Shaw|first=Lewis C.|others=Prepared in Cooperation with the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey|title=Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams Part II (Water Resources Bulletin No. 16)|date=June 1984|edition=1st|publisher=Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Environmental Resources|location=Harrisburg, PA|page=167|oclc=17150333 }}</ref>

[[File:Upper Pine Bottom Run Aerial.PNG|thumb|left|alt=An aerial view of a deep stream valley with a road running left to right and smaller valleys joining it from top and bottom. A red roughly triangular shape is in the center.|Erosion of the dissected Allegheny Plateau by Upper Pine Bottom Run is visible in this 1959 aerial view. PA 44 follows the run, and the outline of the park is red.]] The park is at an elevation of {{convert|932|ft}} on the [[Allegheny Plateau]], which formed in the [[Alleghenian orogeny]] some 300 million years ago, when the part of [[Gondwana]] that became Africa collided with what became North America, forming [[Pangaea]].<ref name="roadside"/><ref name="geology book">{{cite book|title=The Geology of Pennsylvania|editor-last=Shultz|editor-first=Charles H.|year=1999|publisher=Pennsylvania Geological Society and Pittsburgh Geological Society|location=Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|isbn=0-8182-0227-0|pages=372–374, 391, 399, 818}}</ref> Although the gorge and its surroundings seem to be mountainous, the area is a [[dissected plateau]]. Years of [[erosion]] have cut away the soft rocks, forming the valleys, and left the hardest of the ancient rocks relatively untouched on the top of sharp ridges, giving them the appearance of "mountains".<ref name="seasons obag">{{cite book|last=Owlett|first=Steven E.|title=Seasons Along the Tiadaghton: An Environmental History of the Pine Creek Gorge|year=1993|chapter=Of Brachiopods and Glaciers|pages=27, 28, 31, 34, 36|edition=1st|publisher=Interprint|location=Petaluma, California|isbn=0-9635905-0-2 }}</ref>

Five major rock formations from the [[Devonian]] and [[Carboniferous]] periods are present in Upper Pine Bottom State Park and Cummings Township. The youngest of these, which forms the highest points in the township, is the [[Pottsville Formation]], a gray conglomerate dating to the early [[Pennsylvanian (geology)|Pennsylvanian]] that may contain sandstone, [[siltstone]], and shale, as well as [[anthracite]] coal. Low-sulfur coal was once mined at three locations within the Pine Creek watershed, and there is a coal deposit between the headwaters of Upper Pine Bottom and Lower Pine Bottom Runs. Below this is the [[Mauch Chunk Formation]], from the late [[Mississippian age|Mississippian]], which is formed with grayish-red shale, siltstone, sandstone, and conglomerate.<ref name="coal">{{cite book | last = Meginness | first = John Franklin | title = History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania ... | year = 1892 | url = https://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/lyco-history-01.html | access-date = June 14, 2017 | edition = 1st | publisher = Brown, Runk & Co. | location = Chicago, IL | isbn = 0-7884-0428-8 | chapter = Chapter XXV. Geology and Agriculture. | chapter-url = https://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-25.html | quote = (''Note:'' ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some [[optical character recognition|OCR]] typos).}}</ref><ref name="seasons obag"/><ref name="map 61"/><ref name="map 67"/>

