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.