Information
Landmark: Frances Slocum State ParkCity: Wilkes Barre
Country: USA Pennsylvania
Continent: North America
Frances Slocum State Park, Wilkes Barre, USA Pennsylvania, North America
Overview
Frances Slocum State Park sprawls across 1,035 acres in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, where wooded hills slide down to a quiet, glassy lake.At the center sits Frances Slocum Lake, a winding 165-acre flood-control reservoir built along Abraham Creek in the late ’60s, its shoreline curling like a loose ribbon in the sun.Oak, hickory, and tulip-poplar crown the hardwood ridges that circle the shore, while shady north-facing ravines hide hemlock stands, striped maple, and seeps edged with soft green moss.The land sits between about 900 and 1,120 feet above sea level, high enough for summer nights to feel cool against your skin and autumns to blaze with crisp, fiery color.Long before Europeans set foot here, the Lenape-and later the Susquehannock-roamed these valleys, casting lines into cold streams and tracking deer through the forest.The park takes its name from Frances Slocum, a young Quaker girl kidnapped near what’s now Wilkes-Barre during the Revolutionary War and carried west, where she was adopted into the Miami nation-a vivid, human story from the raw edges of frontier life.Fast forward to the twentieth century-after the Susquehanna spilled over its banks time and again, soaking streets and muddying doorsteps, the U. He traced the letter “S” in the dust on the windowsill.Between 1964 and 1968, the Army Corps of Engineers raised an earthen dam here, packing soil until the ridge stood firm against the wind.Not long after, Pennsylvania took over the recreation lands, officially opening Frances Slocum State Park in 1973 and adding more campsites through the 1980s, where the smell of pine hung in the summer air.Beaver lodges tuck into still coves, and osprey nests perch high on weathered snags; spring hums with wood frogs in shimmering vernal pools, while winter draws bald eagles to the open water swirling below the dam.Pink lady’s-slippers open in May, mountain laurel bursts into creamy clusters by mid-June, and by mid-October the hills blaze with the reds, golds, and browns of maple, oak, and hickory.Most winters bring six to twelve inches of snow, and by mid-January the lake’s surface is a solid sheet of ice.On the lake, only electric motors or quiet, non-motorized boats are allowed, so the water stays calm enough for paddlers to hear their oars dip.Two concrete ramps serve the east shore and Picnic Area 1, and there are eighty seasonal mooring slips ready for use.From Memorial Day weekend to mid-October, the concession rents out kayaks, canoes, rowboats, pedal boats, and even stand-up paddleboards that clatter softly against the dock.Each April, anglers can hook into stocked rainbow and brown trout, along with wild largemouth bass, muskellunge, walleye, black crappie, yellow perch, and bluegill flashing in the shallows.Between November 1 and April 30, Pennsylvania’s cold-water rule says anyone in a boat must wear a life jacket, even when the wind bites and the water looks like steel.The guarded sand beach runs almost six hundred feet, with lifeguards on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, starting Memorial Day weekend Saturday and ending on Labor Day.The modern bathhouse has showers and changing rooms, while just beyond the sand a cool, shaded lawn slopes up-perfect for spreading a blanket, sharing lunch, or losing yourself in a book.About fourteen miles of trails wind around the lake, with narrow paths branching off like spokes where you can walk or ride your bike.You’ll find plenty to explore here: the 5.7‑mile Lakeside Loop, with its wooden boardwalks skimming over wetlands and water stretching out beside you; the 1.5‑mile Deer Trail weaving through upland oaks bright with spring wildflowers; the quick Turkey Hill walk that leads to a sweeping overlook; and the Louise Trail, curling past massive glacial boulders in a cool, shaded ravine.You can ride your mountain bike on the campground roads, follow the Lakeside Loop, or take the signed spur that links up with the regional Back Mountain Trail.The seasonal campground, open from mid-April to the third Sunday in October, offers 100 sites-29 with full hookups, 47 with electricity only, and 24 without power, where nights get quiet enough to hear crickets in the grass.Every site comes with a sturdy picnic table and a fire ring, ready for crackling logs on a cool evening.If you’d rather have solid walls, five wooden camping cottages come with heat and a porch you can lean on in the evening breeze, while two roomy twenty‑foot yurts offer a futon, bunk beds, a fridge, microwave, ceiling fan, and a deck.You can bring your pet into the designated loops, as long as you show proof of a rabies shot-like the little yellow certificate from your vet.Every loop has modern restrooms and showers, and you can pick up ice or firewood from the park’s honor‑system stand, where the bags crunch cold in your hands.Five shady oak groves offer four hundred picnic tables, each with a charcoal grill ready for a sizzling lunch.Two pavilions are available to reserve, one with space for about 120 guests and the other for around 150, both equipped with electricity so you can plug in lights or a coffee pot.Just a short walk away, you’ll find playgrounds, a wide ball field, and a small amphitheater where rangers host evening programs under the warm summer sky from June to August.Once snow covers the ridges, the Deer and Lakeside trails turn into cross-country ski routes, with snowshoers crunching along the same tracks.A gentle sledding hill stretches beside the campground road, while the frozen cove by the rental dock turns into an ice-skating spot once rangers give the all-clear, its surface gleaming under the winter sun.Ice-fishing shanties pop up across the frozen lake whenever the office’s posted thickness report gives the all-clear, their roofs dusted with fresh snow.At the park office, you can pick up maps, permits, and a few gift items, and if you step onto the porch, there’s public Wi‑Fi waiting.Wheelchair-friendly restrooms, a sturdy fishing pier, and a smooth path to the beach make every outing welcoming for all.RVs can pull up to the sanitary dump station, while the recycling area takes cans and bottles-aluminum clinking against plastic as they drop in.The gates open at eight in the morning and close at dusk, no matter the season, and you won’t pay a cent to get in.No alcohol’s allowed, boat engines can’t be more than fifteen horsepower, and if you bring your own firewood-say, a stack of rough-cut oak-you’ll need certified heat-treated logs to keep invasive pests out.From Tunkhannock, head south on Pennsylvania Route 309 for three miles, turn left onto Carverton Road, and follow the brown signs for another three miles until you spot the entrance just past a stand of tall pines.Take Exit 170B off I‑81 toward Wilkes‑Barre, follow Route 309 north for eleven miles, then swing right onto Carverton Road where the old red barn stands.The park entrance sits at about 42.9917° north, 75.8902° west-just past the old stone gate.You can reach us at 567 Mt.Olivet Road, Wyoming, PA 18644, or call 570‑696‑3525 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day.At sunrise, launch from Picnic Area 3-the west breeze barely stirs, and the quiet lake feels like it’s yours alone.• 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.About three miles into the Lakeside Loop, you’ll find Hemlock Cove-a tucked-away alcove where, in early May, warblers fill the air with a bright, tumbling chorus.
