Canoe Creek State Park
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| Canoe Creek State Park | |||||||
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 Abandoned Blair Limestone Company lime kilns | |||||||
 Interactive map of Canoe Creek State Park | |||||||
| Location | Frankstown Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States | ||||||
| Coordinates | 40°28′49″N 78°17′29″W / 40.48031°N 78.2913°W[1] | ||||||
| Area | 961 acres (389 ha)[1] | ||||||
| Elevation | 922 ft (281 m) | ||||||
| Established | 1972 | ||||||
| Administered by | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources | ||||||
| Website | Official website  | ||||||
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Canoe Creek State Park is a 961-acre (389 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Frankstown Township in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is 12 miles east of Altoona, the nearest city. Canoe Lake, at 155 acres (63 ha), is the focus of recreation at the park and is open for fishing year-round. Canoe Creek State Park is a half mile off U.S. Route 22 near the small town of Canoe Creek. The park was opened to the public in 1979 and was developed as part of an expansion effort in the 1970s to improve the state park system in Pennsylvania.
The area in and surrounding Canoe Creek State Park is rich in limestone. The limestone was quarried and used for many purposes like providing needed raw materials for the iron and steel industries of Pennsylvania. There are several abandoned quarries on the park lands. Two limekilns also operated within the boundaries of the park during the 1900s. The remnants of a kiln once owned by the Blair Limestone Company stand today as a reminder of the industrial past. The Blair Limestone Company kiln is a stop on the Path of Progress tour, a driving tour of Pennsylvania's industrial heritage stretching for 500 miles (800 km).[1]
Wildlife
The Frank Felbaum Bat Sanctuary is the home of the largest nursery colony of little brown bats in Pennsylvania. This one-time church, now known as the Canoe Creek Bat Refuge, attracts visitors interested in observing the bats as they emerge each night for feeding. The park is also the site of a hibernaculum for more than 30,000 bats of six species, including the endangered Indiana bat.[1]
Canoe Creek State park is on the path followed by many species of migratory birds including waterfowl, bald eagles and ospreys. The wetlands provide habitat for birds like the bluebird, oriole, red-winged blackbird and the brown thrasher.[1]
The park also provided a habitat for the woodland creatures most common in Pennsylvania, white-tailed deer, turkey, squirrels, chipmunks, and ruffed grouse. The hunting of these animals is permitted during the hunting seasons designated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.[1]
