Day Tripper Finds 'Green' is Beautiful at Bald Eagle's Nature Inn

Every once in a while it's great to get away, even for one night.

That's why my husband and I decided to stay overnight at the state-of-the-art Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park.

You can drive to the Nature Inn from Pittsburgh in about three hours -- and you could do it as a day trip -- but staying at the eco-friendly lodge is a treat. 

If you're a regular reader of the Day Tripper column, you probably know I love to be outdoors at every chance I get. So when I learned about the new Nature Inn that Pennsylvania's state park system had created, I was thrilled.

The Nature Inn, which is about 35 minutes from State College, is an incredibly beautiful lodge on a hillside overlooking the park's lake. The 16-room bed-and-breakfast was designed to have as little impact on the environment and animal life in the park as possible.

Innkeeper Charlie Brooks said that not only was the building designed to be LEED certified, but also that everything inside it, from the furniture to the cisterns to the garbage disposal, was designed with the environment in mind.

With 24 geothermal wells under the parking lots and rainwater-harvesting methods, the inn has many state-of-the-art features. Local materials are incorporated into the rooms, including countertops made from recycled materials and hardwood furniture.

Don’t let the “green” aspects scare you off, though. The inn is gorgeous and incredibly comfortable. The down comforters on the beds allow you to sink down in and have a nice night’s rest. The breakfasts in the morning feature Brook’s cooking. On the morning we were there, we could chose from five selections.

The park is a nature lover’s oasis, with 11 miles of hiking trails, a lake for water activities, and plenty of bird-and-animal-watching activities.

For those planning just to take the day trip, the inn still can be a resource for visitors. There are displays of eggs and bird-watching supplies, including binoculars and guides in every room. There also is computer access to record bird sightings.

We stepped out on the inn’s patio facing the lake on the ground level to peer through the high-powered binoculars in the hopes of spotting a pair of bald eagles nesting across the lake. Besides acting as chef and innkeeper, Brooks is also a local birding resource, and he explained the eagles’ nesting habits to us.

We also took advantage of the free nature class about bird-watching that park naturalist Nick Thomas led. Although we didn’t see an eagle that morning, there was a common loon and other local waterfowl.

Brooks offers tours of the inn. During warmer months, there will be boaters, fishers, hikers and swimmers in the area. In the winter months, there are cross-country skiers, snowshoers, hikers and ice fishermen. Of course, you always can just sit on the porch and enjoy nature.

The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle is at 201 Warbler Way in Howard. For more information call 1-814-625-2879.