Nescopeck State Park is a
Pennsylvania state park on in
Butler and
Dennison Townships,
Luzerne County
Luzerne County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
(in the United States). The park is one of the newest state parks in Pennsylvania. In the early 1970s, the state acquired 164 properties which made up the park. The park's Environmental Education Center is one of its newest additions; it opened in April 2005.
Nescopeck Creek
Nescopeck Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The creek is in the Coal Region of ...
runs through the valley between Mount Yeager and
Nescopeck Mountain
Nescopeck Mountain (also known as Nescopec Mountain) is a ridge in Columbia County and Luzerne County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. Its elevation is above sea level. The ridge is a forested ridge, with at least two types of forest an ...
. The park is near
Interstate 80 just off
Pennsylvania Route 309
Pennsylvania Route 309 (PA 309) is a state highway that runs for 134 miles (216 km) through eastern Pennsylvania. The route runs from an interchange between PA 611 and Cheltenham Avenue on the border of Philadelphia and Cheltenham Township n ...
(near
Conyngham).
Trails
There are of trails in Nescopeck State Park. The trails go through
forests
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
,
meadows
A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artificia ...
and
wetlands. Most trails begin at Honey Hole Road which is the main access road for the park. The trails are open for
cross-country skiing but closed to
mountain biking.
Wildlife
of wetlands, forests, and the banks of Nescopeck Creek are the
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
of:
* over 160 different species of
birds
* 30 species of
reptiles and
amphibians
* over 600 species of plants.
Hunting and fishing
Hunting is permitted on most of Nescopeck State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the
Pennsylvania Game Commission
The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) is the state agency responsible for wildlife conservation and management in Pennsylvania in the United States. It was originally founded years ago and currently utilizes more than 700 full-time employees and ...
. The common game species are
squirrels
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
,
turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
,
woodcock
The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name ...
, and
white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
. Hunters may also access State Game Lands 187 through the park for additional hunting opportunities.
Lake Frances is a man-made lake on a tributary of
Nescopeck Creek
Nescopeck Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The creek is in the Coal Region of ...
. The lake has
panfish
The word panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an American English term describing any edible freshwater fish that usually do not outgrow the size of an average frying pan. It is also commonly used by recreational anglers to refer to a ...
,
bass and
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...
in its waters. Nescopeck Creek is designated as a high quality cold-water fishery with
brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...
and
brook trout.
Gallery
Nescopeck State Park Brush.jpg, A mountain in the park
Burnished (8583935661).jpg, Lightly wooded meadow
Hemlock Forest (21418956998).jpg, Hemlocks near Nescopeck Creek
Nescopeck Creek Valley (8583932443).jpg, Snow-covered mountains in Nescopeck State Park
Nescopeck State Park Lake Frances.jpg, Lake Frances in Nescopeck State Park
Hemlock Palustrine Forest (2) (8585827903).jpg, Nescopeck State Park
Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within of Nescopeck State Park:
[ ''Note: shows Nescopeck State Park'']
*
Beltzville State Park
Beltzville State Park is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park in Franklin Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, Franklin and Towamensing Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, Towamensing townships, Carbon County, Pennsyl ...
(
Carbon County)
*
Big Pocono State Park
Big Pocono State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Jackson and Pocono townships in Monroe County, Pennsylvania in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The park is located on Camelback Mountain and is maintained jointly by the Pennsylvania Department ...
(
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
* Monroe County, Alabama
*Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
* Monroe County, Georgia
*Monroe County, Illinois
*Monroe County, Indian ...
)
*
Frances Slocum State Park
Frances Slocum State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Kingston Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Frances Slocum Lake is a man-made, horseshoe-shaped lake that is a popular fishing and boating destination. The par ...
(Luzerne County)
*
Gouldsboro State Park
Gouldsboro State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County and Lehigh Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park includes the Gouldsboro Lake. Gouldsboro State Park is located very close ...
(Monroe and
Wayne Counties)
*
Hickory Run State Park
Hickory Run State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Kidder and Penn Forest Townships in Carbon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is spread across the Pocono Mountains. The park is easily accessible from Interstate 476 and ...
(Carbon County)
*
Lehigh Gorge State Park
Lehigh Gorge State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Luzerne and Carbon Counties, Pennsylvania. The park encompasses a gorge, which stretches along the Lehigh River from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control dam in Luzerne County to J ...
(Carbon and Luzerne Counties)
*
Locust Lake State Park
Locust Lake State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Ryan Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Locust Lake State Park is located approximately north of Pottsville, south of Mahanoy City, west of Tamaqua an ...
(
Schuylkill County)
*
Ricketts Glen State Park
Ricketts Glen State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 13,193 acres (5,280 ha) in Columbia, Luzerne, and Sullivan counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. Ricketts Glen is a National Natural Landmark known for its old-growth fore ...
(
Columbia, Luzerne, and
Sullivan Counties)
*
Tobyhanna State Park (Monroe and Wayne Counties)
*
Tuscarora State Park (Schuylkill County)
References
External links
*
{{authority control
State parks of Pennsylvania
Protected areas established in 2005
Parks in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Nature centers in Pennsylvania
Protected areas of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania