Harrisburg Parks and Gardens

(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - PA, USA)

There are several sizeable green spaces dotted around downtown Harrisburg, and plenty more nearby. Capitol Park is particularly central and is bounded by the Commonwealth Avenue, North Street, North 3rd Street and Walnut Street, being rather dominated by the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building.

Covering an area of almost 20 hectares / 49 acres, Capitol Park links downtown Harrisburg with the shops of Strawberry Square, whilst providing an important recreational space. There are a number of monuments standing within the grounds, along with some mature trees, spacious lawns and interconnecting pathways.

Harrisburg works hard to maintain all of its greenery and is proud of its Capital Area Greenbelt, a looping trail which stretches for approximately 20 miles / 32 km and connects many of the city's main districts and public parks. Locals and visitors alike regularly stroll, jog, rollerskate, dog walk and cycle along this greenbelt trail, enjoying the various attractions on the route, such as the Five Senses Garden, Reservoir Park and the Wildwood Nature Center.

General Information

The biggest of all the municipal parks within Harrisburg is Reservoir Park, which covers an area in the region of 34 hectares / 85 acres and sits in between Walnut Street and Market Street, within the Allison Hill region. This parkland actually incorporates part of the city's Capital Area Greenbelt and manages to boast a series of attractions, including the National Civil War Museum and various summer festivals.

Reservoir Park was established towards the end of the 19th century and has an attractive elevated setting, with stunning panoramas of the Harrisburg cityscape, the Pennsylvania State Capitol and the Susquehanna River below. Visitors will also be able to enjoy views of the distant Blue Mountains.

Wildwood Park is also very much of note and is to be found on the northern side of Harrisburg, where it is separated from the Harrisburg Area Community College by Interstate I-81. Covering more than 80 hectares / 200 acres, Wildwood is centered around a huge lake and sits alongside the Paxton Creek, which flows into the Susquehanna River. Locals and visitors come here to stroll, jog or cycle around the 3-mile / 5-km lake trail, enjoy a spot of birdwatching, check out the nature center, or simply feed the native wildfowl, of which there are plenty. This is a real oasis in the middle of city life, although the neighboring roads can be a little noisy at times.

City Island, Phoenix Park and Riverfront Park all take in the scenery of the Susquehanna River and offer convenient central locations, while to the north of Harrisburg, the Boyd Big Tree Conservation Area State Park makes for a worthwhile excursion, being just a 20-minute drive away.