Hemlocks to Hellbenders

They’re everywhere. All around us. They’re on trees. On rocks. On buildings. On monuments. On sheds. They could be in your backyard right now. In Pennsylvania, there’s hundreds of species of them.

I’m talking about the tiny treasures that are lichen. 

You know, lichen. Those splotchy things you see when you’re hiking. Cmon. You know. Lichen. Well, if you’re not informed about these incredible little organisms, don’t worry. Most people don’t know what they are, how they got here or if they’re good or bad for the environment.

Since the 1930s, generations of birders have made their way to Waggoner’s Gap Hawk Watch, a 125-acre rocky outcrop perched atop the Kittatinny Ridge. Waggoner’s Gap is the second-oldest hawk watch in the United States and one of the premier places on the East Coast to spot these magnificent birds. 

With binoculars in hand and eyes turned toward the sky, they gather to witness one of nature’s great migrations. Sixteen species of hawks, eagles, falcons and vultures, along with more than 150 species of songbirds, pass through these skies as they journey south for the winter...

There’s something about a good ghost story that stays with you. Maybe you heard your first one around a campfire, with the flames popping and crackling while someone swore they knew somebody who knew somebody who actually saw the ghost.

Maybe it was a story your grandparents told you. Or something an older kid whispered on the school bus. Maybe you grew up hearing about a haunted house down the road, a strange light in the woods, a creature that lived in a nearby lake, or some mysterious person who supposedly wandered the roads late at ni...

Wouldn’t it be nice to just get away from the crowds? To visit a park that’s not crammed with people, with their music, and their yapping dogs and all their other stuff. To experience some damn peace and quiet.

Since the pandemic, outdoor spaces have become incredibly popular. Cabins and campsites are booked months in advance. Beaches are crowded with families in the summer. And trails are seeing more visitors than ever. 

So where can we go to get away from it? The answer is state forests. But, not everyone wants a wilderness exper...

Pennsylvania is home to lot of interesting and unique habitats. We have old growth forests, meadows, grasslands, lowlands, highlands, rivers, lakes, creeks, mountains, hills and glaciated plateaus. 

And it’s not difficult to find these habitats, as they’re spread across the Commonwealth. One habitat, however, is not so easy to find. One is home to unique plants, animals and conditions that cannot be found with a short drive.

And that habitat is a bog. 

Developed over thousands of years, bogs are rare in Pennsylvania. A lot of things must happen just right for a...

Here’s a trivia question for you. What is the largest edible fruit tree native to North America? It’s not the persimmon. Or the wild apple. And it’s not the cherry tree. 

It’s a little-known, misunderstood tree that’s fruit was consumed by Native Americans, European settlers and colonists for hundreds of years before all-but-disappearing from American consciousness. 

It’s the pawpaw tree which produces the pawpaw fruit. The greenish-yellow, kidney-shaped fruits ripen in late summer to early fall. The fruit has a creamy, custard-like texture and a flavor reminiscent of banana, mango and vani...

In 1608, English explorer and soldier of fortune John Smith left Jamestown, Virginia, on a mission to chart the upper Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries - including the Susquehanna River. He became the first European to find out that the Susquehanna is non-navigable. 

That’s because of the many, many obstacles in the mighty Susquehanna. There are countless natural barriers such as rapids and waterfalls. Also, the Susquehanna is famously a mile wide and a foot deep. These are just some of the factors that have prevented development of a continuous commercial waterway.

But that wouldn’t sto...

There’s something about a trail map that just makes me excited for an adventure. The contour lines, the roads, the trails, the bodies of water, the towns. Trail maps – when made well – keep you safely on the trail. 

Maps have always been incredibly important - whether you were crossing oceans or just crossing town. But, as technology improved, maps became used less and less. 

Now, most people rely on their phones to get from place to place. And that works most of the time. But what happens if you don’t have signal or run out of...

There’s no law or policy that requires Pennsylvania to keep creating new state parks. Over the history of the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources – and its various other names through the years – new state parks have been added and subtracted. 

There have been times when we added dozens of new state parks. Under Dr. Maurice K. Goddard, the Department of Parks and Forests – as it was called then - added 45 new state parks and 130,000 acres of land between 1955 and 1979. Dr. Goddard proposed building a state park within 25 miles of every resident of Pennsylvania.

But gro...

CORRECTION: The Loyalsock Trail and the Old Loggers Path is maintained by the Alpine Club of Williamsport.

When people find out that I’ve visited every state park, I often get asked the same question. What’s my favorite? And consistently I give the same answer, Worlds End State Park. 

