Trough Creek State Park
The 554-acre Trough [troff] Creek State Park is a scenic
gorge formed as Great Trough Creek cuts through Terrace
Mountain and empties into Raystown Lake. Rugged hiking
trails lead to wonders like Balanced Rock and Rainbow
Falls. Rothrock State Forest and Raystown Lake Recreation
Area border the park, making a large, contiguous area of
public land for recreation.
Directions
The park can be reached by traveling 16 miles south from
Huntingdon along PA 26, then five miles east along PA 994
near the village of Entriken.
Reservations
Make online reservations at: www.visitPAparks.com or
call toll-free 888-PA-PARKS, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to
Saturday, for state park information and reservations.
Hunting and Firearms: About 100 acres are
open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during
established seasons. Common game species are deer, turkey,
grouse and squirrel. Trough Creek State Park adjoins state
forest and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lands which are
open for hunting.
Hunting woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, is
prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day
following Labor Day through March 31 in designated
hunting areas. The Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission rules
and regulations apply. Contact the park office for accessible
hunting information.
Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. Other
visitors use the park during hunting seasons. Firearms and
archery equipment may be uncased and ready for use only in
authorized hunting areas during hunting seasons. In areas not
open to hunting or during non-hunting seasons, firearms and
archery equipment shall be kept in the owner’s car, trailer or
camp. Hunters must wear blaze orange.
Snowmobiling: The park serves as a trailhead for trails
on Rothrock State Forest lands. Parking and restrooms are
provided in the park. A snowmobile trail map is available at
the park office.
Picnicking: Five picnic areas throughout the park
provide a variety of scenic table sites. One large picnic
pavilion and two smaller ones may be reserved up to 11
months in advance for a fee. Unreserved picnic pavilions
are free on a first-come, first-served basis. A fourth small
picnic pavilion is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Restrooms, hand pump wells and activity areas are in some
picnic areas.
Recreational Opportunities
Trough Creek Lodge: This renovated, twostory, stone home is available for rental year-round. The
stone was covered with stucco which was scribed to look
like brick, a common practice when the home was built.
Originally constructed in the mid-1800s as an ironmaster’s
home, it has a modern eat-in-kitchen, two bathrooms, four
bedrooms and central heat. The lodge has spacious porches,
yard areas and sits atop a hill overlooking Paradise Furnace.
The lodge is fully accessible for people with disabilities.
Hiking: 12 miles of trails
The trails traverse scenic vistas, cool stream hollows,
hillsides and ridge tops. A popular short hike crosses the
suspension bridge and follows Rhododendron Trail to
Rainbow Falls. Climb the steps along the waterfall, then
hike on to Balanced Rock and return the same way.
A complete listing of trails and descriptions is on the
other side of this brochure.
Fishing: Stream fishing in Great Trough Creek provides
a variety of fish including trout, smallmouth bass, rock bass,
sucker and panfish. In recent years, shad fish netting has
become popular each spring when these fish enter tributaries
of Raystown Lake to spawn. Lake fishing is available via a
short walk along Terrace Mountain Trail to a sheltered cove
of Raystown Lake. Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
regulations and seasons apply.
History
The American Indians knew Great Trough Creek Gorge as
a place to live and hunt, but were displaced by settlers who
came to harness the natural power of the moving water. In
1780, the first settler, Nicholas Crum, built a wooden tub
(turbine) gristmill. A bloomery followed in 1790 and made
about 100 pounds of iron a day.
In 1827, Rueben Trexler constructed Paradise Furnace,
which produced 12 tons of cast iron a day. In 1832, Savage
Forge was built to turn the cast iron into wrought iron.
Changing economics caused the community to crumble in
1856. Paradise Furnace briefly reopened during the
American Civil War.
The area has attracted many famous visitors. It is reputed
that Edgar Allen Poe visited and later wrote the poem “The
Raven” after seeing the ravens that nested on the cliffs.
In 1910, the partnership of Caprio and Grieco established
a standard logging railroad from Marklesburg, Pa., to
Paradise Furnace, a distance of eight miles. At Paradise
Furnace, a sawmill produced mine props, timber, and
railroad ties from the second-growth timber of the valley.
In 1913, the railroad incorporated as the Juniata and
Southern Railroad and extended the rail line seven miles to
reach the Broad Top Coal and Mineral Company’s mine at
Trough Creek State Park
Trough Creek State Park is in the Valley and Ridge Province
of the Appalachian Mountains. Once a great mountain range,
weathering and running water reduced the Appalachians
into long, narrow, sweeping ridges. Great Trough Creek
still carves the ridges, creating unique geologic features
throughout the park and deepening Great Trough Creek
Gorge.
Ice Mine
While building a railroad line, workers likely discovered
Ice Mine, a natural refrigerator. In winter, cold air diffuses
into spaces between the rocks of the hillside. In spring and
summer, cold air flows down through the spaces between the
rocks and into Ice Mine. This used to cause snowmelt and
moisture in the air to refreeze in the entrance of Ice Mine.
