Hills Creek State Park Wellsboro, PA July 2006

My wife and I had been talking about exploring the scenic Route 6 through northern Pennsylvania.  We couldn't squeeze in the whole trip across the state, so we decided to take an extra long weekend and do some camping in the Wellsboro area.  After doing some research, we settled on Hills Creek State Park.  Hills Creek located about half-way between Wellsboro and Mansfield.  It's about 4 or 5 miles away from each of the towns.

We camped in Site 24 in Loop A.  The sites in Loop A are mostly wooded and have electric hookups.  Other loops in the campground tend to be more open; some are even located in open fields.  Site 24 was located less than 100 feet or so from Hills Creek Lake.  Behind our site was a gravel trail that lead to an area where you could launch a small boat.  The sites at Hills Creek, in some areas, tend to be fairly close together.  Although there was a great deal of space between us and the site to our right, we were pretty close to the site on the other side.  In addition to the obligatory fire ring and picnic table, our site also included a metal lantern hanger, which is something we haven't seen at other Pennsylvania State Parks.

The bath house in Loop A was a bit run-down but reasonably clean.  There was a dishwashing station behind the bath house.  The park features a sandy "beach" area with a roped off portion of the lake for swimming.  Boat rentals are also available near the beach area.  Firewood, ice and a limited variety of camping supplies are also available at the concession stand near the beach area.  You can find a supermarket or two on Route 6, heading in towards Wellsboro.

Favorite Sites Here are some that looked good to us: Electric hookup: 8, 18, 19, 20 and 22 Sites with no hookups:  39, 62, 89, 93, and 105           (Bold = really nice)

There is no shortage of things to see and do in this area.  We used our campsite as our home base and spent much of our time out exploring the area.  Here's a brief list (and no where near exhaustive) of things to do and see:

• Tioga Central Railroad.  This old railroad operates over a 34 mile stretch that extends almost into New York.  We road the "Ice Cream Express" on a Friday night and enjoyed some ice cream in the dining car during the trip.  The depot is located just north of Wellsboro on Route 287.
• Wellsboro.  This friendly little town, with its signature gas lights along Main Street, is definitely worth exploring.  There are lots of shops and restaurants all along Main Street.  The famous Wellsboro Diner, at the intersection of Main Street and Route 6 serves up some great diner fare. (We ate there twice during our trip!)   We also recommend the Native Bagel on Central Avenue for a great lunch.
• Pine Creek Gorge.  Also known as "Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon," Pine Creek Gorge offers some spectacular scenery.  The gorge is over 1,000 feet deep in some areas.  The East Rim has an observation point in Leonard Harrison State Park (from Wellsboro, follow Route 660 west until it ends).  An observation area is located on the West Rim in Colton Point State Park (just south of Rt. 6 on Colton Road).  You can easily visit both parks in an afternoon.  
• Williamsport.  We drove about 50 miles south on Route 15 and made a day-trip to Williamsport.  We visited the Little League Museum and took a look at Lamade Stadium on the complex where the Little League World Series is played each August.  We're big fans of minor league baseball, so we had to catch a game at Historic Bowman Field, home of the Williamsport Crosscutters.  Following Saturday night home games, you can go out into the outfield to watch a free (and pretty impressive) fireworks display.  We definitely had a good time at Bowman Field.
• Mansfield.  This is a quaint little college town.  We highly recommend the Main Twist (at the intersection of Route 6 and Main Street in Mansfield) for some great ice cream.
  

For more information on Hills Creek State Park and camping in Pennsylvania, check out:

• Pennsylvania State Parks
• Hills Creek State Park