It’s an easy answer for me since I fell in love with the park the first time I walked into the s-shaped gorge to see it surrounded by tree-covered mountains and boulders. But when it comes to state forests, I haven’t always ha...

What’s the best gift you’ve been given? It’s a tough question. I’ve been fortunate to have received a lot of great gifts over the years. The minibike from my parents. The engraved knife from my brother. The souvenir medal from my wife. And countless others. 

They’re awesome and they each hold a special place in my heart. 

But when I learned of the recent gift that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania received, it stopped me in my tracks. In 2026, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced it had been given and ha...

For every Pennsylvanian that grew up stomping through creeks, wandering through the woods and exploring our magnificent forests, there’s many more that are just discovering the outdoors. 

Maybe they grew up in a city. Or they mostly played sports. Or their families didn’t have an outdoor background. But now, they’ve found the beauty and splendor of our wonderful public lands. 

That’s so great to see. New people from different backgrounds finding joy in the outdoors. However, not everyone is automatically comfortable in the outdoors. Maybe they’re afraid of bears or snakes or st...

The more time I’ve spent outdoors, the more I’ve learned about the threats our trees face here in Pennsylvania. It seems like every other day I’m finding out about a new disease or invasive plant or insect that’s come to our shores and is devastating our trees. 

It’s sad to see our forests choked by kudzu vines. To see our trees impacted by the emerald ash borer, spongy moth and hemlock woolly adelgid. To see the once mighty American Chestnut tree wiped out by blight. 

And lets not forget about other issues...

Little Buffalo State Park is the place that kicked off my love for Pennsylvania’s state parks. I’ve told this story many times, but I’ll do it quickly here right now. 

In 2020, my wife Abby and I were looking for something to do after brunch. The world was beginning to open up during the COVID 19 pandemic and we didn’t want to spend any more time cooped up in our house. 

So, we went for a drive through Perry County and happened upon Little Buffalo State Park. On this beautiful day we were treated to...

What does it mean for a place to be truly quiet? It’s a question I’ve been pondering over the last several months following a webinar from the Keystone Trails Association and Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation. 

They had a discussion with Quiet Parks International – a nonprofit committed to saving quiet for the benefit of all life. Saving the quiet. What does that mean? 

Quiet’s not something I’ve ever thought much about. Growing up with my loud family, noisy traffic, ringing cell phones and roaring air conditioning, quiet was never an option. 

But, I’v...

There’s a lot of thoughts that float through our minds when we’re out on the trails hiking. Am I in the right career? Is that snake poisonous? Look at that beautiful view! Did I leave the oven on? I need a bathroom, quick! 

Whatever we’re thinking about – whether it’s the joy we feel on a hike or working through some of our problems – it tends to center on ourselves. Our problems. Our joy. Our experience. Our views. 

The very thing below our feet – the trail – tends to be forgotten almost entirely. Little if any atte...

Driving down Route 44 from Lycoming County to Montgomery County, you may be able to spot a brief break in the trees and rhododendrons. It’s so quick that if you blink, you’ll miss it. 

But if you slow down, you’ll see that it’s one of the smallest state parks in all of Pennsylvania. As you pull into the gravel parking lot, you’ll notice a few things. You’ll see a couple picnic tables, a few signs and a quiet stream. Look all the way to the left and then all the way to the right. Th...

If you’ve ever stood beside a cold mountain stream at first light — mist rising off the water, hemlocks towering overhead and the gentle sound of moving water— then you already understand the magic of Little Pine State Park.

Tucked deep in the rugged country of north-central Pennsylvania, this park is where brook trout still thrive, where the mountains become majestic green waves and where a simple weekend can feel like a full reset. Don’t we all deserve that?

At its heart flows Little Pine Creek, which eventually winds its way toward the legendary waters o...

It’s December 26th, 1776. Gen. George Washington has just successfully gotten 2,400 men from the Continental Army across the Delaware River from Pennsylvania into New Jersey. 

The first year of the American Revolution has been a difficult one. The young United States has had few victories battling the highly skilled British army and their paid German mercenaries, the Hessians. 

Washington has retreated from New York after sustaining significant losses during the Battle of Long Island. Morale is low. Supplies even lower. Men are deserting. And it seems like the American Experiment is doomed before it’s really...

When I was on my journey of running one mile in all-then 121 Pennsylvania state parks in 2021, I took notes after every run. It was an effort to make sure I would remember my experiences. I’d take notes like, I spotted a fox here. Or I fell there. Or I want to hike the full trail here. 

But one of the most important pieces of information I recorded was my overall feeling of the park. It’s difficult to get a sense of a natural landscape in just one mile, often running half a mile one way and t...

