Growing up in an area, you never really understand what you have until you move away. You may have…read morethought that this was so boring to come here. You may think why are we going here. But when you move away, and come back for a visit, you want to revisit the area. First and foremost, nobody from this area ('locals' as the out-of-towners say) refers to this as Prince Gallitzin, Prince Gallitzin State Park, or PGSP. So stop it, it's not cute. We simply refer to it as Glendale. Yes, that is the name of the lake, but it is so much more simply to say Glendale than any form/combination you can come up with. The 'locals' here have it right, and you will not win an argument about it. What is appealing about this place is the many things you can do. Camping, swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, feed the deer, playgrounds, grilling, I could keep going. I spent many weekends here camping (to note: I am not a camper). With that, it was like I memorized a good portion of this park. When you camp, you hike, when you hike, you stumble upon a lot of the park. But, it is nearly impossible to see the whole park by foot, you will need a vehicle of some sort. The shoreline of the lake is 26 miles long. But there are so many more things to do in this area. Headache Hill is a favorite. Nothing more than a water tank tower on top of a highpoint. When open, you can climb the water tower and view the park in every direction. Uninterrupted views. The marina is a highlight. The "beach" is another highpoint. There can technically be a lot of beaches here. Be sure to check out the Killbuck Boat Ramp area. You can rent boats here to go out on the lake. You can also launch your boat here (one of very many places to do so). This is also where you can feed the deer. It is almost like clockwork. But be very aware of your surroundings. Feeding deer can draw other wildlife and a bear or two have been spotted here. If geocaching is your thing. There area a ton in the area. Hungry, check out Pirates Cove for sure, whether you want a meal or sweet treat. There are tons to do here. Not far from towns to grab items, it can serve as a nice little getaway. And please remember, it's Glendale.

(To show how much Yelping means to me, our visit here was in January of '21 and I'm just getting…read morearound to thinking about this now.  Obviously I forget way more than I remember.) Who was Prince Gallitzin and why does he have a state park named after him? If you're so inclined feel free to skim this wiki on the Apostle of the Alleghenies. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demetrius_Augustine_Gallitzin PGSP is another creation of the late great Dr. Maurice Goddard who aspired to have a state park within 25 miles of every PA resident. He never reached that goal but he did add 45 parks during his decades long stint in state government including PGSP which was formally dedicated in 1965. So what's here? In the trademark of a lot of western PA state parks, not much and that's the beauty of it. I mean sure you can camp, glamp, hunt, fish, boat, hike, fart, etc. but there is also a loooooooooooot of quiet. elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/GetDocument?docId=1737338&DocName=PRGA_ParkGuide.pdf What else do I remember: - We stayed in one of the ten cabins by the marina. Three of them allow dogs and obviously those book fairly far in advance especially on weekends. We stayed over a cold as hell weekend in January but I still needed to make the reservation two months out or else there would have been no availability. On the other side of Glendale Lake there are tons of spaces for camping year round but I don't camp so I can't testify about that. - If you need to pick up your cabin keys after the park office closes, head to the office and inside the foyer there are ten cubbies where they put the keys and a welcome/rules/map packet. Note that unless the process has changed, the email you get after you make a reservation does not mention this. Either you know, you guess or you'll have no clue. - IME, there is zero Internet capabilities in the cabins. Maybe that depends on the carrier but at the time, on T-Mobile, it was zip. - There are tons of houses selling firewood all around the area. I'm sure the park sells it somewhere but we bought a good bit from a stand a few miles away. - If you need provisions, there isn't much in the area. The town of Patton is ten minutes away and it has a Sheetz and one small store but past that you're probably going 30 minutes to Altoona for something more substantive. - The cabins are very, very nice. Full kitchens, good heating, nice enough bathrooms and it's usually a full bed with sets of bunks. - It snowed a few inches overnight and the park had their maintenance staff out salting and plowing the entrance roads very early in the morning which is good as most are narrow and winding. Overall the park is very nice. Lots of space/trails to spread out and explore on and the peaceful quiet is intoxicating. This one is definitely on our radar for a visit in the near future.

This is a gorgeous trail. It is very easy and you can walk as far as you want. The trail is well…read moremaintained (mostly crushed gravel) and a fun place to go for a walk, run, or bike ride. You will see beautiful forest areas along the way.

