R. B. Winter State Park (also known as Raymond B. Winter State Park) is a Pennsylvania state park on in Hartley Township, Union County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in the United States. It is in the ridge and valley region of Pennsylvania and is surrounded by Bald Eagle State Forest. R. B. Winter State Park is in a shallow basin that is surrounded by ridges. Halfway Lake is the central recreational focus of the park. The park is west of Lewisburg on Pennsylvania Route 192. The park was originally called "Halfway Dam State Park", but was renamed "R.B. Winter State Park" on May 23, 1957, to honor state forester Raymond Burrows Winter, who was instrumental in establishing the park and had worked there and the surrounding state forest for 45 years.

Rapid Run Natural Area

The first settlers in the area found a very dense forest that was according to Conrad Weiser, "so thick that for a mile at a time we could not find the place the size of a hand, where the sun could penetrate, even in the clearest day..." Some examples of this dense forest still stand today at R. B. Winter State Park. The Rapid Run Natural Area is of land set aside "to provide a location for scientific observation of natural systems, to protect an example of a typical and unique plant and animal community, and to protect and outstanding example of natural interest and beauty." This natural area has been largely untouched since it was last logged for timber in 1850. Pileated woodpeckers can be seen in this area.

Barred owl The barred owl (''Strix varia''), also known as the northern barred owl, striped owl or, more informally, hoot owl or eight-hooter owl, is a North American large species of owl. A member of the true owl family, Strigidae, they belong to the genus ...

s also live in the Rapid Run Natural Area.

Vernal pool Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the saf ...

s fill each spring to provide water for

fairy shrimp Anostraca is one of the four orders of crustaceans in the class Branchiopoda; its members are referred to as fairy shrimp. They live in vernal pools and hypersaline lakes across the world, and they have even been found in deserts, ice-covered mou ...

, caddis-flies,

spotted salamander The spotted salamander (''Ambystoma maculatum''), also known commonly as the yellow-spotted salamander, is a species of mole salamander in the family Ambystomatidae. The species is native to the eastern United States and Canada. It is the sta ...

s, and

wood frog ''Lithobates sylvaticus'' or ''Rana sylvatica'', commonly known as the wood frog, is a frog species that has a broad distribution over North America, extending from the boreal forest of the north to the southern Appalachians, with several nota ...

Halfway Lake

Halfway Lake is filled by spring fed mountain streams. It is contained by a hand-laid native

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

dam, the first cement and stone dam ever built by the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

. The temperature of the water in Halfway Lake is always about . This is because much of the lake is filled with water that comes from directly underground. Little Bubbler is an artesian spring that seeps up through the sand on the west end of the beach at R. B. Winter State Park. Swimming is permitted but lifeguards are not provided as of 2008. Halfway Lake is a cold water fishery that is stocked with

brook Brook may refer to: Computing *Brook, a programming language for GPU programming based on C *Brook+, an explicit data-parallel C compiler *BrookGPU, a framework for GPGPU programming People * Brook (surname) *People with the given name Brook, ...

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

and

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...

Ice fishing Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities. Shelters L ...

is permitted when the lake is frozen and the ice is at least thick.

Recreation

Camping

People interested in staying overnight at R. B. Winter State park have three options. They can stay at one of the 59 modern camp sites some of which are equipped with

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

. All the sites have access to modern restrooms with showers. Each camp site also has its own fire ring,

picnic table A picnic table (or picnic bench) is a Table (furniture), table with benches (often attached), designed for working with and for picnic, outdoor dining. The term is often specifically associated with rectangular tables having an A-frame structure. ...

and lantern holder. There are three

cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide ...

s that sleep up to five people. The cottages have electric lights and a small baseboard heater as well as wooden floors, windows, skylights, porches, a picnic table and fire ring. There is one modern cabin that is available to rent year-round. It is two stories with a furnished living area, kitchen, one-and-a-half baths, four bedrooms and two porches.

