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Two months ago we made a reservation for Shawnee State Park in central PA. The reservation was for one of their camping cottages. Between making our reservation and our stay this weekend we made a second reservation for a modern cabin. As we were packing food we had modern cabin in mind rather than camping cottage.

With a little creativity we were able to avoid spoilage and prepare our food without fridge, freezer, oven, microwave, or even a cooking stove. Fortunately we had brought stuff to build a fire for s’mores.

Take aways

Besides “double check your reservation” we also learned:

• Nuggets can be roasted on marshmallow sticks
• Cookie dough can be wrapped around a stick and cooked over a fire
• French toast sticks can also be roasted on marshmallow sticks, though having our pie irons along would have been nice (maybe for the nuggets as well)

Unfortunately, I didn’t get any photos while keeping a fire going in the rain and cooking bites of food on marshmallow sticks.

For anyone who wants to spend time in a state park, but isn’t interested in roughing it, The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle is the place to go. A stay in the comfortable hotel style accommodations includes a delicous breakfast. (During our COVID-era stay made to order breakfasts packaged for consumption in our rooms took the place of the the buffet style breakfast in the great room). Additionally, cross country skis and snowshoes were available to guests of the Nature Inn free of charge.

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The sledding hill at Bald Eagle State Park was also quite impressive. Due to the icy conditions, we were only able to use the bottom third of it. We still had a great time!

Watch out for the road at the bottom of the first part of the hill. It creates a bit of a jump if you are going fast.

Looking for a snowing vacation, but kids or budget aren’t ready for skiing? We had a great time sledding at Prince Gallitzin State Park.

Two sledding hills are available. The one above the Marina was a blast (there were even sleds available there for our use). Then when went to Headache Hill and discovered a whole new level of fun (we had to bring our own sleds). Both hills had a picnic table and fire ring.

The cabins at the park offer a cozy place to warm up. Each cabin has its own kitchen and bathroom.

Looking for a different adventure? Pennsylvania state parks offer a variety of winter options.

We’re excited to start consolidating and sharing our homeschooling experience.