PA - Laurel Ridge State Park - Route 653 Area

Last, but not least in my endeavor to complete my birthday journey across the ridge is the state park actually named after the Laurel Ridge, and is named as such. It completes the Laurel Hill / Linn Rum Complexes on the ridge. As I head from the southern end of Laurel Hill via the Barron Church and Ream Roads before stopping at the Barronvale and Kings covered bridges, ironically connected by a legislative road named Covered bridge road that. Finally I head west on PA 653 through a combination of woodland and forest land before crossing back into my native Fayette County and the park. 

Noticing that the Park Office has since been shuttered and only the facility is utilized. I proceed to the Cross-Country Ski / Picnic Area / Trail Head. Laurel Ridge is a very fragmented park and was created first for the purpose of establishing the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail and as such many of the fragments of park land are for that purpose. However, this area, while near the southern end of the ridge is where administrative features were once centralized.

Concession Building

This trail-head was expanded in the 1980s by the Pennsylvania Conservation Corps, and initiative to train young Pennsylvanians in a way that the Civilian Conservation Corps did in the 1930s during the great depression. One of the first things they did over two seasons was construct the Cross Country Ski Concession that was once able to be opened up in the warmer months for a pavilion. This also gave the ability to have modern multiple occupancy restrooms for the users and serve as a picnic area. Now, this building is only opened on winter weekends during concession season as conditions allow. 

Warming Hut

As such, over a decade ago, the concessionaire in cooperation with DCNR constructed a warming hut a short distance away that contains a single use restroom for skiers that is opened in the winter when the concession is closed and fees are not collected to maintain the ski trails. During the warmer months, other than the picnic tables, closed buildings and signage, unless you rent the concession out, all you can use for comfort is a portable toilet in the parking area. 

As in all LHHT trail heads, there are parking spots, and informational kiosk and a pair of metal mailboxes at each trail head approach that serve as voluntary registration points. There is a water spigot at this one and a historical marker from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy noting the establishment of the park.

The trail, The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail specifically, extends 70.5 miles across Laurel Ridge from Ohiopyle, 18 miles south to Seward near Johnstown, about 50 miles north of here. There are "shelter areas" 8-10 miles apart from each area that provided by DCNR as conditions allow, but down and dead wood is allowed to be used. A fee is collected for overnight use of these areas.

PA - Laurel Hill State Park - Park Office, Visitor Center and CCC Monument

 In the middle of the bottom half of my birthday "ridge" state parks tour, I had finished up completing Linn Run, Laurel Summit and Kooser, where I learned from their park office that I could obtain the passport stamps for Laurel Hill and Laurel Ridge at their park office. I also wanted to visit the visitor center and CCC monument as well.

It is a quite easy four mile ride to Laurel Hill from Kooser, heading east on PA 31 to the other side of the tiny hamlet of Bakersville. Just past that, you will see the directional sign for Laurel Hill, turning right on what is called the Trent road heading a mile. In this case I choose to take the park entrance road near the top of the hill into the scenic section of the park. I am used to when having a camper in tow continuing to the end of Trent road and heading in near the bottom of the park, but as we are touring today, we go for a scenic tour 

Entering the park and going through the small hollow before cresting hill the park office is on the right. This park has the most significant collection of structures constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The park office is no different. Of a stone nature, it has a porch and gender-specific single-user restrooms to the side with a ramp in front of them. I enter the office and get my passport stamped and learn that the former park office at Laurel Ridge is no longer manned and will need to get it stamped here, however I did make a plan to stop at the adjoining trail-head there anyway.

Returning back outside, I see that the interpretive display has been replaced since I last photographed it over a decade ago, so I photograph it again, collect brochures, return to the car and head through the park to the visitors center. On the way, I see various wildlife and flora and fauna and decide to see the beach area another time.

Arriving at the visitors center, I head up the front steps and into the visitors center. It has since changed over the years with more displays including a CCC room, displaying artifacts from that program. Heading back outside, I safely cross the street and look at the CCC monument and photograph it before returning to back tot he visitor center side of the street and to the rear I see a modern accessible restroom has since been added to the rear of the structure since years ago, replacing a portable toilet that used to be in the parking lot. Campers are leaving the campground lining up to empty their tanks from the weekend.