Today, little ice forms in Ice Mine, likely because the stone
wall around Ice Mine blocks the snowmelt. During the spring
and summer, visitors can still experience the chill of winter
by stepping down into Ice Mine.
Balanced Rock
This huge boulder is perched on the edge of a cliff, looking
ready to fall off at any moment into Great Trough Creek far
below. Balanced Rock, an “erosion remnant” has hung there
for thousands of years. Once part of a cliff with layers of
hard and soft rocks, soft rocks below Balanced Rock eroded
away first, easing Balanced Rock into its current position.
All of the other rocks of the cliff eroded away or fell over the
cliff, leaving only Balanced Rock.
To preserve the natural beauty of Balanced Rock, please
do not spray paint or vandalize any natural features.
Camping: 29 sites, all with electricity
The cozy camping area accommodates any size camper
and has a rustic restroom with no showers. Each site has
an electric hookup, picnic table, campfire ring and separate
crushed stone tent pad. A sanitary dump station is next to
the park office. Camping is open from mid-April through
mid-December. Pets are permitted at designated campsites.
A Pennsylvania Recreational Guide for
Natural History
Department of Conservation
& Natural Resources
Trough Creek
Erie
15
Scranton
79
84
80
81
22
Pittsburgh
Nearby Attractions
Copperas Rocks
Pictured on the brochure cover and above, Copperas Rocks is
named for the coppery-yellow stain on the cliff surface. The
crystalline, yellow precipitate is ferrous sulfate that leaches
from a small pocket of coal. Although this substance is one
of the main pollutants in abandoned mine drainage, the small
quantity here is not harmful to the stream. Early settlers
possibly used ferrous sulfate as a mordant for setting the dye
color in cloth.
Watching Wildlife
The park office is a good place to see piebald white-tailed
deer, which have an uncommon pelt variation of brown and
white blotches. Along Trough Creek Drive is a good place to
see woodland birds like scarlet tanager, veery, waterthrush,
nuthatch, vireo, wood-pewee, chickadee and woodpecker.
Hiking trails are avenues to see spring wildflowers and
trails lined with mountain laurel which blooms in June and
rhododendron, which blooms in July. Copperhead, timber
rattlesnake and five-lined skink can often be found sunning
on rock outcrops throughout the park. Bear, white-tailed deer
and turkey are often seen along Hill Farm Road, just before
entering the park.
For information on nearby attractions, contact: Huntingdon
County Visitors Bureau, 888-RAYSTOWN.
www.raystown.org
Warriors Path State Park: About 12 miles
southwest of Trough Creek State Park in Saxton, Bedford
County, the park is just off of PA 26. Warriors Path is a 349acre day use park on a peninsula created by a large meander of
the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River. Picnicking, river
fishing and hiking are popular recreational activities.
814-658-3847
Rothrock State Forest: Over 90,000 acres of state
forest land in Huntingdon County provides wooded land for
hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, hiking and undeveloped
recreation. 814-643-2340
Raystown Lake: This major recreation area
administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
encompasses 29,300 acres including a 30-mile long, narrow
8,300-acre lake. A variety of recreational opportunities are
provided in 13 public use areas, including boat launches,
marinas, camping, picnicking, swimming and fishing.
814-658-3405
Access for People with Disabilities
This symbol indicates facilities and activities that are
accessible. This publication text is available in alternative
formats.
If you need an accommodation to participate in park
activities due to a disability, please contact the Pennsylvania
Bureau of State Parks:
888-PA-PARKS (voice)
711 (AT&T Relay Services)

In an Emergency
Contact a park employee or dial 911. For directions to the
nearest hospital, look on bulletin boards or at the park office.
Nearest Hospital:
J.C. Blair Hospital
1225 Warm Springs Avenue
Huntingdon, PA 16652
814-643-2290
70
70
76
476
22 78
99

Jacobs, Pa. In 1917, the mine closed and the timber was all
harvested. The railroad was dismantled and scrapped. Due to
the need for metal for World War I, the scrap sold for more
than the original cost to build the railroad. Due to the loss of
trees, the land was prone to floods and forest fires.
In 1933, to relieve the rampant unemployment of
the Great Depression, President Roosevelt created the
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The young men in
the CCC received food, clothes and a small paycheck in
return for building roads, trails and recreational facilities,
fighting forest fires, planting trees and doing many other
conservation activities.
In June of 1933, Company 1331 arrived and lived in tents
while they built Camp S-57, named Camp Paradise Furnace.
The young men planted trees, constructed roads and trails,
and created Trough Creek State Park, which opened in 1936.
World War II ended the CCC and Camp S-57 closed in 1941.
6
Harrisburg
70
81
15
83
Philadelphia
For More Information Contact:
Trough Creek State Park
RR 1, Box 211
James Creek, PA 16657-9302
814-658-3847
e-mail: [email protected]
An Equal Opportunity Employer
www.visitPAparks.com
Information and Reservations
Make online reservations at:
www.visitPAparkscom or call toll-free
888-PA-PARKS, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to
Saturday, for state park information and
reservations.
