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The 165-acre Lake Chillisquaque was built in Montour County in 1972 by PP&L as a backup cooling source for its power plant located 1.5 miles south of the lake. Around it, the Montour Preserve was developed: A 640-acre nature preserve with picnic pavilions, boat launch, 10 miles of trails, interactive fossil pit where people can find and take home fossils, a nature center with walk-through displays and an educational center with a large classroom, a kitchen and offices. By code, the building can hold up to 200 people, 100 at most in the auditorium at a time.
Over the years, the site has been a popular spot for school field trips, Scout trips, family picnics and bigger events such as Envirothon competitions. For 50 years, the venue has hosted springtime maple sugaring demonstrations and there have been regular programs for hiking, bird watching, star gazing and other outdoor exploits. |
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The pavilions and other facilities at the Montour Preserve are freely available for public use during the site’s normal dawn to dark hours of operation. However, the Preserve’s six pavilions may be rented on a daily basis (or half-day at Goose Cove #2, Goose Cove #3, and Goose Cove Overlook). Individuals or organizations that have made reservations are allowed the exclusive use of the reserved pavilion(s) during the times requested; all other users must yield the use of the pavilion(s). Learn more about the pavilions and how you can request one by clicking here.
Fishing and boating is popular on Lake Chillisquaque. The PA Fish and Boat Commission monitors a naturally reproducing fish population on the lake, and a variety of game species are caught there regularly, including northern pike, largemouth bass, channel catfish, bullhead catfish, black crappie, bluegill, yellow perch and walleye. Among the boating rules, no gasoline engines can be used on the lake. Electric motors are OK, and it is a popular place for kayaking, paddleboarding and canoeing. Learn more about the boating and fishing opportunities at Lake Chillisquaque and the rules/regulations of using the lake by clicking here.
The Montour Preserve Fossil Pit consists of approximately one acre of exposed Mahantango Formation shale. The site is open from dawn to dark year-round. Admission is free and visitors may keep any fossils they find. The preserve does offer this handy Fossil Hunter's Field Guide for those who want to get the most out of their experience. Learn more about the fossil pit, including some of the rules and expectations by clicking here.
Because many people visit and enjoy the Montour Preserve throughout the year, we ask your help in keeping it a safe and beautiful natural recreation area. For your safety and the protection of the natural resources, please follow the following general rules. For more details, including specific additional expectations related to certain areas of the preserve (such as regulations specific to the lake, the environmental center, fossil pit, etc,), click here.
If you have any questions concerning any of these general rules or the preserve, please contact the Montour Area Recreation Commission.
The Montour Preserve Fossil Pit consists of approximately one acre of exposed Mahantango Formation shale. The site is open from dawn to dark year-round. Admission is free and visitors may keep any fossils they find. The preserve does offer this handy Fossil Hunter's Field Guide for those who want to get the most out of their experience. Learn more about the fossil pit, including some of the rules and expectations by clicking here.
Because many people visit and enjoy the Montour Preserve throughout the year, we ask your help in keeping it a safe and beautiful natural recreation area. For your safety and the protection of the natural resources, please follow the following general rules. For more details, including specific additional expectations related to certain areas of the preserve (such as regulations specific to the lake, the environmental center, fossil pit, etc,), click here.
- Preserve hours are dawn to dark for outdoor facilities; the visitors’ center building is open daily 8am – 4pm (closed Sundays Thanksgiving – late February)
- Leave all pets at home; dogs (except service dogs) are not allowed
- Trails are open to pedestrians only; bicycles, motorized vehicles, horses, and pets are not allowed
- Vehicles must be parked on paved surfaces in designated spots
- Do not swim in the lake, ponds, or streams
- Alcoholic beverages, narcotics, and discharging of firearms are prohibited
- Boating in Lake Chillisquaque is prohibited from March 15 – April 30
- Boating in the Goose Cove refuge area is prohibited year-round
- Gasoline engines may not be used on the lake; electric motors are allowed
- Visitors must obtain a permit from MARC before entering the wildlife refuge observation blinds
- Fishing is allowed in Lake Chillisquaque, but not in preserve ponds or streams
- Do not move picnic tables
- Hunting and trapping are not allowed in the preserve
- Collecting of plants, animals, and other natural resources is not allowed, except in the Fossil Pit
- Open fires are not allowed except in charcoal grills or gas grills
- Radios and other sources of noise must be kept at a level that will not disturb other preserve visitors
- Camping is not allowed in the preserve
If you have any questions concerning any of these general rules or the preserve, please contact the Montour Area Recreation Commission.