Trails

R. B. Winter State Park has of hiking trails that meander around the park and along the lakeshore. The park is also a trailhead for the hiking, mountain biking and snow mobile trails in Bald Eagle State Forest. Most of the trails in the park are open to

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

except for Rapid Run Trail and Mid State Trail and part of Overlook Trail. R. B. Winter State Park is open to

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

and

snowmobiling A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

during the winter months.

Hunting

Hunting is permitted on of R.B. Winter State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the

Pennsylvania Game Commission The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) is the state agency responsible for wildlife conservation ethic, conservation and management in Pennsylvania in the United States. It was originally founded years ago and currently utilizes more than 700 ful ...

. The common game species are

ruffed grouse The ruffed grouse (''Bonasa umbellus'') is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America. It is non-migratory. It is the only spe ...

, eastern gray squirrel,

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey (''M. g. dom ...

American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is Endemism, endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. It is an omnivore, with ...

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known Common name, commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, North, Central America, Central and South America. It is the ...

, and

woodcock The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of sandpipers in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name ...

s. The hunting of

groundhog The groundhog (''Marmota monax''), also known as the woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. A lowland creature of North America, it is found through much of the Easte ...

s is prohibited.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within of R. B. Winter State Park: ''Note: shows R.B. Winter State Park'' *

Bald Eagle State Park Bald Eagle State Park is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park in Howard Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, Howard, Liberty Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, Liberty, and Marion Township, Centre County, Pennsylvan ...

(

Centre County Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County is composed of the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

) *

Bucktail State Park Natural Area Bucktail State Park Natural Area is a Pennsylvania state park in Cameron and Clinton Counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park follows Pennsylvania Route 120 for between Emporium (in Cameron County, which contains of the par ...

(

Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 19 ...

and Clinton Counties) *

Little Pine State Park Little Pine State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Cummings Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Little Pine State park is along of Little Pine Creek, a tributary of Pine Creek, in the midst of the Tiadaght ...

(

Lycoming County Lycoming County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 114,188. Its county seat is Williamsport. The county is part of the North Central region of the commonwealth. Lycoming County compris ...

) *

McCalls Dam State Park McCalls Dam State Park is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park on in Miles Township, Pennsylvania, Miles Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in the easternmo ...

(Centre County) *

Milton State Park Milton State Park is an List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park in the borough of Milton, Pennsylvania, Milton in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Montgomery Island in the West Branch Sus ...

( Northumberland County) *

Poe Paddy State Park Poe Paddy State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Haines Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrounded by Bald Eagle State Forest. Poe Valley State Park is to the east. The park is at the confluence ...

(Centre County) *

Poe Valley State Park Poe Valley State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Penn Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrounded by Bald Eagle State Forest. Poe Paddy State Park is to the east. The forests of the park surround ...

(Centre County) *

Ravensburg State Park Ravensburg State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Crawford Township in Clinton County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is in a gorge carved by Rauchtown Run through the side of Nippenose Mountain. Ravensburg State Park is of wooded ...

(Clinton County) *

Reeds Gap State Park Reeds Gap State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Armagh Township, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is largely a wilderness area with large white pine and hemlock trees. Honey Creek flows through the park, provi ...

(

Mifflin County Mifflin County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,143. Its county seat is Lewistown. The county was created on September 19, 1789, from parts of Cumberland County and Northumberland ...

) *

Sand Bridge State Park Sand Bridge State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Lewis Township, Union County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is the smallest state park in Pennsylvania and consists of a picnic area just off Pennsylvania Route 192. It ...

(Union County) *

Shikellamy State Park Shikellamy State Park is a Pennsylvania state park located at the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. The park is divided into two sections. The older part, on a bluff on the western bank of ...

(

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

and Union Counties) * Susquehanna State Park (Lycoming County) *

Upper Pine Bottom State Park Upper Pine Bottom State Park is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in Cummings Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, Cummings Township on Pennsylvan ...

(Lycoming County)

References

External links

* {{authority control State parks of Pennsylvania Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Protected areas established in 1933 Civilian Conservation Corps in Pennsylvania Parks in Union County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Union County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Union County, Pennsylvania 1933 establishments in Pennsylvania