Kettle Creek State Park, Nature reserve in Clinton County, US.
Kettle Creek State Park is a nature reserve in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, set in a forested mountain valley along the creek that shares its name. The terrain is made up of wooded hillsides, open creek banks, and a reservoir formed by a dam built in the valley.
The area was developed for conservation in the early 20th century, and in the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps shaped much of the land through planting and trail work. In 1962 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the Alvin R. Bush Dam, flooding part of the valley and forming the reservoir seen today.
The park takes its name from Kettle Creek, the stream that runs through the wooded valley. Along the water and on the hillsides, visitors can still see traces of the land shaping work done by young laborers in the 1930s.
The park has two campgrounds with a total of 71 sites, some with electric hookups, as well as marked trails through the forest and along the creek. Footwear suited to uneven ground is a good idea, and conditions vary noticeably between seasons.
The reservoir within the park allows only electric motorboats, which keeps the water noticeably quieter than most public lakes in Pennsylvania. This makes it a rare spot in the state where you can be out on the water without the sound and smell of gas engines around you.
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