Swatara State Park
| Swatara State Park | |||||||
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The Appalachian Trail crosses Swatara Creek on the historic Waterville Bridge in the park | |||||||
Interactive map of Swatara State Park | |||||||
| Location | Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, Pennsylvania, United States | ||||||
| Coordinates | 40°28′59″N 76°32′44″W / 40.48305°N 76.54564°W | ||||||
| Area | 3,520 acres (1,420 ha) | ||||||
| Elevation | 502 feet (153 m) | ||||||
| Established | 1987 | ||||||
| Administered by | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources | ||||||
| Website | Official website | ||||||
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Swatara State Park is a 3,520-acre (1,420 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Bethel, Swatara and Union townships, Lebanon County and Pine Grove Township, Schuylkill County in Pennsylvania in the United States. 8 miles (13 km) of Swatara Creek lie within the park's boundaries, which are roughly formed by Pennsylvania Route 443 to the north and Interstate 81 to the south. The park is in a valley in the ridge and valley region of Pennsylvania between Second Mountain (north) and Blue Mountain (south).
Swatara State Park is a fairly new park for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It was opened in 1987 and is still largely undeveloped. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is working on plans to further develop the lands of Swatara State Park. The original plans called for the building of a dam and reservoir for recreational fishing and boating as well as to provide drinking water for the City of Lebanon. The PADCNR explored plans for developing the park without the recreational lake/reservoir, and in 2012 started developing the park with infrastructure improvements to increase access to biking, hiking, canoeing, fishing and picnicking opportunities in the park. Improvements include installing 10 miles of crushed stone along the rail-trail and work on abandoned Old State Road.