Clear Creek State Park encompasses almost 1,700 acres in Jefferson County. The park occupies a scenic portion of the Clear Creek Valley from PA Route 949 to the Clarion River. The Clear Creek forest comprises around 9,000 acres total, and is named after the crystal clear stream that flows through the tract..

Reservations

To reserve a park camp site, cabin, yurt, or picnic pavilion, call 888-PA-PARKS (7am to 5pm) Monday through Saturday. Camp sites can be reserved from 11 months up to noon of the day of arrival. Cabins, yurts, and picnic pavilions can be reserved from 11 months to two days in advance.

Cabins and Yurts

From the second Friday in April until the third Friday in December, Clear Creek State Park rents twenty-two rustic cabins and two yurts. The cabins and yurts must be rented for one week, except in the spring and fall rental season. One cabin sleeps eight people, one cabin sleeps four people. The rest of the cabins and yurts sleep four people. Extra cots are not available.

A wood stove or propane heater heats the cabins. The yurts have electric heat. Other minimal furnishings include single bunk beds, chairs, tables, electric range, electric refrigerator, and electric lights. Firewood is not provided. Frost-free water faucets are outside. Two shower houses are nearby. One cabin is accessible.

Hiking – 25 miles of trails

There are about 25 miles of well-maintained trails throughout the park. A half mile exercise trail is in the large cabin area. Rhododendron and mountain laurel abound throughout the park and many varieties of wildlife, including deer, bear, turkey, and grouse, inhabit the park.

Camping

Fifty-three tent and trailer camp sites are available in a beautiful woodland setting. Non-flush toilets and a sanitary dump station are provided. The area is open from the second Friday in April through the third Friday in December. Access is not guaranteed during severe winter weather. Check weather conditions by calling the park office. Also located beside the camping areas is a 9-hole disc golf course and a concrete basketball court. Two campsites are accessible.

Canoeing

The Clarion River provides excellent canoeing especially during the spring and fall. The river is a Class C waterway with an average downward flow of four miles per hour.

A popular canoe trip, lasting about 4.5 hours, is the ten-mile trip from Clear Creek to Cook Forest State Park. Rental canoes are available from commercial sources outside of the park. No boat launching permits are required. A canoe launching area is available near the cabin area.

Hunting and Firearms

About 677 acres are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are deer, squirrel, bear, and turkey. Over 10,000 acres of adjacent state forest lands are also open to 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 on in authorized areas during hunting seasons. In areas not open to hunting or during non-hunting seasons, firearms and archery equipment must be kept in the owner’s car.

Swimming

The 180-foot sand beach is open from late May to mid September, 8am to sunset. Lifeguards are on duty from 11am to 7pm daily from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, unless otherwise posted. Please read and follow posted rules for swimming when lifeguards are off-duty. The swimming beach is in a small man-made lake. Soda machines are nearby.

Picnicking

The park provides over 300 tables, and fireplaces and restrooms for picnickers. Five picnic pavilions may be reserved up to 11 months in advance for a fee. Unreserved picnic pavilions are free on a first-come, first-served basis. One picnic pavilion is accessible.

Fishing

Stocked and native brook trout are found in Clear Creek. The Clarion River has smallmouth bass and may species of panfish and trout. Nearby streams provide good fishing for trout. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission laws apply.

Winter Activities

Sledding and tobogganing – there is a slope of almost two acres on the pipeline near Shelter 3. Cross country skiing – A three mile cross-country ski trail uses portions of Truby, Sawmill, Clear Creek, and Ox Shoe trails to make a loop.

History

The first public campsites at Clear Creek were opened in 1922. In May 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) greatly expanded the recreational facilities. By the time they departed in 1937, they had built the cabins, the swimming area, the food concession buildings, restrooms, trails, bridges, and roads. Read more about the history of the State Forest.

Environmental Education and Interpretation

During the summer months, an environmental educator presents guided walks, hands-on activities, and evening campfire programs in the camping area, and is also available to explain and interpret the natural phenomena of the park. A visitor center with logging and nature exhibits is open spring through fall. The Ox Shoe Self-guiding historical trail is quite popular and takes about one hour of leisurely walking to complete. Hikers will discover the logging history of the Black Forest of Pennsylvania.