Purple Lizard Maps

The Dark Skies / Susquehannock State Forest Lizard Map is now available for pre-order on the PA Wilds Marketplace!

Created by Purple Lizard Maps in partnership with the PA Wilds Center, this brand-new map explores one of Pennsylvania's largest expanses of public land, including Cherry Springs State Park, the Susquehannock Trail System, remote backroads, scenic overlooks, campsites, wild areas and more.

If your favorite adventures start with unfolding a map, this one's for you.

Pre-order yours today and be ready for your next PA Wilds adventure — https://shop.pawilds.com/dark-skies-susquehannock-state-forest-lizard-map.html

Who's adding this one to their collection? 🗺️👇

Check out this amazing series of photos from Shaver's Creek Environmental Center which is on our Rothrock Forest District Lizard Map!

BAM! HAPPY 4th of July!!

Check out our newest Lizard Map: Dark Skies - Susquehannock!!! Packed with outstanding adventures waiting to happen! Big woods, backroads, campsites, mountain creeks, some of the darkest skies in the US and plenty of places to hike, bike, camp and explore.

Get yours hot off the press!

Pre-orders are open - we’ll be shipping next week!

Dark Skies is open for pre-orders on our website - we will be shipping next week! We’re very excited about this map! The Pennsylvania Wilds

When I was out exploring Rothrock State Forest the yesterday, I noticed the first black raspberries beginning to darken in the warm summer sun.

As I walked, I found a small cluster of berries just starting to ripen. I picked a few off the prickly stem and popped them into my mouth, their slightly sweet–slightly tart flavor awakening that deep, familiar feeling that tells me summer is truly here. I’ll admit, I felt a little disappointed that there weren’t more to gather, but I promised myself I would return in a few days to give the rest time to ripen.

I was stepping lightly through the morning dew when I suddenly walked face first into a spider’s web stretched across the trail, its strands glistening in the early light. I whispered an apology immediately. To me, the spider, Iktomi, in many Plains and Woodland traditions, is the trickster, the one who shows up right when I need a reminder to pay attention. Iktomi’s lessons rarely arrive gently; they come when I’ve missed something, when I’m not as present as I should be. That web, placed so perfectly across the path, was just such a reminder.

And as quickly as the dew settled again, my grandmother’s words rose up in my memory: “Gather with gratitude.”

When I was young, I would run ahead of her through Pennsylvania’s forests and meadows, collecting every berry, every teaberry leaf, every mushroom I could find. I’d bring back my overflowing handfuls, certain she would be proud, while she had gathered only a few. Instead, she would always ask what I had left behind for the others who called this place home.

Back then, I didn’t understand. But moments like this morning, when the berries are few and the forest is quiet, remind me exactly what she meant. Today, instead of frustration, I feel thankful for the handful of berries that bush was willing to share. It was more than I had when I began, and it carried with it the warm taste of memory.

As you retreat into the cool canopy of Rothrock today, often 15 to 20 degrees cooler than the open sun, may you savor the shade, the scents, and the small gifts the forest chooses to offer. Whether you’re foraging, hiking, or simply enjoying a breath of fresh air, remember to gather with gratitude.

The forest gives freely. Let us receive with care.

Credit: Rothrock SF EES, TA

You might have heard Loki gave his paw of approval to the new Dark Skies Susquehannock State Forest Lizard Map last week. We’re very excited about this map, made in partnership with the Look for presale orders to open up later this week!

Although our passion is trail maps, we also design other types of maps for authors and the specialty craft book publishers. We made a series of historical maps for a book on WWII which launches this weekend. This is a narrative-driven account of the Second World War told by those who experienced it firsthand. You can order it from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, bookshop .org as well as your local bookshop. With Peter Kistler

The War They Won: The Story of World War II, as told by Those Who Were There The War They Won: The Story of World War II, as told by Those Who Were There

Have you been to Loyalsock? It’s pretty amazing!