Enjoying outdoor recreation is not only good for physical health, but also for improving mental health, and I encourage everyone to explore some of the beautiful opportunities our state has to offer, particularly at those smaller, less explored state parks.
- Ned Lamont
During our 16-day camping trip visiting state parks in New York and Pennsylvania in July 2025 we visited Maurice K. Goddard State Park in the northwestern section of Pennsylvania.
Maurice K. Goddard State Park
The 2,856-acre Maurice K. Goddard State Park is located near Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania. The state park features Lake Wilhelm, a 1,680-acre reservoir that's very popular with anglers and boaters. The large lake, abundant wetlands, fields and forests also provide a great place for wildlife watching. Birdwatchers can expect to see waterfowl, eagles and ospreys.
Although there isn't camping in the park, there are plenty of other activities to keep visitors busy. In addition to fishing and boating, there are plenty of opportunities for picnicking, hiking, and biking on the 12-mile John C. Oliver Multi-Purpose Loop Trail, which follows the shoreline of the lake. Hunting and trapping are also allowed in season. There's also a wide variety of programs offered May through September, including guided walks, and hands-on activities. And of course there are activities for visitors to enjoy in the winter, such as sledding, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, ice fishing, ice skating and ice boating.
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The park has 3 boat launches and a marina with a snack shop where visitors can rent rowboats, motorboats, kayaks and canoes. It also has a bait and tackle fishing concession. Boaters should be aware that the 240-acre portion of the lake northwest of I-79 is managed by the PA State Game Commission. As a result, only electric-powered vessels are permitted on that section of the lake. The remaining 1,440 acres is managed by the state park. This larger portion of the lake allows motored boats up to 20 horsepower.
We launched our kayaks at Launch #3, where there was a very nice handicap-accessible launch for kayaks. We didn't even get our feet wet!
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We returned to the park on another day so we could ride our bicycles on the John C. Oliver Multi-purpose Loop Trail. But first, we got distracted by the sign for a winery just outside the park and couldn't resist stopping for a visit. The Wilhelm Winery wasn't yet open for the day when we pulled into the parking lot. But the young woman running the winery happened to see us waiting in our truck and waved for us to come inside. Even though it was a little early, we did a tasting and ended up purchasing a couple of bottles of wine. We both liked the Cranberry Splash and the Sunrise Blush.
Then we headed into the park to find the parking area for the trail. The trail is 12 miles long and fully paved. It follows along the shoreline of Lake Wilhelm and is shaded for much of the ride.
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If you would like to see a video of our adventures in the park, you can view our YouTube video by clicking here.
After our bike ride we returned to the town of Mercer where we had some lunch and a cool treat at the Mercer Mercantile. We highly recommend this spot - the food was great and the prices were very reasonable. If you go there, make sure you try one of their milkshakes!
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Next we drove to the tiny village of Volant. Volant has an old-fashioned main street with a bunch of quaint shops, restaurants, wineries and a distillery. We explored an antique store and candy shop before heading back to the campground.
We had a great time exploring Maurice K. Goddard State Park and Volant. We would definitely return to both places if we visit the area again, as well as stopping for lunch at the Mercer Mercantile!
* All photos and videos are the property of the blog owners unless otherwise noted. *
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