Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, features a colorful history and a melting pot of culture.
It’s a sixth-class county with Clearfield borough designated as the county seat and DuBois as the largest city.
The county was established in 1804 and was also the first borough integrated into a county.
The county area also had a flourishing lumber and mining industry earlier.
There are several boroughs, townships, census-designated places, and unincorporated communities in Clearfield County.
Visitors will experience the warm hospitality and witness the cultural diversity through hosts of annual local festivities and events in the region.
You’ll find a wealth of historical landmarks to explore and plenty of specialty shops to stop by.
You’ll also find lots of leisure venues like golf courses, state parks, and wildlife areas to enjoy.
Here are the best things to do in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania:
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Parker Dam State Park is in Penfield, Pennsylvania.
This 968-acre state park offers a natural scenic charm with a lovely lake, country cabins, campgrounds, and vast forest areas.
The park is connected to the Moshannon State Forest, where you can walk through the ravaged woods.
Go for a backpacking hike into the Quehanna Wilderness, ride a mountain bike, or spot wildlife like the elusive Pennsylvania elk.
Are you visiting on a Labor Day weekend?
Then you can catch the Woodhick Weekend, where you can compete in several events like log rolls crosscut saw.
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You can also discover the life and recreation of loggers in earlier times or watch the historical demonstrations.
Otherwise, if you’re here during the fall season, you can join the celebrations and traditions like apple cider-making, candle dipping, and pumpkin carving.
You can also purchase various items made by vendors, artisans, and local artisans.
Join the environmental education programs offered by the park through interactive activities, guided tours, and evening programs.
Drop by the environmental education center with your little ones to view interpretive displays, play games, or read from the collection of children’s books.
You can also find the Lou and Helen Adams Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at the Parker Dam State Park to learn about the life of corps members.
Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery has several tasting rooms in State College, Clearfield, Butler, Cranberry Township, and Johnstown.
Their event venue and winery are on Bailey Road, Curwensville.
Ken Starr owns the vineyard and winery.
He has always been fascinated with wines and has a particular appreciation for the German style of making wines.
After purchasing a property in Curwensville in 1994, he started the wine business with 12 vines, eventually growing to about 3,000.
From the 13-acre winery and vineyard, they now produce over 40 handcrafted wine collections sourced from Concord, Foch, Niagara, Leon Millot, and Traminette grape varieties.
Take a sip of their dry wine selections like Cab Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay, or try something sweet like Sexy Beaches, Niagara, and Bailey Road Red.
Savor the fruit wines like the Amore, Blackberry Blush, and Sweet Spot Blueberry-Lemon.
Otherwise, try the specialty wines like al Mondo, Dubois Double Play, and Guilty Pleasure.
Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery also offers carbonated drinks like sparkling diamond and ambrosia, wine in cans, and fermented fruits.
You’ll enjoy the Grice Clearfield Community Museum if you like vintage cars.
This specialized museum is on 4th Street, Clearfield.
Get inside to view over 70 old-fashioned cars from the early 1900s to current specialty car models.
You’ll also see a vast display of African game mounts by the late William J. Evans.
These mounts include the largest black bear taken in the state and a moose taken after winding up on a Canadian phone line.
Take photos with the displays at Grice Clearfield Community Museum.
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The 318-acre Simon B. Elliott State Park is also in Penfield.
This wooded park lies within the Moshannon State Forest, giving you an appealing view of swamp meadows and vast second-growth forests covered with towering hardwood and oak timber.
Find other oak species like chestnut oak, northern red oak, or shagbark hickory, and northern hardwoods like black cherry, sugar maple, aspen, and more.
I, Ruhrfisch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
If you’re planning to visit in July, join the Annual High Country Arts and Crafts Fair, which features lines of arts and crafts vendors, live demonstrations, food, and entertainment.
Go and visit the Simon B. Elliott State Park!
Bilger’s Rocks is a private recreational park located in the town of Grampian along the Bloom Township area.
You’ll be fascinated by views of geologic formations, hills, river valleys, and mountains that line the Allegheny section of the Appalachian mountain ranges.
See the exposed sandstone beds formed during the Carboniferous Period dating back more than 300 million years ago.
Marvel at the striking features of openings, passageways, arches, and crawlspaces, most notably the areas called the Devil’s Dining Room and Devil’s Kitchen.