Pymatuning State Park is big in every sense of the word. It is the largest state park in Pennsylvania. Its Pymatuning Reservoir is the largest lake in Pennsylvania. And it’s one of the most visited state parks with more than three and a half million visitors a year.

But just because it has these big qualities does not mean you’ll be unable to find your own peaceful spot at Pymatuning. For every space taken up by a family BBQing, there are nooks and crannies that allow you to explore the park that straddles the Ohio and...

The story of the United States of America cannot be told without Pennsylvania. Independence Hall. The Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia. The Liberty Bell. Benjamin Franklin. George Washington’s Crossing of the Delaware. The Battle of Brandywine. And Valley Forge. 

Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State because it refers to the central stone in an arch that holds all other stones in place, symbolizing strength and stability. Pennsylvania was the hub of political and economic activity during the colonial period and played a pivotal role in American history. 

Pennsylvania – it’s people, its industries, its thinkers, it’s rev...

Hundreds of years ago, a group of Native Americans living along the lower Susquehanna River made an indelible mark on the valley. At what is now known as Safe Harbor, they made hundreds of carvings into the rocks found in the middle of the river.

Animals, bird and animal tracks, directional symbols, teaching or storytelling images, humans and anthropomorphic images, spiritual symbols and geometric and abstract designs were painstakingly carved into the boulder strewn landscape of the river. From the banks of the river, the sites look like any of the rocks found in the river. But...

Welcome, fellow explorers. My name is Christian Alexandersen and I’m the host of Hemlocks to Hellbenders, a podcast highlighting Pennsylvania’s parks, forests and great outdoors.

Season four of Hemlocks to Hellbenders is shaping up to be our most exciting yet and I can’t wait to take you along for the journey in 2026. We’ll be exploring some of Pennsylvania’s most incredible parks and forests with the people who know them best: park and forest managers, outdoor educators, historians, authors, conservationists and volunteers who are deeply passionate about this place we call home.

This sea...

For a long time, there’s been this mostly unspoken rule that “real” outdoor experiences have to be rugged. You’ve got to rough it, hike ten miles in the rain, sleep on the ground and eat beans from a can — or else it somehow doesn’t count. 

Luckily, that’s changing. More and more people are discovering that you don’t have to give up comfort to connect with the outdoors. Here in Pennsylvania – especially in state parks - that change has been evident. Instead of only offering tent sites, state parks have cottages, cabins, yurts and other accommoda...

In Pennsylvania, every state park has its purpose. Allegheny Islands shows people what undeveloped islands once looked like on the river. Colton Point features stunning views of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. And Pine Grove Furnace highlights the iron making industry crucial to Pennsylvania and America’s growth.

But are there any places set aside for learning and study. As it turns out, there is. One such place is Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center.

Located in Berks County, Nolde Forest was established as the first environmental education center operated by DCNR’s Bureau of State Parks in t...

One of the strangest things about getting older has been the shift in my interests. Despite being intensely curious as a kid, I never cared about nature growing up. I didn’t climb trees or capture bugs or explore creeks. 

But as I’ve gotten older all that’s changed. Which has made me feel like I’m constantly catching up to those that spent their early lives trekking through the woods, paddling on rivers and exploring the natural world. 

I often think to myself, “Am I too old to start learning how to identify trees? What’...

What is it that makes a state park special? It’s a question I’ve asked my self countless times since I began exploring Pennsylvania’s public lands in 2021. 

For some it’s deep, meaningful history to indigenous cultures, to early settlers or even to industry. For others its beautiful features like waterfalls, old growth forests and scenic vistas. And for many it’s the landscapes that allow them to hike, bike, paddle, birdwatch, hunt, fish and more.

For me, I’ve found that parks I deem special share a lot of these components. I want some his...

When people think about history, especially armed conflicts, many picture dusty textbooks, old maps and long-forgotten generals. But here in Pennsylvania, history isn’t just words on a page—it’s written into the very ground beneath our feet.

From the rolling hills of Gettysburg, where the fate of a nation turned in just three days, to the banks of the Brandywine, where the Revolutionary War nearly lost its footing, to the quiet frontier where settlers clashed in the Whiskey Rebellion—Pennsylvania has been a crossroads for some of the most important struggles in American history.

In fac...

When you stand on the ridgeline of South Mountain and look out across the valleys, you see more than just trees and farmland. You see orchards stretching toward the horizon, you see trails that have carried travelers for centuries and you see small, thriving towns that grew out of rocky soil.

This beautiful ridgeline is the northern terminus of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a billion-year old mountain range that stretches 550 miles across eight states. 

South Mountain isn’t just a line on a map—it’s the beating heart of south-central Pennsylvania. But here’s the thing...

