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Erie Bluffs State Park and the Roderick Wildlife Reserve
Posted by Rich on June 23, 2008
Last Wednesday, we linked to an article published by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that discussed the Erie Bluffs: Conservationists protect state park along Lake Erie shore. Complimenting that article is a media slide show of different images of the Erie Bluffs (if you look closely, you’ll see at least one of the pictures doesn’t belong). The author does a nice job telling the story of Tom Fuhrman, who is the genesis behind the land becoming a state park. The Bluffs became Pennsylvania’s 117th state park on June 4, 2004.
Although records of visitors to the Bluffs are not kept, I would guess the park gets very few visitors each year, primarily due to the fact that it remains a rather well-kept secret. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) on its Erie Bluffs page gives these directions: “Erie Bluffs is north of PA 5 at Lake City, twelve miles west of Erie.” Huh? Those directions might work if I had a GPS, a map, and a protractor, but, for the rest of us, we can rely on the Tribune article: “the easiest access to Erie Bluffs is from Elk Creek. It includes a parking lot, paved access road and boat launch at Elk Creek several hundred yards south of the lake.”
What else caught my attention when reading the Tribune article is the mention of the David Roderick Game Lands. This reserve is located in the very northwest corner of Erie County (and all of Pennsylvania for that matter) and was originally owned by Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie planned to use the land as a site for steel production but ended up selling it to the United States Steel Corporation and from there, it eventually was turned over to the State. (You can read more about the Roderick Game Lands from the online chapter of the book Pennsylvania Overlooks by Art Michaels.) Directions to the Roderick Game Lands are provided by Mr. Michaels: “where Route 20 and PA Route 5 meet at West Springfield, turn north onto Rudd Road, which is clearly marked with a street sign. Drive 2.6 miles north on Rudd Road to its end at Lake Road. Turn left (west) onto Lake Road and drive 1.4 miles to the monument’s parking area on the north side of Lake Road.” And yes, state game lands are open to the public (walking, hiking, etc.). Simply find a place to park along side an adjacent road and obey any posted signs. The PA Game Commission has a detailed map with parking locations marked.
Finally, here is an interactive map showing you the exact location (although not exact boundaries) of both the Bluffs and the Roderick Reserve:
With an entire summer ahead of us, I’m sure both of these locations will offer a unique opportunity to Erie residents and visitors. For a preview, a few people have posted pictures of the Erie Bluffs on Flickr. If you do visit these wonderful resources, make sure you follow the old Boy Scout principle, “leave no trace.”
If you’ve visited either of these locations, please leave a comment describing your experience and any tips you might have for visitors (including parking).
Posted by Rich at June 23, 2008 1:30 PM
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