Shaver’s Creek was founded in 1976 as a resource for the community and as a field laboratory where Penn State students can get hands-on experience teaching about the natural world. The Environmental Center's programs provide a mix of educational and recreational opportunities for families, schools, corporate groups, and Penn State students.
Shaver’s Creek is nestled in the ridge-and-valley area of central Pennsylvania, located between State College and Huntingdon, only 12 miles from Penn State’s University Park campus. Self-guided visits to the nature center, live animals, trails, and picnic areas are very popular. Admission is free.
The Visitor Center is the heart of Shaver's Creek's campus. Grab a trail map or purchase a gift in the thoughtfully-curated Weidemann Bookstore; enjoy a birdfeeding area and citizen science displays from the comfort of the Silvi Discovery Room; interact with hands-on exhibits for kids; or say hello to many of Pennsylvania's native amphibians and reptiles in the Litzinger Herpetarium. Just outside, the boardwalk at Lake Perez, a front-yard frog pond, and miles of trails offer visitors something to discover every day.
Shaver's Creek offers more than 40 credit courses each year, including the AURORA first-year student orientation programs, environmental interpretation courses, adventure and leadership courses, and a capstone integrated SEED Semester. Hundreds of students a year from across the University also earn credit with Shaver’s Creek to become camp counselors for a week of Outdoor School, a residential environmental education program for fifth graders, or by becoming costumed presenters at Shaver’s Creek’s Maple Harvest Festival or Enchanted Halloween Trail.