Eat and visit in Jackson

Couch's Subs & Grocery is a country-style sub shop and grocery store at 13605 Greenwood Road in Jackson Township, Huntingdon County. The Visitors Bureau listing, captured on 15 May 2026, describes casual dining in, takeout for hikers and anglers nearby, and ice cream eaten while the sun sets.

The listing names meatloaf, Reuben stromboli, Italian hoagies, its own wing recipes and sweet tea as signature items. It says the hamburgers and meatloaf use beef raised at Lakevue Farm. The store also sells chips, firewood and produce from local farmers.

The store was Gibboney's General Country Store until 2002, when new owners bought it and renamed it. They bought Lakevue Farm in 2004 and built a new facility on the edge of the farm in 2007. Hours on the listing read Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed all holidays. An annual Easter egg hunt at the shop was listed for Saturday, April 12 at 1:00 PM. The event page prints no year.

• Listed hours: Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed all holidays source
• Built a new facility on the edge of Lakevue Farm in 2007 source
• Listed signature items include meatloaf, Reuben Stromboli, Italian Hoagies and sweet tea source
• Phone 814-667-2016 on the listing source
• Annual Easter egg hunt at the shop, listed for Saturday, April 12 at 1:00 PM (no year printed) source

“Come to us for casual dining in or order takeout to eat as you hike the trails or go fishing nearby.”No byline on the page (first-person listing text), Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau, undated

“Our grocery and convenience store stocks everything you are looking for, whether your family needs chips to snack on or firewood for a campfire.”No byline on the page (first-person listing text), Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau, undated

Doan's Bones Barbecue is a family-owned restaurant and catering business. Its Whipples location is at 3507 McAlevys Fort Road, near Petersburg in Jackson Township. The business says it started in 2002 as a roadside barbecue with an open fire pit and a tent. Its home page now describes two locations and a catering side.

The about page says the pit runs four smokers and that the business competes in Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned events. The home page names baby back ribs, barbecue chicken, seasonal soups and home style sides. A 2021 tasting tour of the Raystown Lake Region recommended a pulled pork sandwich with freshly squeezed orangeade.

The home page says guests may bring their own beverages. The catering page says catering deposits are nonrefundable.

• Founded in 2002 and family owned and operated, according to the home page. source
• A pulled pork “Whippler” sandwich with a freshly squeezed orangeade, recommended in a 2021 Raystown Lake tasting tour. source
• Four smokers at the pit, with a roof over the pit area, which the about page calls its newest addition. source
• Competes in Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned events, according to the about page. source
• Guests may bring their own beverages, according to the home page. source

“always calls for a “Whippler” pulled pork sandwich with a freshly squeezed orangeade”Liza Gutshall, Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau, 20 January 2021

“We started as a small road side BBQ with a open fire pit and a tent.”Doan's Bones Barbecue

Studebaker House sits in McAlevys Fort, a short drive outside Huntingdon, on Alan Seeger Road near Petersburg. Owner and general manager Christine Wenner began construction of a barn on the outline of an original 1903 barn in 2022, completed in 2023. The patio looks out over a stream.

The site publishes a new menu each month. Its full chef's tasting menu is listed at about $140 per guest, and the visit page places it on Friday or Saturday evenings and calls Thursday a casual evening. The patio and Sunday lunch prix fixe is listed at about $60 per guest. The site describes the cooking as Japanese Peruvian, and executive chef Derek Polay began in March 2025.

Reservations are required and taken up to three months ahead on Resy. The drinks list includes zero-proof cocktails. The site notes that the township is dry and invites guests to bring their own wine and beer within published limits. The gathering space also rents for private events of up to 40 guests, at $300 to $500 an hour depending on headcount.

• Full chef's tasting menu listed at about $140 per guest source
• Patio hours and Sunday lunch prix fixe listed at about $60 per guest source
• Barn begun in 2022 and finished in 2023 on the outline of an original 1903 barn source
• Private events for up to 40 guests, $300 to $500 an hour by guest count source
• Zero-proof cocktail list, and guests may bring wine and beer, 1 bottle of wine per 2 guests source

“We could do a higher volume of guests, but we don’t want to lose the personal touch,”Christine Wenner, owner and general manager, Huntingdon Daily News, 20 March 2026

“It’s such a sight to see, watching people dine,”Michael Tedesco, beverage director, Huntingdon Daily News, 20 March 2026

The Alan Seeger Natural Area covers 390 acres of Rothrock State Forest in northern Huntingdon County, north of Greenwood Furnace State Park. The state manages it as a natural area with little human intervention. A 2026 Daily News column says the area was organized in 1921 and that timbering, development and mining are prohibited there.

