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Nearby Parks:
Moraine State Park
Moraine State Park Dam
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| State Park Overview: |
 | McConnells Mill State Park, in Lawrence County, encompasses 2,546 acres of the spectacular Slippery Rock Creek Gorge. The park is open from sunrise to sunset, year-round. |
| Reviews By Park Visitors: |
| Be the 1st to Review McConnells Mill State Park. You can rate it, post a comment on it, or do both. |
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| Camping: |
| No Camping: Camping is not available in the park. Information on nearby private campgrounds is available at the Moraine State Park office. |
| Trails: |
| The natural character of McConnells Mill State Park, the scenic gorge, waterfalls, rugged hiking trails and whitewater creek, are all directly caused by the geology of the area. The bedrock formed over 300 million years ago as layers of sand, mud and peat in what was a coastal area. After becoming rock, these different layers were lifted to the surface in several mountain-building events. The different strengths of these rocks cause them to erode differently, helping to make the varied landscape of the park. The gorge and the dramatic topography of the park were created by glaciers over the past two million years. |
| Picnicking: |
| There are two picnic areas adjacent to the parking area at the northern end of the gorge near the Old Mill. There are no pavilions in the park but the picnic areas have many shaded tables. Charcoal grills and restrooms are available in the picnic areas. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited. |
| Swimming: |
| No swimming! Slippery Rock Creek is a very swift and dangerous whitewater creek. Many people have drowned in this dangerous creek. Nearby Moraine State Park has two swimming beaches. |
| Fishing and Hunting: |
| Fishing:
Fishing is permitted anywhere along Slippery Rock Creek with the exception of the dam structures. The best fishing is for trout and bass. Trout are stocked several times throughout the season. There is a special regulation area by Armstrong Bridge. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission laws apply.
Hunting and Firearms:
Many acres are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are grouse, deer, turkey, rabbit and squirrel.
Hunting woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day following Labor Day through March 31 in designated hunting areas. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations apply. Contact the park office for accessible hunting information.
Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. The park is used by other visitors during hunting seasons. Firearms and archery equipment may be uncased and ready for use only in authorized hunting areas during hunting seasons. In areas not open to hunting or during non-hunting seasons, firearms and archery equipment must be kept in the owner's car, trailer or camp. |
| History of the Area: |
| Glacial History
If you stood at the Cleland Rock Vista (see the map for location and below for a photograph) 200,000 years ago, you would be standing on a ridge at a drainage divide. Water to the north flowed north and water to the south flowed south. If you stood at the same location about 140,000 years ago, you would be standing at the edge of a small lake dammed by several hundred feet of ice. The ice was the edge of a continental glacier that covered most of North America north of Cleland Rock. The glacier dam created small Lake Prouty by Cleland Rock. To the north was larger Lake Watts (modern Lake Arthur is a small recreation of Lake Watts) and further north was giant Lake Edmund.
Eventually Lake Prouty spilled over the ridge near Cleland Rock and began carving Slippery Rock Creek Gorge. As the glacier retreated, Lake Watts drained into the channel, enlarging and deepening the gorge, then Lake Edmund swiftly poured into the channel, scouring the gorge to over 400 feet deep. When the glacier finally retreated back to the north, Slippery Rock Creek Gorge was so deep that streams that normally flowed north, now flowed south, as the streams do today. The swift erosion of the gorge created its swift water and the many boulders that offer great challenges to modern whitewater boaters.
Which Rock is Slippery Rock?
Slippery Rock Creek is 49 miles long and full of slippery rocks, yet is named for one exceptionally slick rock below the Armstrong Bridge. It is believed that an Indian trail forded the creek at a shelf of sandstone near a natural oil seep, which made the rock exceptionally slippery, and gave its name to the creek, a town, a university, a rock formation and many local businesses. In the late 1800s, oil wells briefly flourished in the valley, but the oil was swiftly invaded by groundwater and the wells were abandoned. The oil wells drained the oil seep and the Slippery Rock is no longer covered in oil.
Slippery Rock Gorge Natural Area
The 930-acre Slippery Rock Gorge was designated a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1974 and became a State Park Natural Area in 1998. The steep-sided gorge contains numerous rocky outcrops, boulders, old growth forest, waterfalls and rare plants. Cleland Rock Vista is a great place to view the gorge.
Also part of the natural area, Hells Hollow has a wide array of wildflowers, waterfalls and habitats in addition to what can be found in the Slippery Rock Creek Gorge. A one-half-mile hiking trail leads to a cascading waterfall and an old limekiln. |
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| Area Accommodations |
| B&Bs / Inns | |  | Pine Hills Inn - Volant, PA
A great place to get away from it all. Come rock your stress away or visit the many shops in Volant and the Grove City Prime Outlets. Built in 1879 by the Amish, the Inn sets in the Amish countryside between New Wilmington and Volant, PA.
