{"id":158924,"date":"2026-04-06T23:13:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T23:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/158924\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T23:13:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T23:13:35","slug":"pennsylvania-opening-125th-state-park-its-first-thats-subterranean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/158924\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania opening 125th state park \u2014 its first that\u2019s subterranean"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pennsylvania officials on Monday announced the opening of Laurel Caverns State Park<\/a>, marking the commonwealth\u2019s first subterranean state park and its 125th state park overall.<\/p>\n

The 435-acre park in Farmington, about 50 miles from Pittsburgh, centers around Pennsylvania\u2019s largest and deepest limestone cave.<\/p>\n

The underground system features four miles of passages extending as deep as 476 feet and houses the largest bat shelter in the Northeast, according to Monday\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n

The state park officially opens to the public on Earth Day, April 22, and will remain open until October.<\/p>\n

\u201cParks like Laurel Caverns give our kids a new place to learn, our families a place to make memories, and all of us a chance to get away, take a breath and just enjoy nature,\u201d Gov. Josh Shapiro said at Monday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n

\u201cPennsylvania\u2019s state parks are an incredible asset to our Commonwealth and our economy \u2014 and when we invest in outdoor recreation, we not only create good paying jobs, but by bringing people together, we also invest in the wellbeing of our neighbors and the future of our commonwealth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The designation represents Pennsylvania\u2019s first new state park since 2022.<\/p>\n

\"Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania opening 125th state park \u2014 its first that’s subterranean<\/p>\n

David and Lilian Cale donated the property to the state after the Cale family opened the park in 1964 and created the Laurel Caverns Conservancy in 1986 to manage operations.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said the park enhances Pennsylvania\u2019s state park system.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited to open this new park and welcome all visitors to experience the uniqueness of our 125th state park up close \u2014 whether it\u2019s the hiking trails and recreational opportunities, or the geological splendor of the caverns,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Under the Cale family, the park has attracted 50,000 annual visitors.<\/p>\n

DCNR plans several improvements, including electrical upgrades, improved accessibility in parking spaces, entryways and bathrooms, and updates to the visitor center\u2019s foundation and structural system.<\/p>\n

Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites noted the economic potential.<\/p>\n

\u201cLaurel Caverns already brings about 50,000 visitors each year and today\u2019s designation will help bring even more \u2014 that means more support for our local businesses, restaurants, and workforce,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania opening 125th state park \u2014 its first that’s subterranean<\/p>\n

Muriel Nuttall, executive director of the Fayette Chamber of Commerce, said the designation adds to the county\u2019s appeal: \u201cWith Laurel Caverns\u2019 state park designation, we\u2019re adding something that is truly one of a kind to Fayette County.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania\u2019s outdoor recreation economy contributed $20.4 billion to the state\u2019s economy in 2024<\/a> and supported approximately 177,000 jobs.<\/p>\n

Entrance and participation in recreational activities such as hiking, birding and picnicking will remain free at Laurel Caverns, consistent with all Pennsylvania state parks. However, fees to enter the cave for guided or self-guided tours will remain in place throughout the 2026 season<\/a> as management transitions to DCNR.<\/p>\n

Shapiro\u2019s administration has completed $228 million in infrastructure improvements across Pennsylvania\u2019s public lands since 2023, according to Monday\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n

more outdoors news<\/p>\n

Read the original article on pennlive.com<\/a>. Add pennlive.com<\/a> as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania officials on Monday announced the opening of Laurel Caverns State Park, marking the commonwealth\u2019s first subterranean state…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158925,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[19488,71883,71946,28,30,29,11140],"class_list":{"0":"post-158924","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pennsylvania","8":"tag-farmington","9":"tag-laurel-caverns","10":"tag-park-overall","11":"tag-pennsylvania","12":"tag-pennsylvania-headlines","13":"tag-pennsylvania-news","14":"tag-state-park"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}