Recreation
Let’s face it. We love the outdoors because it’s fun and it helps to reduce stress! We gather our friends, pack up the car and the family dog, dig out our backpacks, paddles, snowshoes, extra bike tubes, and get OUT there. PPFF is committed to making sure that “out there” exists for all residents of the Commonwealth, as we work to remove barriers and improve our public lands.
See the Recreational Improvements already made possible through your support with a click to the Gallery.
View Accomplishments
Photo Contest
Let Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests inspire the Ansel Adams in you! The annual photo contest gives amateur and professional photographers a chance to show their love for them.
See Them All Challenge
You got your Passport. You went to all 124 state parks and 20 state forests. Tell us about it (and receive a token of our appreciation and congratulations.)
Paint (or Color) by Number
In 2022, artist Melodie Swartz-Higgins volunteered to take some of our favorite photos celebrating clean water and forested ecosystems and turn them into paint by number projects. In 2023, the fun (and creativity) goes on with projects celebrating our 2023 theme "Reflections."
Fun for Families
It seems to go without saying that our parks and forests were meant for families. Let us help you find family-friendly activities.
Outdoors for Everyone
Pennsylvania’s people are more diverse and their life experiences more urban than a decade ago. Simultaneously, we have an aging population. There’s a need to improve public access to outdoors, provide better and more centralized recreation information, and encourage and accommodate outdoor users. PPFF is committed to ensuring a place and an experience for everyone in Pennsylvania's outdoors.
Get Outdoors!
Well, yeah. That's the whole point, right? Looking for a new experience? A new place? A new hobby? Find out more!
Parks and Forests Needs List
The "needs list" of projects across the system includes many ways (big and small) to improve access to recreation, like this safer Breakneck Falls access trail at McConnells Mill State Park. We're working to pair projects with the donors and volunteers who can see them to completion.
Gateway Communities
Parks and forests and their neighboring boroughs, towns, townships, and counties have a special relationship. The population centers are in point of fact gateways to the public lands that belong to us all. The Gateway Community concept helps to forge a stronger relationship. Find out more!
Find Inspiration
If a picture is worth a thousand words, there’s a whole Wikipedia at your fingertips in our photo galleries.
Photo GalleryLearn More
Our Work
Volunteers are the lifeblood of any nonprofit. Whether you’re a trailbuilder, a wildlife expert, an event organizer, or one of those special people who always say, “Just put me to work wherever you need me,” Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests have a role for you.
Find your niche. Make your voice heard with decision makers. Pitch in with a friends group. Work on your own or with your family, friends, and co-workers as a Steward of Penn’s Woods. Support any of the programs and initiatives we promote. You will be welcome as a volunteer. And it’s as good for you as it is for your state parks and forests!
About Us
Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF) began in 1999 as a statewide nonprofit organization to provide a voice for the Commonwealth’s 124 state parks and 2.2 million acres of forest land. With PPFF, citizens can donate or bequeath money to state parks and forests, become active and involved volunteers in the park and forest system, and find some fun and educational opportunities. We’re the official nonprofit partner of your state parks and forests. Be a part of the movement!
Friends Groups
Your special affinity for a specific park or forest means that a PPFF chapter friends group is the perfect outlet for your creative energy. Friends are people like you who volunteer their time, services and support to our state parks and forests. Chapters form for a variety of reasons but all understand the value of their state park or forest and share a common goal to make that park or forest the best in the commonwealth.