Next below these is the Mississippian [[Pocono Formation|Burgoon Sandstone]], which is buff-colored with shale, coal, and conglomerate inclusions. Below this is the late [[Devonian]] and early Mississippian [[Huntley Mountain Formation]], which is made of relatively soft grayish-red shale and olive-gray sandstone. The lowest and oldest layer is the red shale and siltstone of the [[Catskill Formation]], some 375 million years old. This layer is relatively soft and easily eroded, which helped to form the Pine Creek Gorge. The source of Upper Pine Bottom Run is on Mauch Chunk rock, and the stream cuts deeper as it flows east to Pine Creek. In the park Upper Pine Bottom Run has cut through layers of Burgoon sandstone and Huntley Mountain rock, and downstream of the park to its mouth the deepest parts of the valleys are made of the Catskill Formation.<ref name="seasons obag"/><ref name="roadside">{{cite book|title=Roadside Geology of Pennsylvania|last=Van Diver|first=Bradford B.|year=1990|publisher=Mountain Press Publishing Company|location=Missoula, Montana|isbn=0-87842-227-7|pages=31–35, 113–115}}</ref><ref name="map 61">{{cite web|url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/map61/jerseymills.pdf|title=Atlas of Preliminary Geologic Quadrangle Maps of Pennsylvania: Jersey Mills|access-date=June 17, 2017|author=Berg, T. M.|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey|year=1981|archive-date=September 19, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919152021/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/map61/jerseymills.pdf}}</ref><ref name="map 67">{{cite web|url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/pub/map/pdfs/map067_tabloid_exp.pdf|title=Map 67: Tabloid Edition Explanation|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey|access-date=June 17, 2017|archive-date=April 1, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401183314/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/pub/map/pdfs/map067_tabloid_exp.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=PAMb%3B10|title=Burgoon Sandstone|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=May 22, 2009|access-date=June 17, 2017}}</ref>

The Allegheny Plateau has a [[continental climate]], with occasional severe low temperatures in winter and average daily temperature ranges (difference between the daily high and low) of {{convert|20|F-change}} in winter and {{convert|26|F-change}} in summer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://climate.met.psu.edu/data/ncdc_pa.pdf|title=Climate of Pennsylvania|publisher=Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania State Climatologist|access-date=June 17, 2017|archive-date=February 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211175742/http://climate.met.psu.edu/data/ncdc_pa.pdf}}</ref> The mean annual [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] for the Pine Creek watershed is {{convert|36|to|42|in|sigfig=3}}.<ref name="Streams II"/> January is the coldest month at Upper Pine Bottom State Park, July the warmest, and June the wettest. The highest recorded temperature at the park was {{convert|104|F}} in 1988, and the record low was {{convert|-19|F}} in 1982.<ref name="WeatherChannel">{{cite web|title=Upper Pine Bottom State Park Monthly Weather|url=https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/PASPUP:13:US|access-date=June 17, 2017|publisher=The Weather Channel Interactive, Inc}}</ref> {{Weather box | location = Upper Pine Bottom State Park | single line = Yes | Jan high F = 35 | Feb high F = 39 | Mar high F = 48 | Apr high F = 62 | May high F = 72 | Jun high F = 80 | Jul high F = 84 | Aug high F = 83 | Sep high F = 75 | Oct high F = 63 | Nov high F = 51 | Dec high F = 39 | Jan low F = 18 | Feb low F = 20 | Mar low F = 27 | Apr low F = 36 | May low F = 47 | Jun low F = 56 | Jul low F = 60 | Aug low F = 59 | Sep low F = 52 | Oct low F = 40 | Nov low F = 32 | Dec low F = 24 | Jan precipitation inch = 2.47 | Feb precipitation inch = 2.31 | Mar precipitation inch = 3.11 | Apr precipitation inch = 3.27 | May precipitation inch = 3.69 | Jun precipitation inch = 4.47 | Jul precipitation inch = 3.95 | Aug precipitation inch = 4.20 | Sep precipitation inch = 3.96 | Oct precipitation inch = 3.34 | Nov precipitation inch = 3.41 | Dec precipitation inch = 2.74 | source 1 = The Weather Channel<ref name="WeatherChannel"/> | date = June 2017 }}

