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    Kings Gap Environmental Education Center

    Nearby Attractions

    Information about Kings Gap Environmental Education Center’s nearby attractions is available from the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau.

    Explore the Area

    Mount Holly Springs is located a few miles from the center and offers places to relax and explore. Carlisle is another, larger borough 12 miles north of the park and home to many antique and specialty automobile shows at the fairgrounds.

    Learn about some of the area businesses and things to do from the Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce.

    Nearby State Parks and Forests

    Kings Gap Environmental Education Center is close to several state parks and one state forest, where visitors can enjoy recreation, education, and other activities.

    Caledonia State Park

    The 1,125-acre Caledonia State Park is located in Adams and Franklin counties, midway between Chambersburg and Gettysburg along the Lincoln Highway, US 30.

    The park is nestled within South Mountain, the northern terminus of the well-known Blue Ridge Mountain of Maryland and Virginia. Within South Mountain there are four state parks and 84,000 acres of state forest land waiting to be explored and enjoyed through hiking, picnicking, swimming, fishing, hunting, golfing, and camping.

    Mont Alto State Park

    The quiet, 24-acre Mont Alto State Park features a unique pavilion, picnicking, and trout fishing. Mont Alto is the oldest park still in the Pennsylvania state park system. 

    Pine Grove Furnace State Park

    The 696-acre Pine Grove Furnace State Park is steeped in natural and historical features. It is located at the northern tip of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in an area known as South Mountain. Visitors enjoy many recreational opportunities, including the two mountain lakes (Laurel Lake and Fuller Lake), hiking the Appalachian Trail, biking the rail trail, and visiting the Appalachian Trail Museum.

    Michaux State Forest

    The 85,500-acre Michaux State Forest is located in the South Mountain area of Cumberland County, Franklin County, and Adams County.

    Recreation opportunities include hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, ATV riding, picnicking, fishing, hunting, the shooting range, golfing, and camping.

    Other Nearby Outdoor Spaces and Natural Places

    There are several other nearby outdoor spaces and natural places near Kings Gap Environmental Education Center:

    • State Game Lands 305 is to the northeast of the center and offers additional recreational opportunities.
    • The Nature Conservancy’s Forest Pool Preserve at Kings Gap and Mount Holly Marsh Preserve is a 70-acre natural area adjacent to Kings Gap State Park. Located in Cumberland County’s part of the South Mountain landscape, this preserve serves as a demonstration site for The Nature Conservancy’s restoration of vernal pools. Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the project. Kiosks explain the technique used to restore each pool.
    • The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission raise trout and other fish for release into Pennsylvania lakes and streams at the Huntsdale State Fish Hatchery. Visitor hours are daily, 8:00 A.M.-3:30 P.M.