PA - Kooser State Park

 Continuing my birthday journey of crossing Laurel Ridge collecting passport stamps, I have already visited Linn Run and Laurel Summit to the north I retrace my steps back on the Laurel Summit road and now continue across the Hickory Flats through the Forbes State Forest and enter Somerset county utilizing township and legislative roads crossing the Pennsylvania turnpike and ending up near the tiny hamlet of Bakersville and continuing west a bit on PA 31 to the Kooser State Park office.

As seen in prior visits, former pit latrines have since been removed with park modernization, including those on the Lake Look road. As such, a modern accessible restroom has been added to the park office building where there is also information and a phone where local, collect and toll-free calls can be made.

The park office was open on the day of my visit, which I always like to go in and see the drawing of the cabin colony by a former park employee. Meanwhile, I get my passport stamped and learn that the park office and visitor center at Laurel Hill is open. I collect information and proceed to the Campground as it is near turnover time and it is Sunday to scope out the sites for a future visit.

Proceeding down Tree Army Road from the park office, the cabins are to the right. Similar to Linn Run there is a modern cabin for disabled guests and the remaining 8 are served by a modern shower house, though there are gender-specific multiple occupancy sides there is also a family assist restroom within the cabin colony available for users.The cabins, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps are of various design and capacities. 

At the far end of the 260-acre park is the balloon loop campground. The campground is totally pet friendly and as you enter to the right in the space that once served group tenters is now three single walk-in sites and the campground playground. While many of the sites are for RVs, there are a few walk in tent sites. Some are pull through and others are back in, mostly on gravel pads. Pull throughs include sites 1, 2, 5, 6, and 9 that seem distanced along with 12, 31 and 32 that comprise the standard electrical hookup while 17, 18, 20 and 21 are pull throughs that contain full hookups, Site 16 is the location where the former walled tent that some parks in this region used to have and as such, there is a pavilion and under its respective picnic table. Site 19 is tent-only as it buffers the tributary leading from Kooser spring, the park's first water supply before recent public water arrived via the county water system in recent years. Site 24 isa walk-in site clinging to the hillside.

Making your way through the campground is the modern showerhouse on the right a modern shower house, though there are gender-specific multiple occupancy sides there is also a family assist restroom serving the campground, replacing the pit latrines of decades ago. Following the campground loop you will pass the host site #30, a pull through with electric along with 31 and 32 that are solely electric pull throughs. Heading back the way you came in as it is the sole way in and out.

Retreating back to the office, you can head down the Lake Loop Road where picnic tables and grills dot the roadside before a bridge crosses Kooser run. You will reach PA 31. You will see a large parking area for the day-use area as you exit the road, but you will need to again head west on PA31 a bit to reenter this. Below the parking area you will find a modern restroom building that has changing stalls within in for beach patrons. This replaced the former pit latrines and open-air changing stockade that was here for several decades. Towards the left below the parking lot is the dam breast which you can cross and explore the peninsula where in the center has many foot traveled trails. Back on the side where you came land on the opposite side of the restroom facility, you will find a sand beach,former lifeguard station that is no longer in use and a wood and steel playground. Following the main patthway into the woods is the Mighy Oak pavilion, the parks only pavilion that is one of only a few things left of the day use are of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The only other thing that could remind you of this is the stone building near the restrooms that for a long time had vending machines for patrons, however it has since been closed off. Heading further, you can follow the trail and cross Kooser run to the park office.

PA - Laurel Summit State Park - Revisit

 

On what is my "ridge" birthday tour of state parks, after visiting Linn Run and learning that the stamp could be obtained there, and been there a few years ago, we save time from that and chose to visit Laurel Summit. Located just 3.8 miles from the Linn Run Park office following the paved Linn Run Road and until reaching the juncture of the gravel Hickory Flat and Laurel Summit Roads, we head just a piece on Laurel Summit Road to the small six acre park on the left. 