Web Site: http://www.pinehillsinn.com |
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| | Note to Park related businesses:
List your vacation cabin, weekend getaway, log cabin rental, romantic cottage, vacation home, resort, hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, country inn, campground, RV park, horseback riding stable, canoe livery, river rafting, outfitting, sporting goods store, guide service, RV rental or any other park related activity, park related attraction or park related service on Google or StateParks.com. (more).... |
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| Related Links: |
| AddALL.com - Bob Value: McConnells' Mill State Park, Pennsylvania - Don't forget to bookmark this web site !! Used Books | Contact us | Home. Browse and Compare Price at 40+ Sites and 20,000+ Stores!! Books. Used Books. Music. Movie. Help. | Home | FAQ/About us... | | American Whitewater - Final Chance for Ohiopyle Falls Access - Final Chance for Ohiopyle Falls Access. AW's Letter...Ed Gertler's Letter...Write your own...Top. Pennsylvania's Bureau of State Parks is now accepting comments through May 23, 2002 on the... | | McConnells Mill State Park - Climbingsource.com - Click to Get Advertising. McConnells Mill State Park, PENN. We Need Your Picture. Click Below for Seven Day Forecast. Directions to park: From New Castle go east on 422 to signs for McConnell's... |
| Nature Programs: |
| Guided tours of the restored gristmill are available from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The daily schedule of the Old Mill is from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Off-season tours are by appointment only.
Guided nature walks are conducted every Saturday and Sunday during the summer season. A variety of topics, settings and subjects are discussed and explored. |
| Area Campgrounds | | Boy Scouts of America Moraine Trails Council: Boy Scout Camp Agawam
New Castle, PA
(724) 924-2288
| Rose Point Park Campground
RR 4
New Castle, PA
(724) 924-2415
| Crawford's Camping Park
275 Hodgson Rd
Darlington, PA
(724) 846-5964
| Irish Valley Campgrounds
RR 3
Sunbury, PA
(570) 286-2924
| Fantasy Island Campground
401 Park Dr
Sunbury, PA
(570) 286-1307
| Camp Agawan
3956 Frew Mill Rd
New Castle, PA
(724) 924-2288
| Rose Point Park Campground
314 Rose Point Rd
New Castle, PA
(724) 924-2415
| Cooper's Lake
205 Currie Rd
Slippery Rock, PA
(724) 368-8710
| Campers Paradise
RR 4
New Castle, PA
(724) 368-3766
| Buttercup Woodlands Campground
854 Evans City Rd
Renfrew, PA
(724) 789-9340
| Moraine Camplands
281 Staff Rd
Slippery Rock, PA
(724) 794-6242
| Lake Arthur Family Campgrounds
243 W Liberty Rd
Slippery Rock, PA
(724) 794-9901
| Slippery Rock Campground
1150 W Park Rd
Slippery Rock, PA
(724) 738-0402
| Peaceful Valley Campgrounds
231 Peaceful Valley Rd
West Sunbury, PA
(724) 894-2421
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| | Area Fishing Related Businesses | | Roberson Sporting Goods
6348 Germantown Rd
Middletown, OH
(513) 422-4191
| Birdseed's Bait Shop
3706 Tytus Ave
Middletown, OH
(513) 422-2429
| Stony Meadows Fishing Lake
7798 W Alexandria Rd
Middletown, OH
(513) 422-5291
| Triangle Fishing Lakes
7427 Franklin Madison Rd
Middletown, OH
(513) 422-0948
| Hy-Blast Inc
70 Enterprise Dr
Middletown, OH
(513) 424-0704
| Shooters Place
416 Constitution Blvd # F
New Brighton, PA
(724) 847-2097
| Neshannock Creek Fly Shop
Main St
Volant, PA
(724) 533-3212
| Slapp's Tire Service
301 Flower St
Chester, PA
(610) 874-7997
| Shenango China Hunting & Fishing Club
RR 5
New Castle, PA
(724) 657-0286
| O Donnell's Sports Supplies
1765 Perry Hwy
Portersville, PA
(724) 368-3418
| Moraine Fishing & Camping Ctr
2191 Prospect Rd
Prospect, PA
(724) 865-9318
| Rogers' Rifle Rod & Reel
494 Mount Union Rd
Portersville, PA
(724) 368-8127
| Mars Rod & Gun Club
141 Cashdollar Rd
Mars, PA
(724) 538-9392
| Associated Hunting Consultants
7931 Franklin Rd
Evans City, PA
(724) 772-4868
| Indianola Rod & Gun Club Inc
121 Mcclelland Dr
Rochester, PA
(412) 767-5025
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| | Area Resorts and Lodging | | White Thorn Lodge
383 State Line Rd
Darlington, PA
(724) 843-9916
| Bear Run Campground
184 Badger Hill Rd
Portersville, PA
(724) 368-3564
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| Directions: |
| The park is about 40 miles north of Pittsburgh, via I-79, near the intersection of PA 19 and US 422. |
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