Get Outdoors PA strives to connect citizens with outdoor recreation activities to increase their appreciation and active use of parks, forests and public spaces while imparting a message of environmental stewardship and healthy living.
Get Outdoors PA Goals
Connect people with the outdoors through Pennsylvania’s public lands.
Inspire environmental conservation, stewardship and healthy living.
Encourage physical activity through outdoor recreation.
Deliver quality outdoor recreation opportunities to the public through best practice models.
Increase the number of quality outdoor recreation programs in Pennsylvania.
Develop public-private partnerships encouraging economic growth in a sustainable way.
Our History
For more than a century, visitors have used Pennsylvania's state parks and forests for the pursuit of passive recreation and enjoyment.
To help people become better connected to the outdoors and to help them to grow their appreciation for the protection of our special places, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) began expanding its recreational programs and events in state parks and forests through Get Outdoors PA. Established in 2004 and grown over the last decade, the Get Outdoors PA program has offered thousands of recreation programs in Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests. In 2012, more than 68,000 people participated in programs like Backpacking, Biking, Birding, Camping, Cross-country skiing, Fishing, Hiking, Paddling, Wilderness Survival and more in Pennsylvania State Parks and Forests.
In 2012, DCNR teamed up with the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS), Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association (PALTA) to expand the Get Outdoors PA program to include local and regional parks and recreation departments and land trusts as community partners in an effort to deliver outdoor recreation opportunities to Pennsylvania citizens and visitors all across the state. In early 2014, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (PDOH) joined as Flagship Partners. Finally, at the end of 2014 the PA Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF) came aboard, and in 2016 the PA Association for Environmental Education (PAEE) became the newest Flagship Partner.