PA Getaway

State park · Jones Township, Elk County

Elk State Park

Elk State Park: The level of this reservoir varies widely in its function as a flood control for the Clarion & Allegheny Rivers
Photo: Tim Engleman, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Big enough for waterskiing and powerboats of any size, this deep reservoir in rugged northern mountains also draws anglers after trout and other fish.

What you will find

  • Hiking trails
  • Boat launch
  • Canoe and kayak launch
  • Fishing
  • Picnic areas
  • Wildlife and bird watching

Hunting is permitted here in season. Check the state hunting calendar and wear blaze orange in fall and winter.

Make a day of it

Nearby

  • Bendigo State Park

    State park · 6 miles away

    Picnic tables in the shade line the East Branch of the Clarion River, a trout stream that has bounced back from old mine pollution, with a swimming pool for hot summer days.

  • Kinzua Bridge State Park

    State park · 10 miles away

    The surviving towers of the Kinzua Viaduct, half-toppled by a 2003 tornado, now carry a skywalk with a glass-floored lookout high over the valley, the twisted wreckage still lying below.