Swatara State Park

About Swatara State Park

Swatara State Park was acquired in 2010 with funds from the Pennsylvania General Assembly for capital development. It consists of rolling fields and forests stretching from Interstate 81 to the second Blue Mountains. One of the focal points is the eight-kilometre-long Swatsara Creek, which winds its way through the park.

In the future, a recreation area will offer various activities such as hiking, cycling, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, camping, hiking and fishing.

The area of Swatara State Park is rich in American history, and the land along Swatsara Creek was originally used by American Indians as a transportation route. In the 1750s anthracite coal was discovered in this area of Tremont. In the 1820s, as demand for coal grew, the need for better transportation led to the construction of the Union Canal, which connected the Schuylkill and Susquehanna rivers.

In what is now Swatara State Park, a secondary channel, Pine Grove, was built, and the water was channeled into the Union Canal in Lebanon. The canal traffic at Pine Grove was supported by water from the Schuylkill River and its tributaries, as well as the Susquehanna River.

The dam was washed away in a flood in 1862 and destroyed the canal's reservoir, but was rebuilt in 1864, and the railway soon began operating on the opposite side of Swatara Creek.

The Commonwealth began acquiring the park in 1971 and was completed by the Department of General Services in 1987. The park includes an abandoned railway bed and a number of historic buildings, as well as an old railway station, museum, amphitheatre and other facilities.

Non-motorized boats must meet one of the following requirements for registering a boat: All approved personal swimming equipment such as kayaks, canoes, pedal boats and / or skis must be worn in the waters of a national park while sailing and must be bedded on the boat at all times.

There is a creek where you can get to the creek to board and take your boat, but no more than 3 miles from the entrance to the park.

There are also a few small streams in the park that boast local brown trout stocks, and the trout season attracts many anglers. In Swatara Creek you can catch a large number of brown and white trout as well as some small brown ones.

Irving Pond offers the opportunity to catch perch and panfish, and fishing has improved further through numerous mine drainage projects, improving water quality and the number of fish in the pond and other streams.

The trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and crosses the southern part of Swatara State Park for two miles. For more information about the Appalachian Trail, visit the National Scenic Trails or call 1-888-567-4357.

Start at the Waterville Bridge and walk the Swatara Multi-Use Trail for about five miles. Make a 10-mile loop by taking a 1-mile loop of the Appalachian Trail that starts at Watville Bridge, and run, bike, hike or walk.