Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn joined Bureau of State Parks and other officials in dedicating a new visitor center at Hickory Run State Park, near White Haven, on Monday.
“Fueled by the ongoing pandemic, visitation at our state parks has soared and parks within the Hickory Run complex all are seeing record attendance every month,” Dunn said. “This new visitor center will serve as a main contact point for those visitors, providing new exhibit space, comfort facilities, campground registration and park administrative services. This park facility will also offer visitors expanded environmental education and the latest in energy efficient heating, cooling and lighting.”
In line with the Wolf Administration’s initiative stressing energy efficiency and sustainability, the structure was built incorporating key Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design criteria.
New exhibits will provide a starting point for visitors, equipping them for a variety of meaningful experiences at Hickory Run and Lehigh Gorge state parks. Exhibits will be designed to entice visitors to explore the parks’ natural and cultural history, while fostering safe, respectful behavior and encouraging conservation of the park for future generations.
Visitors enjoy many activities at the Hickory Run State Park Complex including fishing, hunting, swimming, boating, camping, hiking, orienteering and sightseeing. Two unique activities specific to Lehigh Gorge are whitewater rafting, conducted by four licensed commercial outfitters, and biking along a 26-mile section of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. Winter activities include ice-skating, sledding, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.
The surrounding environs of the new office will provide the park visitor with outdoor classrooms, wildlife viewing opportunities and more than 40 miles of nature trails to explore and access information for fishing and hunting excursions within the park.
For more information on Hickory Run State Park and Pennsylvania’s 120 other state parks, call 888-PA-PARKS from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.