A single loop trail, 0.8 miles long with essentially no elevation gain, passes through rhododendron tunnels and past eastern hemlock, white pine and yellow birch. Four wooden bridges cross side streams, and part of the loop shares a route with the Greenwood Spur of the Standing Stone Trail, according to Uncovering PA.

The area has no street address, so Uncovering PA gives coordinates for a parking spot with ample room. The writer advises planning ahead because cell service is lacking and roads may not be maintained in winter. The Daily News column adds that visitors travel on foot.

• Covers 390 acres, north of Greenwood Furnace State Park. source
• One loop trail, 0.8 miles long, with essentially no elevation gain. source
• Four wooden bridges cross side streams on the loop. source
• No street address; the article gives coordinates for a parking spot with ample room. source
• No motorized vehicle roads run through the area; travel is on foot trails. source

“The Alan Seeger Natural Area features a single loop trail that is 0.8 miles long and passes through this majestic wilderness.”Jim Cheney, Uncovering PA, 29 September 2022

“Overall, the Alan Seeger Natural Area is a fantastic place to visit.”Jim Cheney, Uncovering PA, 29 September 2022

Bear Gap Vista is a viewpoint in Jackson Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, mapped on OpenStreetMap at about 40.7277 north and 77.7901 west. Uncovering PA, in an article by Jim Cheney, says the vista is a few yards from a parking area on Bear Gap Road, a gravel road within Rothrock State Forest. There is no official parking lot, and visitors pull over on the western side of the road.

Two Uncovering PA articles name the vista. One places it a few yards from the Indian Wells Overlook parking area. The other, a list of overlooks, puts it about 100 yards from that parking area. The two distances disagree, and this record does not choose between them.

The map entry has a name and a viewpoint tag, and no other tags. Its condition and current access are not confirmed.

• Mapped on OpenStreetMap as a viewpoint named Bear Gap Vista. source
• Uncovering PA says Bear Gap Vista is just a few yards from the parking area. source
• There is no official parking lot here; visitors pull over on the western side of the road. source
• The Census geocoder places the coordinates in Jackson township, county code 061. source

“Bear Gap Vista can be found just a few yards from the parking area.”Jim Cheney, Uncovering PA, 15 November 2022

“Even better, just about 100 yards away from the parking area is another PA overlook known as Bear Gap Vista.”Jim Cheney, Uncovering PA, 25 January 2020

Big Flat Laurel Natural Area covers 184 acres in Huntingdon and Centre counties, about 4 miles south of Boalsburg. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) lists it with the wild and natural areas of Rothrock State Forest.

The area sits beside Bear Meadows Natural Area, which DCNR places in Centre County and which is recognized as a National Natural Landmark. DCNR says the 184 acres include large stands of mountain laurel, the state flower of Pennsylvania.

DCNR describes natural areas as places managed by nature, with direct human intervention limited. Its entry for this area gives no trail, parking or access details.

• 184 acres beside Bear Meadows Natural Area source
• Large stands of mountain laurel, Pennsylvania's state flower source
• Listed with the wild and natural areas of Rothrock State Forest source
• Rothrock State Forest totals over 96,000 acres in Huntingdon, Centre and Mifflin counties source

“The Big Flat Laurel Natural Area is in Huntingdon and Centre counties, 4 miles south of Boalsburg.”Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, undated

“Adjacent to Bear Meadows Natural Area, these 184 acres include large stands of mountain laurel”Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, undated

“They provide places for scenic observation, protect special plant and animal communities, and conserve outstanding examples of natural beauty.”Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, undated

Detweiler Run Natural Area protects a 463-acre portion of Detweiler Hollow in Huntingdon County, southeast of Boalsburg. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) lists it among the wild and natural areas of Rothrock State Forest, which DCNR says totals over 96,000 acres in Huntingdon, Centre and Mifflin counties.