==Ecology== [[File:Upper Pine Bottom State Park Run 1.jpg|thumb|left|Upper Pine Bottom Run in the park in summer|alt=A small stream flows over smooth rocks through lush green vegetation. Sunlight reflects off some leaves while other places are in deep shade.]] Descriptions from early explorers and settlers give an idea of what the Pine Creek Gorge was like before it was clearcut. The forest was up to 85 percent hemlock and white pine; hardwoods made up the rest.<ref name="dillon wotf">{{cite book|title=Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon: A Natural & Human History|last=Dillon|first=Chuck|edition=2nd|publisher=Pine Creek Press|location=Wellsboro, Pennsylvania|year=2006|chapter=Wealth of the Forests: Lumber|pages=23–24}} (No ISBN)</ref> The Pine Creek watershed, which Upper Pine Bottom Run is part of, was home to large predators such as [[gray wolf|wolves]], [[Canadian lynx|lynx]], [[wolverine]]s, [[cougar|panthers]], [[fisher (animal)|fishers]], [[bobcat]]s and [[Vulpes|foxes]]; all except the last three are locally extinct. The area had herds of [[American bison]], [[elk]] and [[white-tailed deer]], and large numbers of [[American black bear|black bears]], [[northern river otter|river otters]], and [[American beaver|beaver]]s. [[Rattlesnake]]s and insects plagued early explorers and settlers in the region.<ref name="seasons ltw"/>

The virgin forests cooled the land and streams, and centuries of accumulated organic matter in the forest soil caused slow percolation of rainfall into the creeks and runs so that they flowed more evenly year-round.<ref name="dillon wotf"/><ref name="dillon hiats">{{cite book|title=Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon: A Natural & Human History|last=Dillon|first=Chuck|edition=2nd|publisher=Pine Creek Press|location=Wellsboro, Pennsylvania|year=2006|chapter=Human Issues Affecting the Stream|page=46}} (No ISBN)</ref> Pine Creek and its tributaries were home to large numbers of fish, including trout, but dams downstream on the [[Susquehanna River]] have eliminated the [[shad]] and [[eel]]s once found here by blocking their [[fish migration|migrations]].<ref name="seasons ltw"/> Habitat for land animals was destroyed by the clearcutting of forests, but there was also a great deal of hunting, with bounties paid for large predators.<ref name="seasons ltw"/>

Upper Pine Bottom Run's virgin white pines were all clearcut, but in 1925 the Department of Forests and Waters reported "thrifty young growth has now taken in its place".<ref name="in penns woods"/> In the 1920s [[chestnut blight]] killed almost all the [[American chestnut]] trees in the Tiadaghton State Forest, and oak trees suffered from [[Croesia semipurpurana|oak leaf tier moths]] in the 1950s and [[Archips semiferanus|oak leaf roller moths]] in 1967. [[Gypsy moth]]s defoliated the state forest between 1978 and 1982.<ref name="crown jewel"/> The surrounding state forest is "dominated by mixed oak forests", along with hardwoods such as [[Fraxinus|ash]], [[beech]], [[birch]], [[Prunus serotina|cherry]], and [[maple]],<ref name="tiadaghton map"/> as well as hemlock and pine.<ref name="Bloodties">{{cite book|title=Bloodties: nature, culture, and the hunt|first=Ted|last=Kerasote|publisher=Kodansha Globe / Random House|year=1994|isbn=978-1-56836-027-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/bloodtiesnaturec00kera/page/152 152]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/bloodtiesnaturec00kera/page/152}}</ref> The Pine Creek Gorge is home to over 225 species of wildflowers, plants and trees, 40 species of mammals, 245 species of birds, and 26 species of fish. Common animals include deer, squirrels, bear, eagles, [[wild turkey]], and ravens.<ref>{{cite book|title=Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon: A Natural & Human History|last=Dillon|first=Chuck|edition=2nd|publisher=Pine Creek Press|location=Wellsboro, Pennsylvania|year=2006|chapter=The Forest Today|pages=34–36}} (No ISBN)</ref>

