The Beauty of Fall

You don't have to travel far to enjoy the sights of a colorful fall. AAA Mid States recommends these Fall Foliage drives to Pennsylvania's State Forest Districts:

1. Michaux
   Michaux State Forest encompasses more than 85,500 acres in the South Mountain area of Cumberland, Franklin, and Adams counties. Considered Pennsylvania's "cradle of forestry," Michaux is the site of the first forestry school, Mont Alto. The forest is named for the French botanist, Andre Michaux, who discovered and named many plants in the 18th century. 
    
2. Buchanan 
   Named in honor of James Buchanan, 15^th President of the United States, Buchanan State Forest covers 69,703 acres in Franklin, Fulton, and Bedford counties. Buchanan’s woodlands straddle the iconic ridges of south-central Pennsylvania.
    
3. Tuscarora
   Tuscarora State Forest derives its name from Tuscarora Mountain, which was named for the Iroquois-nation tribe that once inhabited the area. Comprising 96,025 acres, the Tuscarora includes tracts in Cumberland, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, and Perry counties. The forest spans across the heart of south-central Pennsylvania's distinctive ridges and mountain gaps.
    
4. Forbes
   Forbes State Forest was named for Gen. John Forbes, who, in 1758, ordered the construction of a road from Bedford to Fort Pitt for the British Army's attack on Fort Duquesne. The forest comprises 15 tracts totaling almost 59,000 acres in Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties. Forbes spreads across the high ridges of the Laurel Highlands, including the 3,213-ft. Mt. Davis, the highest point in PA.
    
5. Rothrock
   Rothrock State Forest is named for Dr. Joseph Trimble Rothrock, a native of Mifflin County and the Commonwealth’s first forestry commissioner. He is recognized as the “Father of Forestry” in Pennsylvania. Rothrock State Forest comprises 96,975 acres that spread across the rugged ridges of Huntingdon, Centre, and Mifflin counties.
    
6. Galitzin
   Gallitzin State Forest was named in honor of Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin, Prince-Priest of the Alleghenies, who established a mission at Loretto in Cambria Country in 1795. The forest is composed of 24,370 acres in northern Somerset, Bedford Cambria, and Indiana counties. Much of Gallitzin rests on the Allegheny Front and the Laurel Ridge.
    
7. Bald Eagle 
   Bald Eagle State Forest, named for the famous Native American, Chief Bald Eagle, includes 193,424 acres in Snyder, Union, Centre, Mifflin, and Clinton counties. It spans across the high, sharp ridges of central Pennsylvania and features miles pristine mountain streams and numerous tracts of old-growth forest.
    
8. Clear Creek
   Clear Creek State Forest comprises 16,126 acres in Jefferson, Clarion, Venango, and Forest counties. Many of its acres hug the Clarion and Allegheny rivers. Other tracts rest on the Allegheny Plateau and grow a diverse collection of trees, including red and white oak, red maple, birch, beech, and tulip poplar. Clear Creek is one of eight state forests located in the PA Wilds region. 
    
9. Moshannon
   Moshannon State Forest derives its name from “Moss-Hanne,” or "moose stream," the Native American description of the waterway that runs through the area. The forest totals 190,031 acres on the Allegheny Plateau. It lies primarily in Clearfield, Elk, and Centre counties with small tracts in Cameron and Clinton counties and is one of eight state forests located in the PA Wilds region.
    
10. Sproul
    Sproul State Forest is located in north-central Pennsylvania, primarily in western Clinton and northern Centre counties. The largest in the state forest system, Sproul covers 305,450 acres or slightly more than 476 square miles. It features steep and rugged hillsides cut by the West Branch of the Susquehanna and its tributaries. This is one of eight state forests located in the PA Wilds region.
     