The park also offers over ten miles of hiking trails passing through streams and hardwood forests.
You can follow any of the three marked trails, including the Pink, Orange, and White tracks, or go for a more adventurous hike on unmarked trails like the Birch, Solley, Shadow, or Duane Spencer Trails.
After seeing the sights, you can grab some snacks and drinks at Conklin Concessions.
The park also offers rustic camping sites where you can pitch your tent under the trees and stars.
Camping amenities provided by Bilger’s Rocks also include porta-potties, picnic tables, and fire rings.
For some action-packed car racing experience, head toUMI Motorsports Park.
The 85-acre complex in Clearfield features a 5/8-mile asphalt oval track that has hosted road racing and auto-x racing events for over 50 years.
It’s also the first automotive autocross complex in Central Pennsylvania, giving race car fans a thrilling experience on a grandstand seating.
Watch scheduled events like the UMI Autocross Challenge, a premiere two-day motorsports event with competitors from all over the US and Canada.
Other race events you can catch include the TeamCross, the King of the Mountain autocross, and pro-tour.
UMI Motorsports Park also features a well-maintained and powered camping area and tent camping.
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The Quehanna Trail is a 75-mile remote loop trail located inside the Moshannon and Elk State Forests.
You’ll indeed have an exciting adventure with the right degree of elevation change and sights of various wildlife like the free-ranging elk.
You’ll find the main orange trail and an additional 30 miles of blue-blazed trails to let you enjoy many other beautiful sites from the main route.
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Start your hiking trip at Parker Dam and go east into the Quehanna Wild Area, to Karthaus and Piper, then head towards Sinnemahoning.
The trail ends west through Marion Brooks Natural Area and back to the Parker Dam area.
Enjoy trekking on the Quehanna Trail in Penfield.
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Bloody Knoxin Kellytown, Knox Township, features a fascinating historical account of the Civil War Resistance.
Draft dodgers and deserters, including Tom Adams, boomed during the 1864 county draft roll.
Many began uproars and looting in several counties, leading to the arrival of government troops.
In 1864, Capt. Southworth, along with the Co. C 16th VRC of the Union Army, marched to the log cabin to request the surrender of these deserters and draft dodgers.
However, the encounter turned into a gunfight that killed Adams and led to the arrest of 18 men.
Today, the history and events of Bloody Knox are remembered at the annual Apple Cider Outing and Open House event.
The 1861 log cabin built by Adams is open for tours with history booklets of the Civil War event available for visitors.
Kids can get free pumpkins to decorate, while adults can try making apple cider on the 1890s press.
You can watch demonstrations like butter churning, apple butter, and sauerkraut making.
Likewise, you’ll enjoy samplings of cider, homemade donuts, maple syrup, and coffee over the bonfire.
Take a visit to Bloody Knox!
Elk Viewingis one unforgettable experience you can have in Clearfield County.
You can spot the herd along SR 879 heading to the Quehanna Wild Area or drop by the Elk Country Visitor Center in Benezette.
Elk in the wild are plenty in areas like Woolridge Road in Keewaydin, Knobs Road in Goshen, and Tipple Road in Karthaus.
Elk viewing guides are also available in Clearfield for guests.
During the summer, observe the elk with high antlers and smooth coats, and you might also catch a new calf at the Visitor Center.
During the fall season, you’ll hear the distinct bull elk bugles echoing to invite the cows.
Elk Viewing in Clearfield County is a worthwhile experience you can enjoy with the family.
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Curwensville Lake offers plenty of lake activities and outdoor opportunities you can do with the family.
You’ll find the lake just south of the town of Curwensville.
Spend a day and picnic at the pavilion, or you can stay for several days for a campout.
Go biking or hiking on the trails to glimpse the surrounding nature.
Run around with little ones at the recreation park, play volleyball on the court or have some rounds of Disc Golf.
Enjoy the open lake waters on a boat or get a fresh catch of fish.
Likewise, go for a dip in the calm waters.
Take your four-legged family member to the designated dog park area, with a separate space for small and more significant dogs.
The dog park has a four-foot high fence and amenities like water dispensers, benches, a hydrant, and a small pavilion with picnic tables.
You can also let your dogs swim at Curwensville Lake in the specified swimming areas for dogs located near the Beach house.
