R. B. Winter State Park (also known as Raymond B. Winter State Park) is a Pennsylvania state park on in Hartley Township, Union County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is in the ridge and valley region of Pennsylvania and is surrounded by

Bald Eagle State Forest Bald Eagle State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #7. The main office is located in Laurelton in Union County, Pennsylvania. The forest is found in Centre, Clinton, Mifflin, Snyder, and Union ...

. R. B. Winter State Park is in a shallow basin that is surrounded by ridges. Halfway Lake is the central recreational focus of the park. The park is west of Lewisburg on Pennsylvania Route 192. The park was originally called "Halfway Dam State Park", but was renamed "R.B. Winter State Park" on May 23, 1957, to honor state forester Raymond Burrows Winter, who was instrumental in establishing the park and had worked there and the surrounding state forest for 45 years.

Rapid Run Natural Area

The first settlers in the area found a very dense forest that was according to Conrad Weiser, "so thick that for a mile at a time we could not find the place the size of a hand, where the sun could penetrate, even in the clearest day..." Some examples of this dense forest still stand today at R. B. Winter State Park. The Rapid Run Natural Area is of land set aside "to provide a location for scientific observation of natural systems, to protect an example of a typical and unique plant and animal community, and to protect and outstanding example of natural interest and beauty." This natural area has been largely untouched since it was last logged for timber in 1850. Pileated woodpeckers can be seen in this area. Barred owls also live in the Rapid Run Natural Area. Vernal pools fill each spring to provide water for fairy shrimp, caddis-flies, spotted salamanders, and wood frogs.

Halfway Lake

Halfway Lake is filled by spring fed mountain streams. It is contained by a hand-laid native sandstone dam, the first cement and stone dam ever built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The temperature of the water in Halfway Lake is always about . This is because much of the lake is filled with water that comes from directly underground. Little Bubbler is an

artesian spring An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. An artesian aquifer has trapped water, surrounded by layers of impermeable rock or clay, which apply positive pressure to the water contained within th ...

that seeps up through the sand on the west end of the beach at R. B. Winter State Park. Swimming is permitted but lifeguards are not provided as of 2008. Halfway Lake is a cold water fishery that is stocked with

brook A brook is a small river or natural stream of fresh water. It may also refer to: Computing *Brook, a programming language for GPU programming based on C *Brook+, an explicit data-parallel C compiler * BrookGPU, a framework for GPGPU programm ...

, brown and

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

. Ice fishing is permitted when the lake is frozen and the ice is at least thick.

Recreation

Camping

People interested in staying overnight at R. B. Winter State park have three options. They can stay at one of the 59 modern camp sites some of which are equipped with electricity. All the sites have access to modern restrooms with showers. Each camp site also has its own fire ring,

picnic table A picnic table (or picnic bench) is a table with benches (often attached), designed for working with and for outdoor dining. The term is often specifically associated with rectangular tables having an A-frame structure. Such tables may be referr ...

and lantern holder. There are three

cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a Cotter (farmer), cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager ...

s that sleep up to five people. The cottages have electric lights and a small baseboard heater as well as wooden floors, windows, skylights, porches, a picnic table and fire ring. There is one modern

cabin Cabin may refer to: Buildings * Beach cabin, a small wooden hut on a beach * Log cabin, a house built from logs * Cottage, a small house * Chalet, a wooden mountain house with a sloping roof * Cabin, small free-standing structures that serve as in ...

that is available to rent year-round. It is two stories with a furnished living area, kitchen, one-and-a-half baths, four bedrooms and two porches.

Trails

R. B. Winter State Park has of hiking trails that meander around the park and along the lakeshore. The park is also a trailhead for the hiking, mountain biking and snow mobile trails in Bald Eagle State Forest. Most of the trails in the park are open to

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

except for Rapid Run Trail and Mid State Trail and part of Overlook Trail. R. B. Winter State Park is open to

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

and snowmobiling during the winter months.

Hunting

Hunting is permitted on of R.B. Winter State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The common game species are ruffed grouse, eastern gray squirrel, wild turkey,

American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), also called simply a black bear or sometimes a baribal, is a medium-sized bear endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. American black bear ...

, white-tailed deer, and woodcocks. The hunting of groundhogs is prohibited.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within of R. B. Winter State Park: ''Note: shows R.B. Winter State Park'' *

Bald Eagle State Park Bald Eagle State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Howard, Liberty, and Marion townships in Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park includes the Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir, formed by damming Bald Eagle Creek and ot ...

( Centre County) *

Bucktail State Park Natural Area Bucktail State Park Natural Area is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park in Cameron County, Pennsylvania, Cameron and Clinton County, Pennsylvania, Clinton Counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park follows Penn ...

(

Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 197 ...

and Clinton Counties) *

Little Pine State Park Little Pine State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Cummings Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Little Pine State park is along of Little Pine Creek, a tributary of Pine Creek, in the midst of the Tiadaghton ...

( Lycoming County) *

McCalls Dam State Park McCalls Dam State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Miles Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in the easternmost tip of Centre County, south of Clinton County and north of Union County. McCalls Dam S ...

(Centre County) *

Milton State Park Milton State Park is an Pennsylvania state park in Milton in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Montgomery Island in the West Branch Susquehanna River, just east of the village of West Milton in Union Coun ...

( Northumberland County) *

Poe Paddy State Park Poe Paddy State Park is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park in Haines Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, Haines Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrou ...

(Centre County) *

Poe Valley State Park Poe Valley State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Penn Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrounded by Bald Eagle State Forest. Poe Paddy State Park is to the east. The forests of the park surround th ...

(Centre County) * Ravensburg State Park (Clinton County) *

Reeds Gap State Park Reeds Gap State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Armagh Township, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is largely a wilderness area with large white pine and hemlock trees. Honey Creek flows through the park, provid ...

( Mifflin County) *

Sand Bridge State Park Sand Bridge State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Lewis Township, Union County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is the smallest state park in Pennsylvania and consists of a picnic area just off Pennsylvania Route 192. It ha ...

(Union County) * Shikellamy State Park ( Northumberland and Union Counties) * Susquehanna State Park (Lycoming County) *

Upper Pine Bottom State Park Upper Pine Bottom State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in Cummings Township on Pennsylvania Route 44 and is surrounded by the Tiadaghton State Forest. It is on Upper Pine ...

(Lycoming County)

References

External links

* {{authority control State parks of Pennsylvania Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Protected areas established in 1933 Civilian Conservation Corps in Pennsylvania Parks in Union County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Union County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Union County, Pennsylvania 1933 establishments in Pennsylvania