==Recreation== [[File:UPBSP Flow.jpg|thumb|Autumnal view of Upper Pine Bottom Run in the park; it is state-approved and stocked for trout fishing in season.|alt=A stream flows over smooth rocks, surrounded by trees with green, yellow, and orange leaves.]] {{As of|2017}} recreational opportunities within the {{convert|5|acre|adj=on}} Upper Pine Bottom State Park were limited to picknicking and fishing.<ref name="dcnr"/> Although the park was established in the early 1920s as a campground with a latrine,<ref name="in penns woods"/> the park today has no campsites or sanitary facilities.<ref name="manual"/> Upper Pine Bottom Run was listed in a guide for [[trout]] and [[bass fishing]] in 1885,<ref>{{cite book|title=The angler's guide book and tourist's gazetteer of the fishing waters of the United States and Canada|year=1885|editor=Harris, William C.|publisher=The American Angler|location=New York, New York|page=168|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k_MVAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Upper+Pine+Bottom%22&pg=PA168|access-date=October 21, 2009}}</ref> and in 1925 the Department of Forests and Waters said there was good fishing and hunting in the camp. Brown trout over {{convert|20|in|cm}} long were reported in the stream in 1994.<ref name="Bloodties"/> All of Upper Pine Bottom Run has been designated as approved trout waters by the [[Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission]], which means that it is [[fish stocking|stocked]] with trout and may be fished during trout season.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission]] (PFBC)|url=https://pfbc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=3292981a1fcf415e9ce4a4a7a3ce98e2|title=PFBC County Guide|access-date=June 17, 2017|work=Interactive map}}</ref>

Upper Pine Bottom State Park also serves as a parking area and access point for the surrounding state forest, where recreational opportunities include hiking and hunting. The most common game animals are black bear, [[ruffed grouse]], white-tailed deer, and wild turkey. The state forest trails are also open to mountain biking and horseback riding, and in winter are used for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.<ref name="dcnr"/><ref name="tiadaghton map"/> Just north of the park is the {{convert|19|mi|adj=on}} Haneyville ATV Trail system for [[all-terrain vehicle]]s. The parking area for the trail is on PA 44 at the site of the former CCC camp S-82-Pa, and the history of the stream is reflected in the names of three of the trails in the system: Furnace Trail (for the iron furnace), CCC Trail, and Plantation Loop (for the plantations of trees planted by the CCC).<ref>{{cite map|title=Haneyville ATV Trail: Tiadaghton State Forest: Lycoming County|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry|year=2008|url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_010202.pdf|access-date=June 16, 2017}}{{dead link|date=February 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

{{Panorama | image = File:Upper Pine Bottom State Park Panorama.jpg | caption = Panoramic view of the park from the parking area | height = 300 | alt = A gravel lot surrounded by grass, large rocks and some large trees is in the foreground, with two picnic tables, the banks of a small stream and dense forest in the background. At the left is a sign reading "Carry in, carry out" and at right is a sign reading "Upper Pine Bottom State Park" with a two-lane highway behind it. }}

==Notes== {{Refbegin}}

:'''a.''' {{Note_label|A|a|none}}Morey and Harrison's ''History of Cherry Springs State Park'' says of the bridle path that became the Jersey Shore–Coudersport Turnpike: "It is interesting to note that the present-day Pennsylvania Route 44 follows the historic path with very few exceptions", but the history does not explicitly mention Upper Pine Bottom State Park.<ref name="pike"/> However, the official map of the Tiadaghton State Forest clearly shows the road south of Haneyville along the border between Lycoming and Clinton counties as "Old Coudersport Pike" (and not the road along Upper Pine Bottom Run).<ref name="tiadaghton map"/> :'''b.''' {{Note_label|B|b|none}}For a detailed view showing the roof of the structure, see [[:File:Upper Pine Bottom Run Aerial detail.JPG|this image]].

==References== {{reflist|refs= <ref name="forrey2">{{cite web |url=https://paconservationheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2015-history-of-state-parks-forrey.pdf |title=History of Pennsylvania’s State Parks 1984 to 2015 |first=William C. |last=Forrey |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |page=73 |date=2017 |access-date=2026-01-22}}</ref> }}

==External links== {{commons category}} {{portal|Pennsylvania}} *[https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/find-a-park/upper-pine-bottom-state-park Upper Pine Bottom Run State Park] Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

[[Category:State parks of Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Parks in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Allegheny Plateau]] [[Category:Protected areas established in 1923]] [[Category:Civilian Conservation Corps in Pennsylvania]] [[Category:1923 establishments in Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Protected areas of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania]]