State Game Lands 40: hunting, parking and access
State Game Lands 40 is 6,200 acres owned by the Pennsylvania Game Commission in Carbon County, across WMUs 3D and 4C. PGC's maps show 11 parking areas, 9 gates and 0.8 mile of game land road that PGC opens to vehicles at set times of year.
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 parkArmy Corps of EngineersSGL 40PGC parkingRoad open seasonallyWMU lineHighway
| Size | 6,200 acres, measured from PGC's boundary |
|---|---|
| Counties | Carbon |
| WMU | WMU 3D (4,582 acres), WMU 4C (1,618 acres) |
| PGC region | Northeast Region (office in Dallas) |
| Parking areas | 11 (7 gravel and 4 grass) |
| Roads open seasonally | 0.8 mile on 1 road |
| Game land roads closed to public vehicles | 7.7 miles |
| Gates | 9 |
| Nearest towns | East Side (next to it), White Haven (2 mi) and Penn Lake Park (2 mi) |
Where do you park on SGL 40?
PGC maps 11 parking areas on State Game Lands 40, listed north to south. Surfaces: 7 gravel and 4 grass.
| Lot | Latitude, longitude | Surface | Size (square feet) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41.09949, -75.69728 | gravel | 2,500 |
| 2 | 41.09805, -75.68314 | gravel | 2,500 |
| 3 | 41.09401, -75.68516 | grass | 2,500 |
| 4 | 41.08805, -75.68638 | gravel | 2,500 |
| 5 | 41.08594, -75.67162 | grass | 2,500 |
| 6 | 41.06743, -75.73565 | gravel | 2,500 |
| 7 | 41.05805, -75.74948 | gravel | 2,500 |
| 8 | 41.05467, -75.74954 | grass | 2,500 |
| 9 | 41.04864, -75.74754 | grass | 2,500 |
| 10 | 41.04633, -75.74750 | gravel | 2,500 |
| 11 | 41.03470, -75.74698 | gravel | 2,500 |
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 40 are open to vehicles?
PGC opens 1 road on SGL 40 to vehicles at set times of year, 0.8 mile in all. Outside those times it is closed to public vehicles.
| Road | Miles | When PGC opens it |
|---|---|---|
| Buena Vista Rd | 0.8 | See PGC's schedule below |
PGC's words: "Opened from 2 weeks prior to the start of the archery deer season until the end of grouse season in January. Also open from the Friday before the youth hunt in April until the end of the Spring Gobbler Season."
PGC also maps 7.7 miles of game land road on SGL 40 that is closed to public vehicles. PGC's road layer counts 9.5 miles of road open to public traffic through or along the game lands. PGC records 9 gates here.
Sources: PGC State Game Lands roads; PGC State Game Lands gates. Road miles measured by FilledTag from PGC's lines.
Which WMU is SGL 40 in, and what is taken there?
SGL 40 lies across 2 WMUs. 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 3D | 4,582 | 6,004 (2025-26) | 9,641 (2025-26) | 287 (2024) |
| WMU 4C | 1,618 | 9,386 (2025-26) | 13,864 (2025-26) | 197 (2024) |
In WMU 3D, 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. In WMU 4C, 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 40?
Highways through the game lands: I-476, I-80, PA 534 and PA 940. Highways within five miles: I-80, I-476, PA 940, PA 534, PA 115 and PA 437. Nearest towns: East Side (next to it), White Haven (2 miles), Penn Lake Park (2 miles) and Hickory Hills (3 miles).
PGC's land records for SGL 40: PGC real estate, SGL 40.
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 40?
PGC maps 11 parking areas on SGL 40: 7 gravel and 4 grass. The largest PGC lists is about 2,500 square feet, at 41.0486, -75.7475. Every lot's coordinates are in the table on this page.
What WMU is State Game Lands 40 in?
SGL 40 lies across WMU 3D (4,582 acres) and WMU 4C (1,618 acres). Seasons and antlerless licenses follow the WMU the ground is in.
When are the roads on SGL 40 open to vehicles?
PGC lists 1 road on SGL 40 as open seasonally, 0.8 mile in all. For Buena Vista Rd, PGC's note reads: "Opened from 2 weeks prior to the start of the archery deer season until the end of grouse season in January. Also open from the Friday before the youth hunt in April until the end of the Spring Gobbler Season."
Can you camp on State Game Lands 40?
No. PGC does not allow camping on any State Game Lands, SGL 40 included. The nearest town is East Side, 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.