Kettle Creek State Park

Kettle Creek State Park, Pennsylvania, USA
Kettle Creek State Park, Pennsylvania, USA
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
Location	Clinton County, Pennsylvania, USA
Nearest city	Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
Area	1,793 acres (7.73 km²)
Established	1954
Governing body	Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Kettle Creek State Park is a 1,793 acre (7.73 km²) Pennsylvania state park in Clinton County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in a valley and is surrounded by mountains and wilderness. It features a dam built in 1961 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a flood control measure in the West Branch Susquehanna River basin. Many of the recreational facilities at the park were built during the Great Depression by the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Kettle Creek State Park is seven miles north of Westport and Pennsylvania Route 120. It is largely surrounded by Sproul State Forest.

Kettle Creek Reservoir

Alvin R. Bush Dam on Kettle Creek is an earth and rockfill, flood control dam. It stands at a maximum height of 165 feet above the stream bed and is 1,350 feet across. The reservoir has a capacity of 75,000 acre-feet at the spillway crest. It covers 160 acres and is 2.2 miles long. Alvin R. Bush Dam controls about 226 square miles of the Kettle Creek drainage area. This is 92% of the total Kettle Creek drainage area.

Kettle Creek Reservoir is open to some recreational boating, fishing and ice fishing. Gas powered motors are prohibited on the reservoir. Motorized boats must be powered by electric motors only. Sailboats, rowboats, canoes, kayaks, and paddleboats are permitted on the waters of the lake. All boats must be properly registered with any state. The swimming area at the lake is on the northern end of the reservoir. Swim at your own risk. Lifeguards are not provided.

Fishing and hunting

Kettle Creek Reservoir is a 167 acre (0.68 km²) that is a fishery for trout, bass, bullhead, sucker, and panfish. Kettle Creek and it tributaries are excellent cold water fisheries. The fishing quality in the areas down stream of the dam has been damaged by pollution from mine drainage.

Most of Kettle Creek State Park is open to hunting. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The common game species are black bears, squirrels, ruffed grouse, white-tailed deer, and turkeys. The hunting of groundhogs is prohibited.

Trails

The trails of Kettle Creek State Park are open to hiking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and mountain biking. There is a 22 mile (35.4 km) trail for horseback riding. It begins and ends in the park and loops through Sproul State Forest. The mountain also loops through Sproul State Forest. It is five miles (8.04 km) and like the horse trail begins and ends in the park. Kettle Creek State Park is a trail head for the 53 mile (85 km) Donut Hole Trail. There are several other short trails within the boundaries of the park.

Camping and picnicking

There are two campgrounds at Kettle Creek State Park. Both lack water spigots and flush toilets. The Lower Campground has 44 sites with 38 electric hook-ups. The Upper Campground was 27 sites with 12 electric hook-ups.

The picnic area has over 200 picnic tables with charcoal grills and water spigots. Some picnic tables are sunny and some are shaded. The picnic area includes a softball field and volleyball court. A playground is also located near the picnic area.