6000-mp-dcnr1/324
2008
Printed on recycled paper
Protect and Preserve Our Parks
Please make your visit safe and enjoyable. Obey all posted
rules and regulations and respect fellow visitors and the
resources of the park.
• Be prepared and bring the proper equipment. Natural areas
may possess hazards. Your personal safety and that of your
family is your responsibility.
• Alcoholic beverages are prohibited.
• Please camp only in designated areas and try to minimize
your impact on the campsite.
• Your pets are welcome in many areas, but uncontrolled
pets may chase wildlife or frighten visitors. Pets must be
controlled and attended at all times and on a leash or
otherwise safely restrained.
• Do your part to keep wildlife wild! Enjoy wildlife from a
safe distance and do not feed or approach wild animals.
• Prevent forest fires by having a fire in proper facilities and
properly disposing of hot coals. Do not leave a fire
unattended.
• Please park only in designated areas and obey all traffic
regulations.
descends to the suspension bridge parking area. The trail
name is derived from the many boulders along the trail.
Road and Terrace Mountain Trail below the old park dam.
trail passes a small waterfall and ends at an old cemetary.
The hiking trails of Trough Creek State Park are famous for
their beauty and scenic views. Because trails can be steep,
rocky, follow along cliffs or pass through narrow ravines,
hikers should use extreme caution when hiking and wear
hiking boots. Children must be supervised at all times. Trail
conditions may be slippery when wet or icy depending on
weather conditions.
Abbot Run: 0.18 mile, white blazes, moderate hiking
Beginning at the Rainbow Falls Bridge, this trail follows
Abbot Run up out of Great Trough Creek Gorge past the
trail to Balanced Rock. The trail crosses the stream twice,
providing surprising changes in scenery, before ending on Old
Forge Road.
Balanced Rock: 0.12 mile, green blazes, moderate
hiking
This trail starts at Trough Creek Drive. It passes over Great
Trough Creek via a suspension bridge then past beautiful
Rainbow Falls. The trail ascends a flight of CCC-built stone
steps overlooking Abbot Run and ends at the geologic
wonder, Balanced Rock.
Boulder: 1.05 miles, red blazes, moderate hiking
Starting at Ice Mine, Boulder Trail follows an old logging
road up the mountain through beautiful forests and is
moderately steep. The scenic and winding trail crosses
Terrace Mountain Road above the campground, then
Brumbaugh: 2.4 miles, orange blazes, difficult hiking
Starting at Balanced Rock, this trail rises and falls through
spectacular forest scenery along the hillsides and ridges. From
a large opening atop one of the higher ridges there is a beautiful view of Raystown Lake. This trail ends along Old Forge
Copperas Rock: 0.43 mile, red blazes,
moderate hiking
Starting along Trough Creek Drive at Copperas Rock, this trail
climbs a fairly steep and rocky slope through oak and hemlock
trees and ends on Ledges Trail. You can make a nice 2.5-mile
loop by following Ledges Trail to Abbot Run Trail, descending
to Rainbow Falls and following Rhododendron Trail back to
Copperas Rock Trail just above the parking lot.
Cemetery: 0.28 mile, orange blazes, moderate
hiking
Starting at the Paradise Furnace ruins, this trail crosses a
small stream on a wooden bridge then begins a moderate
climb to an old Paradise Furnace cemetery. This delightful
Hiking
Laurel Run: 1.8 miles, green blazes, moderate hiking
Starting along Trough Creek Drive where it crosses Laurel
Run, this scenic trail follows Laurel Run between two ridges
and into state forest land, then crosses Terrace Mountain
Road and ends with a moderate incline to Boulder Trail.
It meanders across Laurel Run numerous times by way of
eight rustic bridges. This trail is very scenic and lends itself
well to wildlife viewing.
Ledges: 0.91 mile, blue blazes, moderate hiking
This trail starts at Trough Creek Drive below the park office
and ends at Abbot Run Trail. The highlight of this trail is the
panoramic view of the Great Trough Creek gorge from
several lookouts. This trail passes the ruins of the old
Paradise Furnace schoolhouse.
Raven Rock: 0.32 mile, yellow blazes, moderate
hiking
This trail starts near the upper end of Abbot Run Trail. It
takes you by the geologic wonder, Balanced Rock, and
finally ends up along Trough Creek at Raven Rock where
you will need to retrace your steps to Balanced Rock.
Raven Rock is the cliff site that local legend says was a
favorite nesting site for ravens.
Rhododendron: 0.6 mile, green blazes,
moderate hiking
Starting at Copperas Rock Trail and ending at the
suspension bridge, this trail takes hikers up and down
from ridge top to valley floor. Its name is derived from the
beautiful rhododendrons that line the trail. The steepest
portion of the trail is very rocky and requires cautious
footing. Rhododendron usually blooms in early July.