maps

Loads of Cook Forest State Park maps – trail, travel, paddle, project, and historic:

Trail & Camping Maps

Cook Forest State Park and Clear Creek State Park – MAP RELEASED!  

Cartography is complete, and you can buy your very own excellent copy of the new outdoor adventure & travel map by Purple Lizard Maps!  Find new trails, new roads, and new “hidden gem” lizard sites…

This wonderful Centre County business helps outdoor adventurers make the most of their time in the backcountry.  Their series of high-quality, personally-researched topographic maps highlight hidden treasures, and direct travelers to lesser-known trails and overlooks. 

Opt outside in Cook Forest & Clear Creek with Purple Lizard, a 1% for the Planet company.

Purple Lizard Maps guide to Cook Forest State Park
photo & article by Rob Keith for Purple Lizard Maps

Click this link to download various current Cook Forest State Park maps from the DCNR website.  Maps include: the main park and Clarion River Lands, which show all the Park trails as well as portions of the North Country Trail and Baker Trail passing through the Park, with boat launches, state campgrounds, and other park features.  There are additionally separate trail guides with path descriptions for both areas, and a PDF map of the Ridge Campground, indicating which sites are dog-friendly, and what hookups are at each site.

Cook Forest State Park Maps - Ridge Campground Map
Ridge Camp CFSP photos
DCNR CFSP Cook Forest State Park Map Forest Cathedral
Official DCNR Maps - Cook Forest State Park

The Rail 66 Country Trail is a converted railroad line for hiking, biking, skiing along the historic Knox-Kane railroad bed. The 20-mile corridor starts at Clarion Junction (Rt 322) in Paint Township and stretches north along Rt 66 through Vowinckel to Marienville, ultimately extending through Forest, Elk and McKean Counties. [NOTE: the Rail 66 trail map at right is out of date, and trail extends to the east further.]

The trail directly connects to the North Country National Scenic Trail, the Baker Trail and BicyclePA Route V.   It’s located just a few miles from Cook Forest State Park, the Allegheny National Forest, and the Clarion Highlands Trail.

The trail is valuable for Cook Forest visitors who bring bicycles, as bikes aren’t permitted on our hiking trails (many are too steep and root-laced – Hefren Run Trail, which links Forest Drive and Tom’s Run Road, does permit bikes).  River Road and Forest Road are both narrow and under heavy vehicle traffic.

Rail 66 rail trail bike & ski map 2020
Rail 66 - now from Clarion to Marienville

Clarion Water Trail Guide — Middle Section

Irwin Run to Mill Creek – updated – file hosted by the Visit PA Great Outdoors website.  The Clarion is a nationally designated Wild & Scenic River along Cook Forest, and won the 2019 River of the Year popular vote in PA.  It’s fairly low-volume and tame in summer, silty and swift in spring and autumn. 

Cook Forest State Park Map - road & towns

Lost?  We’re about 15 miles north of Clarion &/or Brookville off I-80, and south of Marienville on the southern edge of the Allegheny National Forest.  Here’s a google map:

Here’s another google map of the Cook Forest and Allegheny National Forest areas – annotated! This shows a couple of features either not on the default map, or misplaced – and it shows restaurants and grocery markets for visitor convenience.  Click this link to open it into a new tab, so you can toggle layers on and off.

Cook Forest Conservancy Program Maps

Cook Forest State Park Map of Clarion River Invasive Plants

Clarion River Invasives: Japanese knotweed is a target species for the CFC – we’re working with public & private landowners to control this non-native invasive before it becomes substantially established. Japanese Knotweed spreads aggressively,  reducing biodiversity and degrading habitat along our wild & scenic Clarion River. Cooperating on this multi-year project are the DCNR Cook Forest, the PA Bureau of Forestry, Penn State Extension, ArborChem, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Wild Excellence Films, both McKean and Clarion County Conservation Districts, vegetation management specialists, and many local landowners.  Please see the completed guide for landowner control of Japanese Knotweed, along with a few shorts from our in-person programs, on youtube.  Efforts are ongoing; please contact info @ cookforestconservancy.org with questions.

High Allegheny Hemlock Conservation Partnership priority areas map including Cook Forest State Park HAHCP

The High Allegheny Hemlock Conservation Partnership (HAHCP), a project of the Allegheny Forest Health Collaborative, under which the CFC and others are helping to train citizen scientists to track Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) infestations. This map shows the areas of high priority for monitoring and treatment – Cook Forest State Park is the black spot at the lower left.

 

Historic Cook Forest Maps

Miscellaneous maps found and scanned or saved for genealogical or curiosity purposes:

Parcel Map 1900s Cooksburg Barnett Twp Forest County - Cook Forest State Park Maps Historic
1900s Parcel Map of Cooksburg, Barnett Twp, Forest County, PA
1878 Barnett Township, Jefferson County, PA