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Hunting · Straddles the county line

State Game Land 217

Type
State game land (public hunting land)
Where
West Penn Township (Schuylkill County); also in Lehigh and Carbon Counties
Township(s)
West Penn
Managed by
Pennsylvania Game Commission
Acreage
8,613.82 acres (an older figure of 8,087 also circulates)
Wildlife Management Unit
4C
Coordinates
40.72806, -75.74972 (approximate) · Open in Maps
GNIS centroid (multi-parcel central point) — not a parking pin; pull exact parking coordinates from the PGC interactive mapping center.
Last verified
2026-06-18

State Game Land 217 spans Schuylkill, Lehigh, and Carbon Counties along a forested Blue Mountain ridge at Bake Oven Knob, reaching the West Penn Township area on the Schuylkill side. The Game Commission’s figure is 8,613.82 acres; an older figure of 8,087 also circulates.

Hunters in WMU 4C take deer, turkey, black bear, squirrel, ruffed grouse, and furbearers. Numerous parking areas are scattered along the township roads, and the Appalachian Trail runs its full length. The ridge is famous for hawk-watching at Bake Oven Knob, but the game land is open to hunting and is distinct from Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Season dates, bag limits, antlerless allocations, and Sunday-hunting days are set each year by the Pennsylvania Game Commission — confirm the current year before you hunt.

Access & parking

Getting there
Famous for hawk-watching at Bake Oven Knob, but the game land IS open to hunting (distinct from Hawk Mountain Sanctuary). The Appalachian Trail runs its full length.
Parking
Numerous parking areas scattered along the township roads

Sources

← Outdoor Life