POE PADDY STATE PARK
Poe Paddy State Park is located at the confluence of Big Poe Creek and Penns Creek, a trout angler's paradise featuring the nationally recognized green drake mayfly hatch in June. Hikers also walk Mid State Trail through the 250-foot long Paddy Mountain Railroad Tunnel. Poe Valley State Park is nearby.
Poe Paddy lies on the site of Poe Mills, a prosperous, but short-lived, lumbering town of the 1880s and 1890s. Poe Mills had a population of over three hundred in 1890. Built in 1879, the main railroad ran very near Poe Mills and a spur track ran to Poe Paddy area. Many small temporary timber railroads were built through most of the mountain valleys. Poe Creek was dammed to provide water to the steam-powered sawmill. In the early 1900s, a scenic excursion train ran a loop from Milroy to Poe Paddy and back.
In the mid-1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps had a camp in the valley and built Poe Paddy and Poe Valley state parks and many of the roads in the area.
Camping: rustic campsites
The campground has rustic toilets and drinking water. Campers can use the sanitary dump station at nearby Poe Valley State Park. Two small Adirondack-style lean-tos and 39 tent and trailer campsites are open from the second Friday in April until the end of antlerless deer season in mid-December. Access is not guaranteed in the winter months.
Fishing:
Excellent trout fishing is available in Penns Creek, which flows by the Poe Paddy campground. Fantastic fly hatches emerge from Penns Creek. The nationally known Green Drake Hatch usually occurs in late May or early June.
Organized Group Tenting:
Qualified adult and youth groups can rent two tenting areas, which are open from the second Friday in April to the end of antlerless deer season in December, weather permitting. Area A holds 50 people and Area B holds 30 people. Both areas have picnic tables, water and rustic toilets. Advance reservations are recommended.