Eagles Ridge Golf Club,located on the scenic rolling hills ofCurwensville, offers you a public golf course with the ethical challenge of leveling up your golf game.
Built in 1977, the club boasts picturesque mountain views, well-maintained greens, and challenging white sand traps.
It has a 6,257-yard course at par 70, a slope of 125 designed for men, and a 5,127-yard par 73 for women with a 120-course slope.
This 18-hole fairway has a practice range and putting green to help you with those golf swings.
Visit their ‘Golf Pride’ grip center Pro Shop for your branded golf supply, apparel, and equipment needs.
After enjoying rounds of golf, have delicious gourmet dishes at the Grandview Restaurant, carefully prepared by the in-house chef and his team.
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TheReitz Theater in downtown DuBois is more than a theater venue but an iconic city structure.
The building, constructed in 1887 using handmade bricks, was initially a church of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.
It was one of the few remaining structures that survived in DuBois when a fire devastated the city in 1888.
It was eventually acquired by Cultural Resources Inc. and was converted into a theater.
The structure got the name “Paul G. Reitz Theater” after the local businessman and philanthropist Paul Reitz.
You can catch entertaining stage performances by the in-house acting troupe, the Reitz Theater Players.
The theater also hosts educational camps, workshops, and performances for teens and kids who want to showcase their stage acting talents.
Enjoy watching theater plays at the Reitz Theater.
Have a fun movie night with the family at Super322 Drive-In with first-run films at affordable prices.
This five-star drive-in is in Woodland, opened in 1950 by the Theodore Grance Outdoor Theatre Co.
It changed ownership several times until Bill Frankhouser and his wife Barb acquired the property and put up the classic, colorful neon sign along with renovations and upgrades.
The Pennsylvania Museum Commission added the drive-in theater to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
You can now enjoy the best view on the giant digital screen.
A full concession also serves traditional drive-in fares like the Quarter Pound Hamburger, Bacon burger, Hot Dog, Popcorn, Pizza, and beverages.
Enjoy family-friendly movies at Super 322 Drive-In.
Doolittle Station, located in DuBois, is an exciting food and amusement stop you can drop by.
The Depot was modeled after an 1800 B&O Rail Station, which catches your attention once you arrive.
Check out the Doolittle Station Rail Museum to see original photos, memorabilia from the railway days, and some fully operating model-car train sets.
Little ones will indeed have fun at the Dinosaur Adventure, where they’ll encounter realistic animatronic dinosaur models and ride two enormous dinosaurs.
You can also touch the fossils, see a replica of the raptor skeleton at the museum, and much more.
Enjoy several food choices from restaurants in the depot, like the 50’s Diner Car for casual dining inside a 1949 Pullman standard car.
If you’re looking for something a bit more formal, the Parlor Car, housed in a 1913 gentleman’s parlor car, offers you a unique fine dining experience.
Are you craving pizza?
Railcar Pizza gives you a taste of classic brick-oven pizzas that everyone in the family will enjoy.
Boxcar Brew Works offers a unique selection of drinks made with built-in, state-of-the-art brewing equipment for some artisan brews with a mix of modern art.
If you’re planning to stay at Doolittle Station, the Presidential B&B 1901 Pullman Palace Car offers overnight accommodation for up to six guests.
You’ll enjoy an experience on a railcar built for Theodore Roosevelt with its original furnishings intact.
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Pennsylvania is the “Covered Bridge Capital of the World,” with over a thousand covered bridges scattered throughout the state.
Among the 200 historic bridges remaining is the McGees Mills Covered Bridge in Mahaffey, the only covered bridge found in Clearfield County.
The bridge was built in 1873 by Thomas McGee, located at Susquehanna River’s West Branch.
Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
You’ll see the hand-hewn structure made with white pine material and its distinct Burr arch-truss bridge design and gabled roofing.
You can take photos of this scenic bridge and have a relaxing picnic by the riverbanks.
The McGees Mills Covered Bridge is a calming and romantic spot you can visit.
Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Clearfield Counties in Pennsylvania is unique in its character, with a host of historic and natural locations.
It has plenty of family-friendly attractions and activities to make your vacation worthwhile and memorable.
The county also features amusement spots, entertainment venues, and dining options.
Try the best things to do in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania!
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