📋 Not a state park — Pennsylvania’s DCNR lists this site as Hairy Johns Picnic Area, one of four designated picnic areas in Bald Eagle State Forest. “Hairy John’s State Forest Park” is a historical name the state no longer uses. Verified 24 July 2026.
If you searched for “Hairy John State Park,” you are in the right place — under a name Pennsylvania retired. The site sits in Centre County inside Bald Eagle State Forest, and DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry manages it as a free day-use picnic area, not as a park unit. There is no campground, no visitor center, no entrance station and no park office. What draws people here is the picnic ground itself and the fact that the Mid State Trail runs straight through it.
What This Site Actually Is
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Official name | Hairy Johns Picnic Area (DCNR) |
| Status | State forest picnic area — not a Pennsylvania state park |
| Managed by | DCNR Bureau of Forestry, Bald Eagle State Forest |
| County | Centre County, PA |
| Entry fee | Free |
| Facilities | Picnicking and parking — no campground, no visitor center |
| Trail access | Mid State Trail passes through |
Why It Is Not a State Park
Pennsylvania runs two separate systems. State parks belong to DCNR’s Bureau of State Parks and appear in the department’s Find a Park directory. State forests belong to the Bureau of Forestry, and the picnic areas inside them are facilities, not park units. Hairy Johns is in the second group.
DCNR’s own page for Bald Eagle State Forest names exactly four designated picnic areas: Rock Springs and Snyder-Middleswarth in Snyder County, Hairy Johns in Centre County, and Bear Gap in Mifflin County. The site appears on no state park list, and the official DCNR state park boundary layer published through PASDA (March 2025 edition, 124 units) returns no Hairy Johns and no Voneida entry.
The old name was real, though — this was once a state forest park known as both “Hairy John’s State Forest Park” and “Voneida State Forest Park.” That is why the name still circulates on maps, in trail guides and in search results long after the state stopped using it. DCNR’s own hiking page still slips and calls it “Hairy Johns State Forest Picnic Area.”
Planning a Visit: What DCNR Does and Does Not Publish
Be aware of a practical gap before you set out. DCNR publishes the site’s name, its county and its status — and nothing else. There is no official address, no coordinates, no facility list and no site map on any state page for Hairy Johns. That is normal for a state forest picnic area, but it means the addresses and pins you find on aggregator sites are third-party guesses rather than state data, and they disagree with one another.
What you can rely on: the site is free, it is day-use, it is inside Bald Eagle State Forest in Centre County, and it is reachable from the Mid State Trail. For an accurate approach route, use the Bald Eagle State Forest public use map from DCNR rather than a generic map search.
The Mid State Trail
DCNR describes the Mid State Trail as a 327-mile state forest hiking trail, of which 45 miles cross Bald Eagle State Forest. The department’s route description runs it northeast from Route 322, through Poe Paddy State Park, across Penns Creek and into Hairy Johns — which makes the picnic ground a genuine trail access point rather than just a roadside pull-off. Bald Eagle State Forest as a whole covers 194,602 acres across Snyder, Union, Centre, Mifflin and Clinton counties, with more than 300 miles of hiking trails.
Who Was Hairy John? Documented vs. Legend
Worth separating, because almost everything published about him is legend. The documentary record is thin: local historical accounts identify the man as John Voneida, who bought land in the area in 1850 and died in 1878, and who is buried in Madisonburg, Centre County. Everything more colorful — the rejected war enlistment, the dead wife, the gingerbread handed out to passing soldiers, the extraordinary body hair — traces largely to the Pennsylvania folklorist Henry W. Shoemaker, whose retellings are widely regarded as embellished. Accounts also disagree about who named the site, crediting either Gifford Pinchot or the state forester Arthur C. Silvius.
So: a real man, a real place name, and a biography that should be read as folklore rather than history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hairy John’s a Pennsylvania state park?
No. DCNR classifies it as Hairy Johns Picnic Area, one of four designated picnic areas in Bald Eagle State Forest, managed by the Bureau of Forestry. It does not appear in Pennsylvania’s Find a Park state park directory or in the official state park GIS layer. The “State Forest Park” name is historical.
Can you camp at Hairy Johns?
No — it is a day-use picnic area with no campground. The nearest state park campgrounds are at Poe Valley State Park and R. B. Winter State Park. Backpack camping elsewhere in Bald Eagle State Forest is governed by DCNR’s state forest camping rules — check the current permit requirements with the Bald Eagle district office before you plan an overnight.
Is it Hairy Johns or Hairy John’s?
DCNR writes it without an apostrophe — “Hairy Johns Picnic Area.” The apostrophe form comes from the older park name and from local usage. Both refer to the same site.
What does it cost?
Nothing. State forest picnic areas in Pennsylvania are free and require no pass or permit for day use.
Keep exploring: The nearest actual state parks are Poe Paddy State Park, Poe Valley State Park and Reeds Gap State Park. For the full Pennsylvania system, see our Pennsylvania state parks guide.
📍 Official Source
Bald Eagle State Forest picnic areas — Pennsylvania DCNR, Bureau of Forestry.
🐾 Dogs & Pets at Hairy Johns Picnic Area (Formerly Hairy John’s State Forest Park)
- Pets allowed? statewide rule
- Pets are allowed in day-use areas of Pennsylvania state parks and in designated campground sites, but must be physically controlled, attended at all times and leashed, caged or crated.
- Leash rule statewide rule
- Leash required at all times; no universal maximum length — inquire at the park office (electronic fences/shock collars not accepted as control)
- Beaches & swim areas statewide rule
- Pets are prohibited in swimming areas and designated beaches
- Cabins & lodging statewide rule
- Dogs allowed in a limited number of designated cabins, cottages and yurts (pilot program); maximum two dogs per unit; dogs must be house-trained and current on rabies vaccination
- Pet fees statewide rule
- No standard statewide pet fee; fees may be assessed for damage in dog-friendly lodging
- Statewide exceptions statewide rule
- Maximum two non-caged pets per campsite; pets prohibited in buildings; pet food may not be left outside camping units
Are dogs allowed at Hairy Johns Picnic Area (Formerly Hairy John’s State Forest Park)?
Pets are allowed in day-use areas of Pennsylvania state parks and in designated campground sites, but must be physically controlled, attended at all times and leashed, caged or crated. Individual parks can post stricter rules — check signage on arrival.
Rules verified July 2026 via pa.gov. More: Pennsylvania state parks guide · Dog rules in all 50 states compared
Plan your gear for Hairy Johns Picnic Area (Formerly Hairy John’s State Forest Park)
From our editorial guides, matched to this park’s activities:
