Hyner View State Park, Pennsylvania: Allegheny Plateau and West Branch Susquehanna River

Allegheny Plateau and West Branch Susquehanna River,
From Hyner View, Pennsylvania

Hyner View State Park in the Sproul State Forest in north central Pennsylvania is one of the most sublime views in the eastern United States. Part of the Pennsylvania Wilds region, this scenic vista gives you a real appreciation for the vastness and beauty of the millions of acres of public forest land in northern Pennsylvania. This photograph was made looking west, or up the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, on July 13, 2003.

This grand outlook is 1,300 feet above the valley floor, at an elevation of 1,940 feet above sea level. The surrounding steep slopes and ridges are those of the Allegheny Plateau, a very old and heavily dissected (eroded) geologic formation that forms much of northwest and north central Pennsylvania.

It should be noted that the reddish-brown color to the river is due to pollution from nearly century-old Acid Mine Drainage (AMD). It is the unfortunate legacy of a long-gone coal mining era that knew no limits in its quest for insatiable profits for the privileged few coal barons, built largely on the cheap and disposable backs of exploited but brave and proud coal workers.

In 1977, sweeping changes to coal mining legislation initiated a more sane system of surface mining that more or less avoids such wholesale waste of pristine mountain watersheds. In addition, taxes levied on mined coal now go toward restoring the pre-1977 mine pollution. Pennsylvania is a leader in this effort. An incredible amount of work is left to be done, but at least the circle is much closer to closing that it has been for decades. A more sustainable future begins today...and every day.