Frances Slocum State Park | Wilkes Barre

Comprehensive Guide to Frances Slocum State Park — narrative version

Setting and Landscape
Frances Slocum State Park encompasses 1,035 acres in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. At its heart lies 165-acre Frances Slocum Lake, a serpentine flood-control reservoir created on Abraham Creek in the late 1960s. Hardwood ridges of oak, hickory, and tulip-poplar ring the shoreline, while cooler, north-facing ravines shelter hemlock groves, striped maple, and moss-lined seeps. Elevations range roughly between nine-hundred and eleven-hundred twenty feet, high enough to yield pleasantly cool summer nights and crisp, colorful autumns.

Historical Snapshot
Long before European settlement, Lenape and later Susquehannock peoples hunted and fished these valleys. The park is named for Frances Slocum, a Quaker child kidnapped during the Revolutionary War near present-day Wilkes-Barre and adopted into the Miami nation in the Midwest—a poignant tale of frontier cross-cultural life. Fast-forward to the twentieth century: after repeated Susquehanna basin floods, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers built an earthen dam here between 1964 and 1968. Pennsylvania assumed management of the recreation lands not long after, officially dedicating Frances Slocum State Park in 1973 and expanding the campground through the 1980s.

Wildlife and Seasonal Highlights
Beaver lodges dot quiet coves, and osprey platforms stand out on dead snags; spring brings vernal-pool wood frogs, while winter often delivers bald eagles to open water near the dam outflow. Pink lady’s-slippers bloom in May, mountain-laurel lights up mid-June, and a vivid maple-oak-hickory palette peaks around mid-October. Typical winter snow depth is six to twelve inches, with the lake usually frozen by mid-January.

Recreation on the Lake
Boating is limited to electric motors and non-motorized craft, making the water tranquil for paddlers. Two concrete launches serve the east shore and Picnic Area 1, and eighty seasonal mooring slips are available. A concession rents kayaks, canoes, rowboats, pedal boats, and stand-up paddleboards from Memorial Day weekend through mid-October. Anglers will find stocked rainbow and brown trout each April plus wild largemouth bass, muskellunge, walleye, black crappie, yellow perch, and bluegill. From November 1 through April 30, Pennsylvania’s cold-water rule requires everyone in any boat to wear a life jacket.

Swimming
The guarded sand beach stretches nearly six hundred feet and operates daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. between the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day. A modern bathhouse offers showers and changing rooms, and a shaded lawn rises behind the sand for picnics or reading.

Trails and Biking
Roughly fourteen miles of footpaths circle and spur off the lake. Highlights include the five-point-seven-mile Lakeside Loop with wetlands boardwalks and constant water views; the one-and-a-half-mile Deer Trail through upland oak forest rich in spring wildflowers; the short Turkey Hill path to a panoramic overlook; and the Louise Trail that winds among glacial erratics in a shady ravine. Mountain bikes are welcome on campground roads, the Lakeside Loop, and a signed spur that joins the regional Back Mountain Trail.

Camping Options
The seasonal campground (open mid-April through the third Sunday of October) provides one hundred total sites: twenty-nine full-hookup, forty-seven electric-only, and twenty-four non-electric. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. For those who prefer walls, five wooden camping cottages offer heat and porches, while two twenty-foot yurts supply a futon, bunk beds, refrigerator, microwave, ceiling fan, and deck. Pets are permitted in designated loops, provided proof of rabies vaccination is shown. Modern restrooms and showers serve every loop, and the park sells ice and firewood on the honor system.

Day-Use and Picnicking
Five mature oak groves provide a combined four hundred picnic tables with charcoal grills. Two reservable pavilions, seating roughly one-hundred twenty and one-hundred fifty guests respectively, include electricity. Nearby are playgrounds, an open ball field, and a small amphitheater where rangers present evening programs from June through August.

Winter Sports
Once snow blankets the ridges, Deer and Lakeside trails become cross-country ski routes; snowshoers frequently trace the same paths. A gentle sledding hill lies beside the campground road, and the frozen cove near the rental dock doubles as an ice-skating area when rangers declare the ice safe. Ice-fishing shanties dot the lake so long as thickness reports posted at the office permit.

Facilities, Services, and Regulations
The park office dispenses maps, permits, and gift items and hosts a public Wi-Fi hotspot on its porch. ADA-accessible restrooms, fishing pier, and beach route help ensure inclusive outings. A sanitary dump station serves RVs, and an on-site recycling area accepts cans and bottles. Gate hours are eight a.m. until dusk year-round, and there is no entrance fee. Alcohol is prohibited, boat motors are capped at fifteen horsepower, and visitors carrying in their own firewood must use certified heat-treated logs to prevent invasive-pest spread.

Directions
From Tunkhannock, drive south on Pennsylvania Route 309 for three miles, turn left onto Carverton Road, then follow brown signs for about three miles to the entrance. From Interstate 81 Exit 170B (Wilkes-Barre), head north on 309 for eleven miles, then turn right on Carverton Road. The park entrance coordinates are approximately forty-two-point-nine-nine-one-seven degrees north by seventy-five-point-eight-nine-zero-two degrees west.

Mailing address: 567 Mt. Olivet Road, Wyoming, PA 18644
Phone: 570-696-3525 (office hours eight a.m. to four p.m. daily)

Insider Suggestions
• At sunrise, slip onto the water from Picnic Area 3; the west breeze is calmest then, and you may have the lake to yourself.
• About three miles along the Lakeside Loop, a hidden alcove dubbed Hemlock Cove often bursts with warbler song in early May.
• Behind Turkey Hill’s viewpoint, a faint footpath drops to a glacial kettle pond that swarms with dragonflies in July.
• October campers frequently enjoy brilliant foliage accompanied by dark, starry skies, thanks to low surrounding light pollution.

Frances Slocum State Park blends quiet forest, calm water, and full-service amenities into a four-season playground ideal for day trips or extended stays in northeastern Pennsylvania.