Life of a Small Town Photographer: Glendale Lake

Prince Gallitzin State Park near Patton in Cambria County is the closest of Pennsylvania's 117 State Parks to us. Glendale Lake covers 1,635 acres with a 26 mile of shoreline. It's one of our favorite places to spend time all year around.

I've been photographing these particular trees where Killbuck Run enters the lake for over 25 years. The Killbuck is one of three creeks that feed Glendale Lake.

This barn and the farm house in the next picture are the only original buildings within the park limits that were standing before when the park was developed, probably because they were on higher ground.

The original Dishart farm house now provides housing for park personnel.

One of the many open fields in the park where you would have a good chance of seeing deer, birds of prey, and a variety of other wildlife.

View of the lake on the road in front of the farm house.

I'm told that this is one of the most active parks in the state and therefore they have extra money to do upgrades. This bathroom near the dam at the Beaver Valley Marina is one of them.

Looking out across the lake standing just up the road from the main marina.

For about the last ten years or so this back water area where the Slate Lick Run flows into Glendale Lake has been inundated with vegetation that has all but closed this part of the lake off to anyone except those in canoes. Now that the vegetation is cleared out the power boaters/fishermen are able to get in to this area.

Boat launch at Beaver Valley Marina, formerly known as the "boat launch at the flag pole".

A lone kayaker paddles into a little cove that now houses docks for pontoon boats.

Once a ten horsepower limit lake, the Fish and Game Commission now allows up to 20 horsepower engines to be used on Glendale Lake. This makes it a little easier to get around the 26 miles of shoreline.

Shot at 46mm this picture is a setup for the next two shots.

This shot was taken at 210mm.
Another boat launch sits just below Headache Hill and is the home of the Glendale Sailing Club as well as the Penn State University Sailing Club. Although you can't see it behind the pine trees at the top of the picture there is a large water tank that serves as an observation deck and allows a good view of the lake and surrounding area.

The hacking towers shown here, which are just to the left in the previous picture, were shot at 400mm. The hacking towers are part of a four year program to reintroduce the Osprey to the Prince Gallitzen State Park area. The day we were there we observed one of the osprey trying to escape the onslaught of several crows as it tried to return to a perch with a fresh caught fish, which looked to us like a catfish.