11. Pinchot
    The Pinchot State Forest is named in recognition of Gifford Pinchot's monumental contributions to forestry and his legacy of forest land conservation. Gifford Pinchot turned a childhood interest in nature into a distinguished career protecting forests and a founding role in America’s emerging conservation movement. President Theodore Roosevelt chose Pinchot as the first chief of the then-U. S. Division of Forestry, a role in which he served from 1898 to 1910. With the guidance of Roosevelt and Pinchot, over 200 million acres of national forest came under scientific land management. Policies developed by Pinchot still help guide most national and state forests. Pinchot served as commissioner of the original Pennsylvania Department of Forestry and later, 1920-1922, as secretary of the former Department of Forest and Waters. He also served two terms as Pennsylvania governor, 1923-27, and 1931-35. While serving as governor, Pinchot set up work camps throughout the state that became the models for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). 
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12. Tiadaghton
    Tiadaghton State Forest is comprised of 146,539 acres mostly in Lycoming County. Other tracts extend into Tioga, Potter, Clinton, and Union counties. Tiadaghton's forest features high-country flats bisected by clean, fast-moving mountain streams, including the legendary Pine Creek and Slate Run. It is one of eight state forests located in the PA Wilds region.
     
13. Elk
    Elk State Forest derives its name from the great numbers of elk that once thrived in the area. Located mainly in Elk and Cameron counties, it comprises almost 200,000 acres of northern hardwood forest. Today, visitors can once again see elk in the meadows and openings scattered throughout the state forest. This is one of eight state forests located in the PA Wilds region and features the Elk Country Visitor Center and a portion of the Elk Scenic Drive.
     
14. Cornplater
    Named in honor of Chief Cornplanter, the famous Native American leader of the Seneca tribe, who maintained peace between the fledgling United States government and the Iroquois from 1784 to 1812. Today, Cornplanter State Forest covers 1,585 acres in Forest, Crawford, and Warren counties. It is one of eight state forests located in the PA Wilds region.
     
15. Susquehannock
    Susquehannock State Forest derives its name from the Susquehannock tribe that once inhabited the region. It comprises 265,000 acres in Potter, Clinton, and McKean counties. The forest grows some of the most productive stands of black cherry trees in the world and is one of eight state forests located in the PA Wilds region.
     
16. Tioga
    Tioga State Forest derives its name from the Seneca phrase "meeting of two rivers." It covers 161,890 acres in Bradford and Tioga counties. The forest hosts the Pine Creek Gorge, also known as the "Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania." Tioga features awe-inspiring views and miles of clean, cool streams, like Cedar Run and Babbs Creek, and is one of eight state forests located in the PA Wilds region.
     
17. William Penn 
    Named for the founder of "Penn's Woods," William Penn State Forest contains 901 acres in five separate tracts across southeastern PA. The forest protects and conserves unique Pennsylvania ecosystems, including the Goat Hill Serpentine Barrens and Little Tinicum Island on the Delaware River.
     
18. Weiser 
    Weiser State Forest is located in the ridge-and-valley region of eastern PA. Named for the frontier diplomat, Conrad Weiser, the forest covers almost 30,000 acres on 16 tracts throughout the region. Weiser also encompasses a series of river islands on the Susquehanna River called the Sheets Island Archipelago.
     
19. Delaware 
    Delaware State Forest totals 83,519 acres in Pike, Monroe, Northampton, and Carbon counties. Named for the Delaware River, the forest is characteristic of the Pocono region, with remote glacial lakes and bogs rich with plants, wildlife, and scenic beauty.  
     
20. Loyalsock 
    Loyalsock State Forest is named for the Loyalsock Creek, a scenic freestone stream that winds through the heart of its 114,552 acres. The forest spans across the northern tier's "Endless Mountains" and features flaming fall foliage and cascading waterfalls.

Use our resources to make your Fall Foliage adventure one of your best vacations ever.

Tips & Routes

• Top Hotel Picks for Fall Colors
• AAA TourBook
• Route Suggestions
• AAA's TripTik Planner

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