Hemlocks to Hellbenders

Since the 1930s, generations of birders have made their way to Waggoner’s Gap Hawk Watch , a 125-acre rocky outcrop perched atop the Kittatinny Ridge. Waggoner’s Gap is the second-oldest hawk watch in the United States and one of the premier places on the East Coast to spot these magnificent birds.  With binoculars in hand and eyes turned toward the sky, they gather to witness one of nature’s grea...

There’s something about a good ghost story that stays with you. Maybe you heard your first one around a campfire, with the flames popping and crackling while someone swore they knew somebody who knew somebody who actually saw the ghost. Maybe it was a story your grandparents told you. Or something an older kid whispered on the school bus. Maybe you grew up hearing about a haunted house down the ro...

Wouldn’t it be nice to just get away from the crowds? To visit a park that’s not crammed with people, with their music, and their yapping dogs and all their other stuff. To experience some damn peace and quiet. Since the pandemic, outdoor spaces have become incredibly popular. Cabins and campsites are booked months in advance. Beaches are crowded with families in the summer. And trails are seeing...

Pennsylvania is home to lot of interesting and unique habitats. We have old growth forests, meadows, grasslands, lowlands, highlands, rivers, lakes, creeks, mountains, hills and glaciated plateaus.  And it’s not difficult to find these habitats, as they’re spread across the Commonwealth. One habitat, however, is not so easy to find. One is home to unique plants, animals and conditions that cannot...

Here’s a trivia question for you. What is the largest edible fruit tree native to North America? It’s not the persimmon. Or the wild apple. And it’s not the cherry tree.  It’s a little-known, misunderstood tree that’s fruit was consumed by Native Americans, European settlers and colonists for hundreds of years before all-but-disappearing from American consciousness.  It’s the pawpaw tree which pro...

In 1608, English explorer and soldier of fortune John Smith left Jamestown, Virginia, on a mission to chart the upper Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries - including the Susquehanna River. He became the first European to find out that the Susquehanna is non-navigable.  That’s because of the many, many obstacles in the mighty Susquehanna. There are countless natural barriers such as rapids and water...

There’s something about a trail map that just makes me excited for an adventure. The contour lines, the roads, the trails, the bodies of water, the towns. Trail maps – when made well – keep you safely on the trail.  Maps have always been incredibly important - whether you were crossing oceans or just crossing town. But, as technology improved, maps became used less and less.  Now, most people rely...

There’s no law or policy that requires Pennsylvania to keep creating new state parks. Over the history of the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources – and its various other names through the years – new state parks have been added and subtracted.  There have been times when we added dozens of new state parks. Under Dr. Maurice K. Goddard, the Department of Parks and Forests – as it wa...

When people find out that I’ve visited every state park, I often get asked the same question. What’s my favorite? And consistently I give the same answer, Worlds End State Park.  It’s an easy answer for me since I fell in love with the park the first time I walked into the s-shaped gorge to see it surrounded by tree-covered mountains and boulders. But when it comes to state forests, I haven’t alwa...

What’s the best gift you’ve been given? It’s a tough question. I’ve been fortunate to have received a lot of great gifts over the years. The minibike from my parents. The engraved knife from my brother. The souvenir medal from my wife. And countless others.  They’re awesome and they each hold a special place in my heart.  But when I learned of the recent gift that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania...

For every Pennsylvanian that grew up stomping through creeks, wandering through the woods and exploring our magnificent forests, there’s many more that are just discovering the outdoors.  Maybe they grew up in a city. Or they mostly played sports. Or their families didn’t have an outdoor background. But now, they’ve found the beauty and splendor of our wonderful public lands.  That’s so great to s...

The more time I’ve spent outdoors, the more I’ve learned about the threats our trees face here in Pennsylvania. It seems like every other day I’m finding out about a new disease or invasive plant or insect that’s come to our shores and is devastating our trees.  It’s sad to see our forests choked by kudzu vines. To see our trees impacted by the emerald ash borer, spongy moth and hemlock woolly ade...

Little Buffalo State Park is the place that kicked off my love for Pennsylvania’s state parks. I’ve told this story many times, but I’ll do it quickly here right now.  In 2020, my wife Abby and I were looking for something to do after brunch. The world was beginning to open up during the COVID 19 pandemic and we didn’t want to spend any more time cooped up in our house.  So, we went for a drive th...

