Overall Pennsylvania boasts more than 120 state parks that collectively encompass over 300,000 acres within its boundaries.
Set within a scintillating landscape of sparkling lakes, dense woodland, jagged mountains and flowing rivers, many of these state parks are located within easy reach of Carlisle.
If you live in this city, these state parks provide you with fabulous opportunities to partake in a wide range of outdoor recreational activities. These include the likes of fishing, swimming, boating, picnicking, hunting and camping.
Best of all, none of these state parks in Pennsylvania will charge you a fee to get into them. So you really don’t have an excuse for not going there!
If this has inspired you to explore the great outdoors, below is an overview of 9 state parks near Carlisle we highly recommend you visit.
Map of State Parks Near Carlisle, PA
Here is a map of the state parks in Pennsylvania covered by this post:
List of State Parks Near Carlisle
All 9 of these state parks near Carlisle can be reached within two and a half hours of driving. So they are excellent destinations to visit on a day trip.
If you would like to stay longer, several of them have overnight facilities, including Colonel Denning and Pine Grove Furnace. Check the park page before you plan a stay, because not every park on this list offers them.
1. Colonel Denning State Park
Distance from Carlisle: about 13 miles northwest of Carlisle (straight-line).
Location: 1599 Doubling Gap Road
Newville, PA 17241
Colonel Denning State Park is a 273-acre (110 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Lower Mifflin Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States.
See our full Colonel Denning State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
2. Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Distance from Carlisle: about 13 miles southwest of Carlisle (straight-line).
Location: 1100 Pine Grove Rd
Gardners, PA 17324
Pine Grove Furnace State Park is a protected Pennsylvania area that includes Laurel and Fuller Lakes in Cooke Township of Cumberland County.
See our full Pine Grove Furnace State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
3. Little Buffalo State Park
Distance from Carlisle: about 18 miles north of Carlisle (straight-line).
Location: 1579 State Park Rd
Newport, PA 17074
Little Buffalo State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 923 acres (3.7 km2) in Centre and Juniata Townships, Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States.
See our full Little Buffalo State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
4. Gifford Pinchot State Park
Distance from Carlisle: about 18 miles southeast of Carlisle (straight-line).
Location: 2200 Rosstown Rd, Lewisberry, PA 17339
Gifford Pinchot State Park is a 2,338-acre (946 ha) Pennsylvania state park in northern York County, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
See our full Gifford Pinchot State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
5. Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area
Distance from Carlisle: about 20 miles northeast of Carlisle (straight-line).
Location: Off Fishing Creek Valley Road (PA 443), Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County, PA 17018
Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area is a 1,025-acre (415 ha) conservation area in the Pennsylvania state park system, in Lower Paxton and Middle Paxton Townships in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
See our full Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
6. Fowlers Hollow State Park
Distance from Carlisle: about 21 miles west of Carlisle (straight-line).
Location: 5700 Fowler Hollow Road, Blain, PA 17006
Fowlers Hollow State Park is a 104-acre (42 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Toboyne Township, Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States.
See our full Fowlers Hollow State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
7. Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area
Distance from Carlisle: about 24 miles northeast of Carlisle (straight-line).
Location: 1609 Back Road, Halifax, Pennsylvania 17032
Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area is an 836-acre forest on Peters Mountain in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on land donated to the state in 1998.
See our full Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
8. Trough Creek State Park
Distance from Carlisle: about 50 miles west of Carlisle (straight-line).
Location: 16362 Little Valley Rd, James Creek, PA 16657
Situated a 90 minute drive west of Carlisle, the Trough Creek State Park is a picturesque scenic gorge which attracts nature lovers from all over Pennsylvania.
Formed by the Great Trough Creek, which swathes its way through Terrace Mountain, before depositing itself into Raystown Lake, the 541-acre park is a haven for hikers. With many trails leading you to a number of major highlights including the fantastic cascade of Rainbow Falls and the spectacular balanced rock.
In addition, neighboring Raystown Lake provides fabulous opportunities for fishing, kayaking and canoeing.
The onsite campground is open from mid-April to mid-December. It offers 29 electrical sites for any size of camper, as well as a two storey stone home which you can rent any time of the year.
Trough Creek State Park is a 541-acre (219 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Cass, Penn and Todd Townships, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania in the United States.
See our full Trough Creek State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
9. Bald Eagle State Park
Distance from Carlisle: about 62 miles northwest of Carlisle (straight-line).
Location: 149 Main Park Rd, Howard, PA 16841
Situated a two hour drive north of Carlisle, the Bald Eagle State Park is a much loved public recreational space for those who love water based recreational activities.
Incorporating over 5,900-acres, which reside within the spectacular Bald Eagle Valley of north central Pennsylvania, the park is centered around a scenic 1,730-acre lake that skirts along the shoreline around Bald Eagle Mountain.
Framed by verdant fields, thick forest, pretty meadows and lush wetlands, it is a haven for kayaking, paddle boarding, canoeing and fishing enthusiasts. You will also find an excellent swimming beach here too, in addition to numerous miles of hiking trails that will take you to various scenic spots within the park.
Also home to countless species of flora and fauna, the park has two camping areas with 162 sites in total, some of them with full hook-ups. There are also four camping cottages, one of them a deluxe unit, plus two yurts and The Nature Inn.
Bald Eagle State Park is a 5,900-acre (2,388 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Howard, Liberty, and Marion townships in Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States.
See our full Bald Eagle State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