When you stand at the edge of Hyner View State Park, it feels like Pennsylvania has stretched itself out just for you. Rolling mountains covered in endless green, the West Branch of the Susquehanna winding far below, and a sky so wide it makes you want to take flight.

In fact, people do—Hyner View is one of the state’s most famous hang-gliding spots, where the bold launch themselves into the open air. I’ve been fortunate enough to see gliders taking off from the park’s summit and it is a sight to behold. 

While t...

As the sun dips below the tree line and the night sky takes over, a quiet but critical process begins above our heads. Tiny silhouettes flit through the dark, weaving between branches and barn rafters, doing the work of a thousand pesticides—silently, efficiently and for free.

These are Pennsylvania’s bats, and despite their bad reputation in folklore and films, they’re some of the hardest-working—and most misunderstood—members of our ecosystem.

Bats matter more than most people realize. These nocturnal mammals play a critical role in keeping our environment balanced. They eat thousands...

While most of the places we feature on this podcast are either a state park or forest, this episode is about something a little different. Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve is not just a garden or a park. It’s a sanctuary. A living, breathing tribute to Pennsylvania’s native plants and the ecosystems they support.

Founded in the early 1930s, Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve is the nation’s only accredited native plant museum. Today, it boasts over 700 native plant species—each one telling its own story of survival, adaptation and connection. 

This isn't your average...

Stretching 444 miles from New York through Pennsylvania and into Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay the Susquehanna River is one of the oldest rivers in the world. 

And while it served generations as fertile hunting and fishing grounds and trade and transportation routes, it took American industries a couple hundred or so years to nearly destroy it. Like always, it took a dedicated group of people to speak up and make changes that would save the river. 

One of the voices speaking on behalf of the river belongs to the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper—an advocate, a watchdog and a...

High above the meeting point of two mighty rivers, where the Susquehanna splits into its North and West Branches, stands Shikellamy State Park. Perched on a forested bluff in central Pennsylvania, this park offers more than just scenic overlooks. It’s a gateway to the natural beauty, cultural history and outdoor adventure of the Susquehanna River Valley. 

Shikellamy State Park is a place where geography and heritage intersect. The story of the park and the story of the Native American tribes that called it home are forever intertwined. In the 1700s, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy took control of the...

When it comes to rewarding outdoor experiences, there are few things that can compete with seeing a waterfall. There’s just so much to enjoy. The mesmerizing sight of water cascading over rocks, the soothing sound of its rhythmic splash and the refreshing touch of mist in the air.

No matter if the waterfall is five stories or five feet, they’re a wonderful sight in nature.

And luckily, Pennsylvania has a lot of beautiful waterfalls. We’ve got all sorts here. We got big ones, small ones, ones that can be found all year long...

Michaux State Forest is the place I spend the most time outdoors. Located about 30 miles from where I live, it’s where I hike and camp. It’s where I bring visitors to show off the South Mountain region. It’s where I breath in fresh air and explore the beauty of the Commonwealth. It’s my safe place away from the goings-on of Harrisburg. 

But that safety was shattered in April 2025. I received text messages from friends telling me that Michaux was on fire. Then, news came that there were two fires. And they were spreading. With wind...

Tucked away in the rugged hills of northwestern Pennsylvania, Clear Creek State Forest offers a peaceful escape into one of the Commonwealth’s most scenic and secluded natural areas.

Spread across thousands of acres, this forest is a haven for nature lovers, where trails wind through towering hardwoods, crystal-clear streams carve their way through valleys and wildlife flourishes in every direction.

Whether you're wandering through old-growth forests, casting a line in the Clarion River, or simply soaking in the stillness of the woods, Clear Creek invites you to slow down and reconnect with the wild be...

I’ve known my guest Wes Robinson for more than a decade, beginning when we started at our new jobs together at PennLive/The Patriot News.

When it comes to friends, I tend to seek out fun, critical thinkers. Someone that can challenge me and make me laugh. Someone who will get right to the line and roundly cross it. Someone who has a strong moral character and a diabolical sense of humor.

After I left journalism, I worked to bring Wes with me to the Pennsylvania Senate. He joined me at the Capitol for se...

Point State Park stands as the crowned jewel of downtown Pittsburgh. It is a lush, 36-acre greenspace nestled at the historic confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, where the mighty Ohio River is born.

Point State Park is a focal point for community gatherings, festivals and celebrations. It provides sweeping views of the city’s skyline and serves as a tranquil urban escape.

The Point has become the place you bring your out of town parents to. The place you see on TV during all home games for the Pirates and Steelers. The place yo...