Old growth white pine and eastern hemlock grow here, under a dense rhododendron understory. The Mid State Trail Association says the Mid State Trail passes through the natural area on its State College region route. Thickhead Mountain Wild Area surrounds it, according to DCNR.

The DCNR page does not give a trailhead, parking, hours or a fee for the area.

• 463-acre portion of Detweiler Hollow, southeast of Boalsburg source
• Old growth white pine and eastern hemlock with a dense rhododendron understory source
• Thickhead Mountain Wild Area surrounds the natural area source
• Mid State Trail Association says the trail passes through the natural area in the State College region source
• Rothrock State Forest totals over 96,000 acres in Huntingdon, Centre and Mifflin counties source

“This 463-acre portion of Detweiler Hollow supports old growth white pine and eastern hemlock with a dense rhododendron understory.”Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Pennsylvania), undated

“MST in this Region passes Rothrock and Bald Eagle State Forests; Penn Roosevelt, Poe Valley, Poe Paddy State Parks; and Alan Seeger and Detweiler Run Natural Areas through Huntingdon, Centre, Mifflin, and Union Counties.”Mid State Trail Association of Pennsylvania, undated

Greenwood Furnace State Park lies on the western fringe of the Seven Mountains in northeastern Huntingdon County, beside PA 305. The Visitors Bureau lists 51 campground sites, 14 of them pet-friendly, and says the park is surrounded by Rothrock State Forest.

Uncovering PA, in a 2021 article, says Greenwood Lake is stocked with trout each year and that the beach is open from late May through mid-September. The state's own page says the beach has specific seasons and hours and asks visitors to contact the park office. The Standing Stone Trail comes through the park. The park also gives access to the surrounding state forest for backpacking, mountain biking, hunting and fishing.

The park's historic district holds the remains of an ironmaking village that flourished from 1834 to 1904. The Blacksmith Shop and Education Center has displays on the ironworks, and visitors can pick up a free guide to the historic district at the park office. The park office keeps weekday hours, Monday through Friday, and day use areas close at dusk.

• Six-acre lake, campground, hiking trails and a historic district source
• Uncovering PA gives the beach season as late May through mid-September source
• 13.5 miles of trails in the park proper source
• Park office open 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday source
• Reservations online, or by phone at 888-PA-PARKS (888-727-2757), 7:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday to Saturday source

“A walk through historic Greenwood Furnace evokes images of the community that flourished here from 1834 to 1904.”Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

“Greenwood Lake is stocked with trout each year and is home to a variety of other fish species as well.”Jim Cheney, Uncovering PA, 25 May 2021

“There are 13.5 miles of trails in the park proper.”Vincent Corso, StateCollege.com, 24 October 2024

The Mid State Trail is a footpath kept up by volunteers of the Mid State Trail Association. A former president, quoted on the home page, describes a connection with the Great Eastern Trail footpath network. Its State College Region page says the trail's stretch there passes Rothrock and Bald Eagle State Forests and the Alan Seeger and Detweiler Run Natural Areas, in Huntingdon, Centre, Mifflin and Union Counties.

The association's Section 8 page covers 24.33 km from PA 26 at Jo Hays Vista near Pine Grove Mills to Detweiler Junction, in Rothrock State Forest in Huntingdon and Centre Counties. The page was last updated March 6, 2022. An alert there, marked 12/21 (no year given), notes logging in progress near the trail.

Uncovering PA's 2022 article on the Alan Seeger Natural Area describes 390 acres of old trees, including white pine, hemlock and yellow birch, in the northeastern corner of Huntingdon County. It describes the natural area's own 0.8-mile loop trail. The author advises against visiting in the colder months, since access roads are often not maintained in winter.

• Section 8 runs 24.33 km from PA 26 at Jo Hays Vista near Pine Grove Mills to Detweiler Junction. source
• The association's home page quotes a former president giving the trail's length as 504 km. source
• The State College Region page says the trail passes through the Alan Seeger and Detweiler Run Natural Areas. source
• The Alan Seeger Natural Area covers 390 acres in northeastern Huntingdon County. source

“with the most current and complete information about Pennsylvania's longest and wildest footpath.”Mid State Trail Association, undated

“The foot path's length (504 km) and connection with the Great Eastern Trail footpath network, offers an extended unity with nature to long-distance walkers.”Dr. Thomas Kelliher, former President of the MSTA, Mid State Trail Association, undated

OpenStreetMap maps a viewpoint called Stone Valley Vista in Jackson Township, Huntingdon County, on the Standing Stone Trail. The trail is a footpath of over 80 miles, marked with orange blazes, that runs through Huntingdon, Mifflin and Fulton counties. The OpenStreetMap entry gives the point a direction tag of 315.

