On October 5th, nearly twenty members and volunteers of the Friends of Rothrock State Forest along with Rothrock State Forest Recreation Forester Jonathan Snyder teamed up to perform trail maintenance on the Bear Meadows Loop Trail.  

Perfect weather and a motivated group were able to clear the trail corridor of overgrown brush, fallen trees, and other debris along roughly two miles of the trail.  In less than seven hours, the vast majority of the trail was cleared and is now a better experience for all to enjoy and more accessible for future planned maintenance efforts.  As weather permits, further work on the trail will be scheduled for any remaining clean-up and the beginning of trail tread improvements featuring significant use of natural, sawed, locust logs to construct puncheons.  Puncheons are a proven and effective way to cross bogs, marshes, and wetland areas that do not lend themselves well to drainage.  

Rothrock State Forest relies on volunteers to maintain its extensive trail system and we would love to have you join us for a future trail maintenance day.  Be sure to sign up as a member and join us for a work day or other activity in the days to come.  

​Autumn is a fabulous time to be in the woods - the bugs are diminished, the air is crisp and smells great and with the leaves coming down you can see the landscape much better.  However, fall is also the peak time for hunting so some extra precaution is necessary.  The key point is to make yourself easy to see and be heard.  The same is true for your dog or horse.

Expect increased activity at the hunting camps along the forest roads and please be respectful of any hunters you may encounter while you are out recreating.  Many hunters will chose not to engage in conversation while hunting, preferring to remain quiet to prevent scaring the game.  

The Pennsylvania Game Commission requires hunters in deer season to wear a minimum of 250 square inches of fluorescent orange, covering the head, chest and back.  It should be visible for 360 degrees.  Typically a hat and vest meet these requirements.  This is good advice for non-hunting users of Rothrock State Forest in the fall, too.

If you are interested in knowing the various hunting seasons, the Game Commission publishes this information on its website. It is organized by geographical management unit and Rothrock is largely contained in management units 4A and 4D.  The statewide maps of management units can be viewed here.

Statewide archery season for deer begins October 5th and continues through November 16th before resuming December 26 - January 20th.