Well another biking milestone for yours truly and her husband Rick. We did the entire 60+ mile…read moreround trip between Black Lick and Ebensburg on the Ghost Town Trail! It took all day, I'm still saddle sore and my leg muscles ache a little, but it was totally worth it. Besides, we're building up our strengths so we can do the 120+ miles of the Great Allegheny Passage Trail between McKeesport and Cumberland, MD. There's not too much more I can write about the trail. Last year we rode the Black Lick to Nanty Glo segment of the trail and most points of interest are between those two towns. Still, the remaining segment between Nanty Glo and Ebensburg makes for a pleasant ride. I did find out a few other things about the trail since the last time we rode it. Just east of Black Lick, the trail passes a salvage yard of discarded rail cars. These almost seamlessly blend into the scenery and they're altogether appropriate because this is a rails-to-trails conversion. Between Dilltown and Vintondale the creek has a bright red color because of the acid drainage from the coal mines. At several points you will exit the cool green forested surroundings and experience an "ecological disaster area", a legacy of the mining era. You'll see the remains of some slag dumps, which have an eerie beauty to them. Keep an eye out for the AMD & Art Park (AMD stands for Acid Mine Damage). One other thing to consider. This trail goes through some state game lands. During hunting season, you should wear brightly colored clothing. Riding the Ghost Town Trail can be very rewarding. Plan to take the whole day and be sure to enjoy the sights along the way.

This is a nice park. It has 2 baseball/softball fields, a pedestrian walking course, kayak launch…read morearea, a basketball court, kids playground, tractor pull area, and several pavilions. The park is well maintained by the local township. I do like the basketball court but wish that they would use nylon hoops instead of chains for the baskets since they seem to ruin basketballs quickly. Easy access to the Ghost Town Trail and Hoodlebug Trail.

Easily of my favorite places to golf! Long, hilly course with open fairways. Decently priced. Nice…read morepractice area near the club house. Only downfall would be that the bunkers need some TLC. Love this place!

Great Food!! Will be back! We were told about this place and decided to try it out. The Onion soup…read morewas awesome. I had the steak. It was amazing. Thank you for bringing good stuff to our area!

Customer Service for the win! Trailz End carries a…read morewide-range of bicycles (Trek Dealer) and outdoor equipment for all ages & needs. Ed is extremely knowledgeable and thorough with repair & tune-ups. My wife and I both have treks that we have purchased and have maintained at Trailz End, and we most recently purchased our son's first bike there. It may be "USEFUL" (hit the button below if you agree!) to know that all purchases come with tune-up packages and discounts on additional accessories. There are also valuable trade-in discounts as well! On more than one occasion, Ed has also shown to be passionate about what he chooses to supply in his shop. When buying my son's first bike, he suggested a bright color option as a safety precaution- something I did not even think of & something that he is not required to be concerned with. Ed has also refused to sell equipment that I have requested, due to safety concerns. A HUGE character move -when he could have just ordered & took my money. Stop in next time you are looking for equipment for your next outdoor adventure. You may find dealing with a shop owner who cares about what he is selling, and the people he's selling to, refreshing!!!

Horrible customer service and high prices. It was a complete waste of time and was treated pretty…read morebad.

Very nice and well maintained course. They have public golf so you don't necessarily need a…read moremembership. Very fair price for 18 holes. The front nine is very open with only a few blind spots. It does have some tricky shots over the ponds. The back nine has a lot of blind spots and a longer play time than the front nine. The owners are pleasant and the facilities are enjoyable. We try to go every Sunday and it's a great way to release some stress.

Very fun golf course with reasonable prices. This course has several elevation changes and is…read morechallenging, yet nicely laid out. The greens were in great shape and it is a very scenic course. Many of the people playing don't bother fixing their ball marks on the greens. Very few sand traps and multiple creeks/ponds. The shop is fairly limited on supplies, shoes etc but does have plenty of food/drinks. I will be playing here again when I am back.

decent course but a bit pricey for what they have to offer...and we were there just after they…read moreaerated their greens which made putting impossible and nothing was mentioned while we paid...poor 'pro shop'...just recently added a bar area which is cool although I've never set foot in it...absolutely horrible food...played 18 recently and got a hot dog at the turn...how can you screw up a HOT DOG?!! The meat actually tasted sour if that's possible??! Not sure if it was rotten or not but YUCK! So on my next visit I tried one of their little deli sandwiches and it seemed as if a child made it...all the meat/cheese was stacked on one side...I had to take it apart and put it back together like a normal person should've in the 1st place!! It's close and again it's a decent course but pricey for what's there!