Destination Thursday: Fishing, swimming and a bat festival this weekend at Canoe Creek State Park

Forests, old farm fields and one of the largest bat colonies in the eastern United States dominate Canoe Creek State Park. The 155-acre lake is a beacon for waterfowl and a haven for anglers.

Canoe Creek State Park, located 12 miles east of Altoona, is a modern day use facility developed during the Project 70 expansion era of state parks and was dedicated in 1979. The vast openness of this 958-acre park is exemplified with a panoramic view when cresting the hill on the entrance road. The lake provides excellent year-round fishing, a popular swimming area and enjoyment for small pleasure boaters. Fields and woodlots are managed to provide diversified habitat for small game species and a variety of wildlife.

The park is also host to summer and winter bat colonies in the Eastern U. S. On warm summer evenings, thousands of little brown bats can be seen exiting the old church sanctuary at dusk as they begin their night feeding. WPC purchased the land adjacent to the abandoned church to provide more protection for the bat habitat. This is especially important because the colony includes several dozen endangered Indiana bats. Our May 16th WPC Daily, features a great shot of the bats emerging from the abandoned church.

This weekend the park is hosting a Bat Festival; presenting a trip to the bat church (their summer home) and bat mine (their winter home) and instruction on how to build your own bat house. Click here for more information.

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