State Game Lands 156: hunting, parking and access
State Game Lands 156 is 5,894 acres owned by the Pennsylvania Game Commission in Lancaster County and Lebanon County, inside WMU 5B. PGC's maps show 12 parking areas, 5 gates and 1.5 miles of game land road that PGC opens to vehicles at set times of year. The game lands are in 2 separate pieces; the largest is 5,317 acres.
Data updated October 2026. Boundary, parking, roads and gates: PGC's game lands maps. Seasons: PGC 2026-27 Seasons and Bag Limits.
State game landsState forestSGL 156PGC parkingRoad open seasonallyWMU lineHighway
| Size | 5,894 acres, measured from PGC's boundary |
|---|---|
| Counties | Lancaster and Lebanon |
| WMU | WMU 5B |
| PGC region | Southeast Region (office in Reading) |
| Parking areas | 12 (12 gravel) |
| Roads open seasonally | 1.5 miles on 1 road |
| Game land roads closed to public vehicles | 23 miles |
| Gates | 5 |
| Separate tracts | 2 (largest 5,317 acres) |
| Nearest towns | Cornwall, Brickerville (next to it), Quentin (2 mi) and Hopeland (2 mi) |
Where do you park on SGL 156?
PGC maps 12 parking areas on State Game Lands 156, listed north to south. Surfaces: 12 gravel.
| Lot | Latitude, longitude | Surface | Size (square feet) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40.27820, -76.35641 | gravel | 2,475 |
| 2 | 40.27688, -76.36068 | gravel | 7,500 |
| 3 | 40.25232, -76.36401 | gravel | 900 |
| 4 | 40.24693, -76.35758 | gravel | 11,025 |
| 5 | 40.24340, -76.35881 | gravel | 5,850 |
| 6 | 40.24195, -76.33664 | gravel | 6,800 |
| 7 | 40.24117, -76.37649 | gravel | 10,500 |
| 8 | 40.23884, -76.29878 | gravel | 7,200 |
| 9 | 40.23739, -76.40345 | gravel | 7,475 |
| 10 | 40.23391, -76.34901 | gravel | 13,000 |
| 11 | 40.23002, -76.36512 | gravel | 9,900 |
| 12 | 40.22853, -76.36977 | gravel | 4,375 |
Source: PGC State Game Lands parking areas. Sizes and surfaces are PGC's own records; a lot may be plowed or not in winter.
Which roads on SGL 156 are open to vehicles?
PGC opens 1 road on SGL 156 to vehicles at set times of year, 1.5 miles in all. Outside those times it is closed to public vehicles.
| Road | Miles | When PGC opens it |
|---|---|---|
| Unnamed Road | 1.5 | See PGC's schedule below |
PGC's words: "Opened Two weeks prior to the start of the regular archery season, to the close of the late archery/muzzleloader deer season."
PGC also maps 23 miles of game land road on SGL 156 that is closed to public vehicles. PGC's road layer counts 8.2 miles of road open to public traffic through or along the game lands. PGC records 5 gates here.
PGC marks 1 disabled person route on SGL 156 (5.4 miles), for hunters who hold PGC's disabled person permit.
Named trails PGC maps on SGL 156: Big Rock, Gameland and Bart.
Sources: PGC State Game Lands roads; PGC State Game Lands gates; PGC State Game Lands trails. Road miles measured by FilledTag from PGC's lines.
Which WMU is SGL 156 in, and what is taken there?
SGL 156 lies wholly in WMU 5B. Seasons, antlerless licenses and harvest are kept by WMU, not by game lands; these are the figures for each whole WMU:
| WMU | Game lands acres in it | Antlered deer | Antlerless deer | Bears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU 5B | 5,894 | 10,257 (2025-26) | 19,819 (2025-26) | 2 (2024) |
In WMU 5B, 2026-27 archery deer runs October 3 to November 20, and December 26 to January 24, 2027 and the regular firearms season November 28 to December 13.
Harvest: PGC Annual Deer Population Report, April 2026; PGC's 2024 bear harvest release. Seasons: PGC 2026-27 Seasons and Bag Limits.
How do you get to SGL 156?
Highways through the game lands: US 322 and PA 501. Highways within five miles: I-76, US 322, PA 72, PA 501, PA 419 and PA 897. Inside its outline: Cornwall. Nearest towns: Brickerville (next to it), Quentin (2 miles), Hopeland (2 miles) and Mount Gretna Heights (2 miles).
PGC's land records for SGL 156: PGC real estate, SGL 156.
PGC's rules for every State Game Lands tract, from tree stands to fluorescent orange for non-hunters, are on the Pennsylvania hunting page.
Questions hunters ask
Where can you park on State Game Lands 156?
PGC maps 12 parking areas on SGL 156: 12 gravel. The largest PGC lists is about 13,000 square feet, at 40.2339, -76.3490. Every lot's coordinates are in the table on this page.
What WMU is State Game Lands 156 in?
All of SGL 156 is in WMU 5B. PGC estimates 10,257 antlered and 19,819 antlerless deer were taken in the whole WMU in 2025-26.
When are the roads on SGL 156 open to vehicles?
PGC lists 1 road on SGL 156 as open seasonally, 1.5 miles in all. For Unnamed Road, PGC's note reads: "Opened Two weeks prior to the start of the regular archery season, to the close of the late archery/muzzleloader deer season."
Can you camp on State Game Lands 156?
No. PGC does not allow camping on any State Game Lands, SGL 156 included. The nearest town is Brickerville, next to the game lands, by the Census map of places.
Get a Pennsylvania hunt plan when they open
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Where these facts come from
- Boundary and acres: PGC State Game Lands boundaries. Parking: PGC State Game Lands parking areas. Roads: PGC State Game Lands roads. Gates: PGC State Game Lands gates.
- WMU harvest: PGC Annual Deer Population Report, April 2026; PGC's 2024 bear harvest release. Seasons: PGC 2026-27 Seasons and Bag Limits.
- Public land around the game lands: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1). Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.