The largest contiguous forest between New York City and Washington, D.C. is the 8,000-acre French Creek State Park, one hour northwest of Philadelphia. This popular park is made up of a mix of woodland, wetlands, and lakes, and is a hot spot for fishing, hiking, and RV camping. There are numerous natural areas throughout the park, helping preserve various species of birds, mammals, and plants that inhabit the area. You too can book an RV in Berks County and join the fun.

French Creek State Park has another interesting distinction, that of being one of the first industrial parks in the United States, dating back to the year 1771. The blast furnaces that were constructed here provided some of the earliest iron for a growing America and some of it still remains here at the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Visitors who visit French Creek State Park have a hard time believing that these thick forests were repeatedly stripped bare to provide charcoal for these furnaces. The furnaces closed in the late 19th-century, allowing the land to heal and return to a more natural state. Many of the park’s current recreational facilities can be attributed to Civilian Conservation Corps projects in the 1930s and 1940s. Pennsylvania took over administration of the land in 1949 and became French Creek State Park.