Memorial Lake State Park

05/30/2026

They arrived as ordinary civilians… and left as wilderness survivalists 🪵🔥

Today’s Survival 101 participants faced the challenge in an immersive, scenario-based adventure. Along the way in their teams they built shelters, started fires, crafted water filters, and tackled a variety of survival challenges designed to test their skills and teamwork.

Think you have what it takes to survive the wild? Join us next month for Survival 101 at Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area and put your survival instincts to the test!

05/28/2026

05/27/2026

A lone Tundra Swan came to visit Memorial Lake and gave us quite a show!

05/27/2026

Wildlife Run-Ins this Week:

Starting off strong with a Black Bear sighting on a trail cam from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. 🐻They were kind enough to share this beauty that was seen on their lands close to Swatara State Park! 🐾

Next, we have a lone Tundra Swan enjoying the sun on Memorial Lake. We got a little too close and it flew away, but we got to see the powerful "run on water" for their takeoff that made it worth it. 🦢

Finally a Snapping Turtle hanging out at Swatara, likely coming back from laying eggs and not too happy about being disturbed! 🥚 But we had to do our due diligence and move her off the road. We made sure she was in a safe environment before moving on, and naturally had to take in her natural beauty with some photos! 🐢

05/26/2026

Have YOU seen this raptor? 🪶

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is thrilled to launch the PennsylvaniaNorthern Harrier Project, a new statewide research initiative in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and DCNR. The secretive northern harrier, also known as the marsh hawk or gray ghost, is at risk of disappearing from our state due to habitat loss and changing land use.

In an effort to locate and protect breeding territories, we are opening our “Harrier Hotline” to sighting reports in Pennsylvania during the breeding season, May 15 - July 30.

If you have observed northern harrier activity on your property, please report your sightings to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary’s Northern Harrier Project page: www.hawkmountain.org/conservation-science/active-research/raptor-conservation-studies/pennsylvania-northern-harrier-project

05/25/2026

We had two successful programs this weekend: 💚😄

Saturday we had some wet warriors brave enough to tackle salamander hunting in the very rainy day during our Salamander Safari! ☔️🦎 One of our trails may have gotten a little rained out, but we're happy to report we found two baby red backed salamanders and a big ol' slug hanging out under logs and rocks. 🪵🪨🐌

Sunday we had a fishing 101 program where quite a few folks learned to fish for the first time!!! 🎣 All together we caught 11 fish. 😎🐟 🐠 One girl was fishing for the first time and had caught 4 fish!

Don't forget to check out the othe awsome opportunities coming up on the DCNR calendar of events: https://events.dcnr.pa.gov

05/24/2026

🎉We're happy to announce new staff for our 2026 season (and more seasons to come) 🎉

Welcome to our Law Enforcement Ranger Emily McCoy! Her role includes protecting the park, the visitors, and the critters that call it home by enforcing the state laws and park regulations. You can often find her foot patrolling the parks on and off trail, sometimes magically appearing on the trail from a dense thicket abandoning her exploration to respond to a local emergency!

Here's a little bit about Emily: 💚

Ranger McCoy loves to be outdoors and has a passion for learning about everything around her, whether it be plants, animals, geology, history, or something else! She especially likes to forage for edible plants and fungi and is happy to look at a picture of a cool mushroom or cute animal you may have seen in the park.

If you spot Ranger McCoy out and about, feel free to say hello and ask any questions you have about the park any rules/regulations.

05/23/2026

Some Updates on Park Happenings:

Our office is now open full time from 8am to 4pm. Lori and Yazmin are more than happy to assist you with any questions or needs you may have!

Cocoa Kayaks is open! They will be offering kayak rentals from 10:00am-6:00pm with the last rental being at 5:00pm. They will be open Wednesday-Sunday.

We hope to see you out and about, feel free to stop in the office to say hello, chat with a Ranger if you see them, or attend one of our monthly programs!

05/23/2026

The Salamander Safari is still happening rain or shine! 🌧️🌦️

So bring your rain boots, umbrellas, and love for salamanders to join us at Swatara State Park.🦎☔️

Salamanders breathe through their skin and need moisture to maintain their protective slimy barrier, so you can often spot them moving in the rain or shortly after! 🐌🐸

See you at Trout Run Trail Head at 11:00am!!!

05/21/2026

I hope you have some room in your June calendar because we have some pretty sweet programs coming your way this month! 😎☀️🌳