Delaware State Forest, Protected forest area in Monroe and Pike Counties, Pennsylvania.
Delaware State Forest is a protected forest reserve spread across four counties in Pennsylvania, covering mixed woodland, wetlands, and natural lakes. Several distinct recreation areas are scattered throughout, each reachable by trail and offering a different setting, from open meadows to dense tree cover.
Heavy logging during the 1800s stripped much of this land bare, leaving behind a landscape that had little resemblance to the forest seen today. Pennsylvania began buying back these lands in 1897 as part of its first forest reserve program, slowly allowing the woodland to grow back.
The Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry maintains the forest through ecosystem management, focusing on natural patterns while addressing local community requirements.
The forest can be reached by car through several entry points, each leading to a different part of the reserve with its own trails and lakes. From spring through fall the conditions are most comfortable, but weather in this part of Pennsylvania can change fast, so layered clothing is a good idea.
Bruce Lake Natural Area sits around a spring-fed glacial lake shaped by the last ice age, making it one of the few natural lakes of its kind in the region. Just nearby, Egypt Meadow Lake was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935, so two lakes that look alike actually have very different origins.
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