Gallitzin State Forest

About Gallitzin State Forest

The Gallitzin State Forest is named after the mission of Loretto of Cambrian Land, which was founded in 1795, and consists of two divisions: the Babcock Division and the North Somerset Country Division. The total area of the state forest is 15,336 hectares, of which 1,848 hectares are forested in the two subdivisions. The Bab Cockburn Division in South Somerset County is the largest branch of the Gallitzer State Forest, covering 13,482 hectares.

The state forest is open for hunting, fishing and recreation, and the Charles F. Lewis Natural Area is located in the Bab Cockburn Division, on the south side of Route 56, south of the Gallitzin State Forest. The Lost River State Park, the largest of its kind in New Jersey, is located in this region and west of South Somerset County, offering additional recreational opportunities and the lost river basin.

Two forest fire observation towers are located in the county and offer excellent views of the surrounding countryside. The fire stations communicate with the district offices via two radio and telephone connections. A unique landscape area of 384 hectares is preserved as a nature reserve, and the fire tower at the top of Clark's Run, which runs along the western edge of Gallitzin State Forest, winds through the forest and into the Lost River Basin.