While originally a state forest picnic area before becoming a state park in the 1980s. The park connects to trails in the Forbes State Forest district including the Wolf Rocks trail and the Picnic Area trail in close proximity to the Spruce Flats Bog. There are information kiosks about the trail system adjoining the park, the history and the friends' group.

There is a pavilion that can be rented and it was in use the day of the visit. There is an accessible water fountain and spigot connected to a small shed that seemed to contain the pump for it. There are also a pair of single-gender specific pit toilets that are quite aged along with vast parking and picnic tables and grills.

PA - Linn Run State Park

For my birthday, I chose to get back and visit some of the state parks that I missed to really enjoy from years ago due to the bridge closure in Linn Run and Laurel Summit and the rain that occurred during my past visits on the Laurel Mountain.

As such, we started our tour of the parks on the ridges with the northernmost, Linn Run. This park as had not changed much since my childhood. There are two picnic areas that each have a playground, pit toilet and other related standard picnic facilities for their users. However they each have their own unique natural features to them that make them special. 

The northernmost area as soon as you enter the park, Adam (or Adams Falls as some call it) has several unique features to it. Two of those are located as soon as you turn off the main park road into the Picnic Area and travel down the Flat Rock Trail. Its namesake is the feature at the end where there is a natural waterside where there are tourists who take advantage of sliding down the creek in the warmer months. However, along the way, there are old stone foundations of an old hunting cabin that was here before the park was acquired over 120 years ago.

Above the parking leads up on a ridge above the creek where there is a the Adam Falls trail that leads to a very impressive veil waterfall that you can cross the in front of on a unique footbridge. Further down the road you will find some picnic tables and the park's only picnic pavilion along with a pit latrine and picnic tables.

Back on the main park road and passing some hunting cabins and to the right you will see the Grove Run Picnic Area. The less popular of the picnic areas of the park is known for the spring where locals were known pre-pandemic to obtain drinking water from, however at the present moment because of water quality standards, that does not seem to be occurring. However in the picnic area proper there is a playground and pit latrine along with other standard features.

Retracing your steps back to the main park road once again you will soon approach the Cabin Area to your left. These cabins were constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a federal program to employ young men during the Great Depression. This was ended by World War II. There are ten cabins with one having an addition of a modern bathroom for disabled guests. The park's policy is not to rent that cabin for guests if no remaining cabins are left for the night. The remaining cabins are within walking distance to potable water or either pit latrines or a modern building containing running water, flush toilets and showers. The capacity of the cabins along with their makeup but at minimum have a kitchen and living space with the standard furnishings and electric lights and outlets.

Standard Information Kiosk

Coming down the park road from the picnic areas, the first road to your left, a gravel lane, crossing Linn Run has Cabins 9 and 10 dotting the hillside. These cabins are served by a nearby pit latrine and a water spigot. 

Back down along main road, respective driveways lead to each cabin 8, 7 (the modern/disabled cabin), the a driveway to a parking lot and a pit latrine. The next driveway leads to the remaining cabins. As you enter, the driveway splits, with cabins 4, 5, and 6 to the left and 1, 2, and 3 to the right. Between the road going to cabins 1, 2, and 3 and the main park road, you will find the showerhouse serving as the restrooms comfort station for cabins 1 through 6 and the showers for all but Cabin 7. According to the park lodging guide there is a restroom for each of the 9 cabins that each have a sink, toilet and shower.

Park Office

Adjacent to the cabin area, again to the left, is the park office that for being of a rustic nature is quite impressive. Approaching the front porch, is what was a former pay phone stand that was originally crafted by park employees No longer housing a pay phone, it does have a phone that can accept local, collect and toll free calls. To the right of that is a information kiosk that had park and lodging information along with directions to the nearest medical facility.,

On the porch is information about the cabins, a container containing prestamps for the parks of the complex, and the porch of a wrap-around nature leads to the left where you will find a single user restroom (the only modern, accessible restroom open to the public, excluding the pit latrines). It is equipped with a sink, urinal and toilet and seemed clean for withstanding the weekend. Continuing to follow the porch leads to a area along Linn Run that has some nature-crafted seating. 

Back in front of the park office and to the left, at the far edge of the parking lot, there are interpretive panels about the Civilian Conservation Corps.