Ravensburg State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Crawford Township in

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

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 a gorge carved by Rauchtown Run through the side of Nippenose Mountain. Ravensburg State Park is of wooded land that is almost entirely surrounded by Tiadaghton State Forest. This state park is on Pennsylvania Route 880, north of Carroll and south-east of

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...

. The nearest city is Williamsport.

History

Ravensburg State Park gets its name from the

ravens Ravens may refer to: * Raven, a species of the genus ''Corvus'' of passerine birds Sports * Anderson Ravens, the intercollegiate athletic program of Anderson University in Indiana * Baltimore Ravens, a professional American football franchise * B ...

that were known for roosting on the rock ledges at the southern end of the park (near the south entrance). Ravens can be seen in the vicinity of the park to this day, making the name logical though there is no community nearby that goes by the name Ravensburg. The park has no connection to the German city

Ravensburg Ravensburg ( or ; Swabian: ''Raveschburg'') is a city in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg. Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and ...

The nearest community to Ravensburg State Park is the unincorporated

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

of Rauchtown. The forest surrounding and within Ravensburg State Park has not changed much in the past 100 years. It is also unlikely that much timber has even been harvested in this area due to the extremely rocky surroundings and the narrow gorge in which Ravensburg State Park lies. Ravensburg State Park was constructed during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

in the 1930s 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 ...

founded by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. Ravensburg State Park is just one of many examples of the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) throughout North Central Pennsylvania. The CCC built a small dam on Rauchtown Run that is still being used as a swimming hole by the visitors to Ravensburg State Park. The CCC also built pavilions, latrines, bridges, trails, waterlines and fountains at the park. The Emergency Conservation Work architecture in the 1933–1942 period has earned the park a listing on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, along with other Pennsylvania state parks developed in this time period.

Geology

Over the years Rauchtown Run has made its way through the mountains on its way to the

West Branch Susquehanna River The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the Northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the ex ...

near Jersey Shore, via Antes Creek. The years of water flow have created the

gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...

in which the park is located. Tall erosional spires of

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 ...

have created a formation known as Castle Rocks. The rocks can be seen from the Mid State Trail and are said to resemble the towers of an ancient

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

. The frost action, brought on by the cold winters of Pennsylvania, has led to the creation of this rock formation.

Recreation

Camping

Bring your tents to Ravensburg because that is the only type of

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

available. The campground is downstream from the dam. Each campground has a fire ring as well as a picnic table.

Picnics

Ravensburg is popular for

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

king by families and church groups. There are three picnic areas on the grounds of Ravensburg State Park. Each area has picnic tables and pavilions and charcoal grills. There is a centrally located playfield with a playground and several

horseshoe A horseshoe is a product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toenail, altho ...

pits.

Hunting

Because Ravensburg State Park is just in size,

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

is prohibited with the confines of the park. However, there are of hunting area available in the surrounding Tiadaghton State Forest.

Hiking

There is one mile (1.6 km) of hiking trail available. Raven Trail, on the banks of Rauchtown Run, provides easy access to the creek for fishing. There are several side trails that lead to scenic rocky outcrops or to other hiking trails on state forest land. The Mid State backpacking trail is accessible from Ravensburg State Park.

Fishing

Avid fishermen will find native

brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada. Two ecological forms of brook trout h ...

and

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

living in Rauchtown Run. This provides for cold water fishing in Rauchtown Run as well as its tributaries.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within of Ravensburg State Park:''Note: shows Ravensburg 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) *

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) * Hyner Run State Park (Clinton County) * Hyner View State Park (Clinton County) * Little Pine State Park (

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) *

R. B. Winter State Park 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 in the United States. It is in the ridge and valley region of Pennsylvania and is surrounded ...

( Union 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 ...

(Union and Northumberland Counties) * Susquehanna State Park (Lycoming County) * Upper Pine Bottom State Park (Lycoming County)

References

External links

* {{authority control State parks of Pennsylvania Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Protected areas established in 1933 Civilian Conservation Corps in Pennsylvania Parks in Clinton County, Pennsylvania Campgrounds in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Clinton County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Clinton County, Pennsylvania