The trail club describes the ridge that holds Stone Mountain Hawk Watch, with views into Stone Valley and Big Valley.

The trail club's alerts page asks hikers to wear blaze orange on all trail sections from November 15 to December 15, and says parts of the trail are active in-season hunting zones.

• The Standing Stone Trail is over 80 miles long and runs through Huntingdon, Mifflin and Fulton counties. source
• OpenStreetMap tags the point as a viewpoint with a direction value of 315. source

“The trail gently climbs to the top of the next ridge, home to Stone Mountain Hawk Watch and numerous fabulous vistas into Stone Valley on one side and Big Valley on the other.”Standing Stone Trail Club, 2022 (site copyright line; page undated)

Tuckaway Tree Farm is a family-owned Christmas tree farm on Alan Seeger Road near Petersburg, in the Stone Valley area between Huntingdon and State College. Visitors walk the fields, choose a tree and cut it themselves, with handsaws available at the farm. The farm grows Canaan and Concolor firs, Douglas fir, and Korean and Fraser balsam crosses.

Tag Your Tree Weekend runs October 31 and November 1, 2026, with a $25 ticket that includes a $20 credit toward a tree cut later. Choose-and-cut season opens Saturday, November 21, 2026. No reservation is needed in regular season hours, and chainsaws are not permitted.

In summer the farm runs a self-serve cut flower garden, where $15 buys as many flowers as you can fit, and the farm provides the cup, water and snips. Overnight stays include an A-frame cabin, glamping domes and a tent. A 2023 StateCollege.com article reports that the owners bought the farm in 2020.

• Tag Your Tree Weekend on October 31 and November 1, 2026, with a $25 ticket and a $20 tree credit. source
• Choose-and-cut season opens Saturday, November 21, 2026. source
• Handsaws are available at the farm; chainsaws are not permitted. source
• Self-serve cut flower garden: $15 for as many flowers as you can fit, with the cup, water and snips provided. source

“At Tuckaway Tree Farm, we grow more than 20,000 Christmas trees right here on our family farm.”Tuckaway Tree Farm, Tuckaway Tree Farm (own website)

“as the new owners of Tuckaway Tree Farm in Petersburg, just over Tussey Mountain in Huntingdon County.”Karen Walker, StateCollege.com, 23 November 2023

“Located in beautiful Stone Valley between Huntingdon and State College”Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau, Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau (raystown.org)

Whipple Dam State Park is at 3746 Laurel Run Road near Petersburg, in the northeastern corner of Huntingdon County, 12 miles south of State College. The 256-acre park is surrounded by Rothrock State Forest and has a 22-acre lake.

Visitors can swim from a sand beach, fish the lake (ice fishing included), and boat on it using row or electric motors. Three large picnic pavilions sit in a forest-covered area near the beach and lake. The Department also lists hunting and winter recreation, and its Rothrock State Forest page adds cross-country skiing and hiking.

The dam was built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. A StateCollege.com report dated January 21, 2021 said the park had been closed since September 2019 for a rehabilitation project, and that it was set to reopen the next day. The park's page says it is open every day of the year, sunrise to sunset.

• Address: 3746 Laurel Run Road, Petersburg, PA 16669 source
• Open every day of the year, sunrise to sunset; day-use areas close at dusk source
• Boats on the lake are limited to row or electric motors source
• Day-use and overnight reservations online, or by phone at 888-727-2757 from 7:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday to Saturday source
• The dam was built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps source

“The 256-acre Whipple Dam State Park is a delightful and quiet place to visit. The lake is the perfect place to indulge in a refreshing dip, bird watch, or just relax.”Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, DCNR, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (pa.gov)

“Several structural improvements also were made to the dam, which was constructed in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps.”Geoff Rushton, StateCollege.com, 21 January 2021

“Recreational opportunities include boating on 22-acre Whipple Lake, fishing, swimming, picnicking, cross-country skiing, and hiking.”Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, DCNR, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (pa.gov)