What does it mean for a place to be truly quiet? It’s a question I’ve been pondering over the last several months following a webinar from the Keystone Trails Association and Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation.  They had a discussion with Quiet Parks International – a nonprofit committed to saving quiet for the benefit of all life. Saving the quiet. What does that mean?  Quiet’s not somethi...

There’s a lot of thoughts that float through our minds when we’re out on the trails hiking. Am I in the right career? Is that snake poisonous? Look at that beautiful view! Did I leave the oven on? I need a bathroom, quick!  Whatever we’re thinking about – whether it’s the joy we feel on a hike or working through some of our problems – it tends to center on ourselves. Our problems. Our joy. Our exp...

Driving down Route 44 from Lycoming County to Montgomery County, you may be able to spot a brief break in the trees and rhododendrons. It’s so quick that if you blink, you’ll miss it.  But if you slow down, you’ll see that it’s one of the smallest state parks in all of Pennsylvania. As you pull into the gravel parking lot, you’ll notice a few things. You’ll see a couple picnic tables, a few signs...

If you’ve ever stood beside a cold mountain stream at first light — mist rising off the water, hemlocks towering overhead and the gentle sound of moving water— then you already understand the magic of Little Pine State Park. Tucked deep in the rugged country of north-central Pennsylvania, this park is where brook trout still thrive, where the mountains become majestic green waves and where a simpl...

It’s December 26th, 1776. Gen. George Washington has just successfully gotten 2,400 men from the Continental Army across the Delaware River from Pennsylvania into New Jersey.  The first year of the American Revolution has been a difficult one. The young United States has had few victories battling the highly skilled British army and their paid German mercenaries, the Hessians.  Washington has retr...

When I was on my journey of running one mile in all-then 121 Pennsylvania state parks in 2021, I took notes after every run. It was an effort to make sure I would remember my experiences. I’d take notes like, I spotted a fox here. Or I fell there. Or I want to hike the full trail here.  But one of the most important pieces of information I recorded was my overall feeling of the park. It’s difficul...

Pymatuning State Park is big in every sense of the word. It is the largest state park in Pennsylvania. Its Pymatuning Reservoir is the largest lake in Pennsylvania. And it’s one of the most visited state parks with more than three and a half million visitors a year. But just because it has these big qualities does not mean you’ll be unable to find your own peaceful spot at Pymatuning. For every sp...

The story of the United States of America cannot be told without Pennsylvania. Independence Hall. The Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia. The Liberty Bell. Benjamin Franklin. George Washington’s Crossing of the Delaware. The Battle of Brandywine. And Valley Forge.  Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State because it refers to the central stone in an arch that holds all other stones in plac...

Hundreds of years ago, a group of Native Americans living along the lower Susquehanna River made an indelible mark on the valley. At what is now known as Safe Harbor, they made hundreds of carvings into the rocks found in the middle of the river. Animals, bird and animal tracks, directional symbols, teaching or storytelling images, humans and anthropomorphic images, spiritual symbols and geometric...

Welcome, fellow explorers. My name is Christian Alexandersen and I’m the host of Hemlocks to Hellbenders , a podcast highlighting Pennsylvania’s parks, forests and great outdoors. Season four of Hemlocks to Hellbenders is shaping up to be our most exciting yet and I can’t wait to take you along for the journey in 2026. We’ll be exploring some of Pennsylvania’s most incredible parks and forests wit...

For a long time, there’s been this mostly unspoken rule that “real” outdoor experiences have to be rugged. You’ve got to rough it, hike ten miles in the rain, sleep on the ground and eat beans from a can — or else it somehow doesn’t count.  Luckily, that’s changing. More and more people are discovering that you don’t have to give up comfort to connect with the outdoors. Here in Pennsylvania – espe...

In Pennsylvania, every state park has its purpose. Allegheny Islands shows people what undeveloped islands once looked like on the river. Colton Point features stunning views of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. And Pine Grove Furnace highlights the iron making industry crucial to Pennsylvania and America’s growth. But are there any places set aside for learning and study. As it turns out, there is....