The heat of summer has arrived and I’m seeking places with a place to cool down right now! In my pursuit of hiking at 52 Pennsylvania State Parks in 2021 I am focused on parks that have a lake, or stream to dip my toes into during or after a hike – AND hiking earlier!~

CURRENT TALLY OF STATE PARKS I’VE VISITED in 2021 : 20 (See previous posts)

Explore Pennsylvania & Beyond

If you are reading my blog you might be thinking that you’d like to join me on the next hike, so I’ve connected the FB group I lead, Explore Pennsylvania & Beyond with this blog to offer readers a chance to join me – yes – you heard it here – IN PERSON!

This group started because I wanted to walk and talk with friends in the Harrisburg area but quickly expanded to a public group since I started to get several requests for joining. I also changed the name to Explore Pennsylvania to – Pennsylvania & Beyond – back in 2019 when I started to take my hikes across country, visiting Colorado, Arizona, and Texas.

If you’d like to join me for the next hikes, here are the dates:

(There is more info in the FB Group – Dates dependent on the weather)

Hiking at Tuscarora State Park – 10 AM, Saturday, July 17th

Hiking at Ridley Creek State Park – 10 AM, Sunday, July 18th

Hiking at Hickory Run State Park – 10 AM, Saturday, July 24th

Hiking at Nescopeck State Park – 10 AM, Sunday July 25th

Codorus State Park

At the end of June I headed to Codorus State Park I hiked portions of the LaHo Trail, which runs along the 1,275-acre Lake Marburg. Although I was caught in a bit of rain, I enjoyed this scenic trail with options of bird watching, people watching, and a few places to sit and rest along the way. I finished the lake trail in about 1.5 hours but diverted due to weather. This is a beautiful park for fishing, swimming, and camping! More photos HERE!~

Memorial Lake State Park

Recently I spent an awesome Sunday morning walking around Memorial Lake State Park. The park is located in my hometown of Annville, but I don’t recall ever visiting it as a kid. This is such a great park to hike because of the shade from trees and wide trails!! There are tons of places to sit and rest as well as enjoy a picnic lunch after a hike, which is what I did!~ More photos HERE!~

PA State Park Art Journal Update

Since announcing my art journal project I’ve made a ton of progress to the pages of the book that will document my 2021 challenge to visit 52 Pennsylvania State Parks! I have also decided to pick up extra stamps for my journal instead of cutting them out of my passport book. Lesson learned 😉