Bucktail State Park Natural Area in Pennsylvania, USA - map and visitor information

Research checked: 2026-11-01. Check linked official notices before travel.

Bucktail State Park Natural Area is a scenic corridor along PA 120 in north-central Pennsylvania, between Emporium and Lock Haven. Plan a drive through the river valley. Much of the land inside the park boundary is private, so the designation does not give visitors permission to walk across it.

Highlights along the valley

The official 75-mile scenic drive passes through Renovo between its endpoints. Forested mountain walls frame Sinnemahoning Creek and the West Branch Susquehanna River. Choose the part of the corridor that fits your travel direction, with separate public-park stops where you want to leave the road.

Know before you go

Fees, hours, and seasonal access

Access and preparation

Download the official park maps before leaving. DCNR warns that cell service is unpredictable in and around many state parks. A map boundary is not proof of an authorized place to stop or enter.

Respect land ownership

Obtain the landowner’s permission before entering private property. Hunting is prohibited in Bucktail State Park Natural Area. Keep those two restrictions in mind even where surrounding land looks undeveloped.

Reservations

The park has no reservable facilities. Treat this as a scenic-drive visit with limited public amenities, and arrange any separate overnight accommodation outside this guide.

Location and road access

PA 120 follows the corridor from near Lock Haven north to Emporium. The Region 1 Office address in Emporium is a mailing and management contact, rather than a single entrance serving the whole corridor. The official maps page cautions that GIS driving directions usually lead to the nearest large road.

Nearby parks

Hyner View State Park is a practical detour from PA 120 at Hyner. Follow Hyner Run Road for two miles, then Hyner View Road for five miles to the vista. At the Emporium end, Sizerville State Park lies six miles north of town on PA 155. These are separate park destinations with their own facility seasons.

Things to do

Make sightseeing the core of the visit: follow the valley by road and observe the forested slopes from places where stopping and access are permitted. The river-and-mountain setting is the experience here. Use the nearby parks above for a more defined destination away from the corridor road.

Facilities and accessibility

Public facilities and amenities are limited. Contact the management office before a visit that depends on an accommodation for a disability. Allow the official access information, rather than the size of the mapped park, to guide the outing.

About the natural area

Why it is called Bucktail

The Pennsylvania legislature created Bucktail State Park in 1933 to commemorate the Bucktail Regiment. Its recruits built rafts at Driftwood in 1861 to travel toward Lock Haven and onward by rail. The legal dedication extended from mountain rim to mountain rim, but most land within that legislative boundary remains privately owned.

Valley habitats

The corridor is mostly forested outside its towns, villages and farms. Its waterways and steep wooded slopes form the landscape visitors see from PA 120. Enjoy wildlife watching without treating private riverbanks as public access.

Contact

Official Bucktail visitor information. Region 1 Office: (814) 486-3365, [email protected]. Mailing address: 260 Sizerville Road, Emporium, PA 15834. The official park history explains the corridor’s legislative boundary.