State Game Lands 53: hunting, parking and access
State Game Lands 53 is 5,958 acres owned by the Pennsylvania Game Commission in Fulton County, inside WMU 4A. PGC's maps show 11 parking areas, 10 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 5,950 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 53PGC parkingRoad open seasonallyWMU lineHighway
| Size | 5,958 acres, measured from PGC's boundary |
|---|---|
| Counties | Fulton |
| WMU | WMU 4A |
| PGC region | Southcentral Region (office in Huntingdon) |
| Parking areas | 11 (8 gravel, 2 grass and 1 dirt) |
| Roads open seasonally | 1.5 miles on 2 roads |
| Game land roads closed to public vehicles | 11 miles |
| Gates | 10 |
| Separate tracts | 2 (largest 5,950 acres) |
| Nearest towns | McConnellsburg (2 mi), Needmore (4 mi) and Hustontown (5 mi) |
Where do you park on SGL 53?
PGC maps 11 parking areas on State Game Lands 53, listed north to south. Surfaces: 8 gravel, 2 grass and 1 dirt.
| Lot | Latitude, longitude | Surface | Size (square feet) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 39.96946, -78.03276 | gravel | 1,800 |
| 2 | 39.93137, -78.04785 | gravel | 3,600 |
| 3 | 39.92018, -78.05044 | grass | 2,800 |
| 4 | 39.91968, -78.05013 | grass | 5,000 |
| 5 | 39.91807, -78.04879 | gravel | 1,500 |
| 6 | 39.91156, -78.05242 | gravel | 6,000 |
| 7 | 39.90502, -78.05608 | gravel | 1,575 |
| 8 | 39.90477, -78.05712 | gravel | 800 |
| 9 | 39.90458, -78.05731 | dirt | 1,600 |
| 10 | 39.90049, -78.06287 | gravel | 1,750 |
| 11 | 39.89634, -78.06717 | gravel | 4,200 |
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 53 are open to vehicles?
PGC opens 2 roads on SGL 53 to vehicles at set times of year, 1.5 miles in all. Outside those times they are closed to public vehicles.
| Road | Miles | When PGC opens it |
|---|---|---|
| Pipeline Rd | 1.2 | See PGC's schedule below |
| Jamie Rd | 0.4 | See PGC's schedule below |
PGC's words: "Opened from 2 weeks prior to the Fall Archery Season until the end of the Flintlock Season in January."
PGC also maps 11 miles of game land road on SGL 53 that is closed to public vehicles. PGC's road layer counts 3.8 miles of road open to public traffic through or along the game lands. PGC records 10 gates here.
PGC marks 1 disabled person route on SGL 53 (1.2 miles), for hunters who hold PGC's disabled person permit.
Named trails PGC maps on SGL 53: Jarrett Trail.
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 53 in, and what is taken there?
SGL 53 lies wholly in WMU 4A. 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 4A | 5,958 | 5,005 (2025-26) | 8,523 (2025-26) | 71 (2024) |
In WMU 4A, 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 53?
Highways within five miles: US 522, PA 655, US 30, I-76, PA 16 and PA 456. Nearest towns: McConnellsburg (2 miles), Needmore (4 miles), Hustontown (5 miles) and Fort Loudon (7 miles).
PGC's land records for SGL 53: PGC real estate, SGL 53.
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 53?
PGC maps 11 parking areas on SGL 53: 8 gravel, 2 grass and 1 dirt. The largest PGC lists is about 6,000 square feet, at 39.9116, -78.0524. Every lot's coordinates are in the table on this page.
What WMU is State Game Lands 53 in?
All of SGL 53 is in WMU 4A. PGC estimates 5,005 antlered and 8,523 antlerless deer were taken in the whole WMU in 2025-26.
When are the roads on SGL 53 open to vehicles?
PGC lists 2 roads on SGL 53 as open seasonally, 1.5 miles in all. For Pipeline Rd, PGC's note reads: "Opened from 2 weeks prior to the Fall Archery Season until the end of the Flintlock Season in January."
Can you camp on State Game Lands 53?
No. PGC does not allow camping on any State Game Lands, SGL 53 included. The nearest town is McConnellsburg, 2 miles away, by the Census map of places.
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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.