The area contains a bog surrounded by steep mountains, in an enclosed valley that has been poorly drained for thousands of years.

The bog creates a swampy landscape that is unusual for central Pennsylvania, and it is known for providing a habitat for rare plants and insects.

This peat has attracted scientific interest because it preserves spores from plants and trees that have occupied the area for the past 10,000 years.

The spores indicate that the area once included species now found only in Siberia and northern Canada, which can in turn be used to study long-term climate changes.

[1] The bog has been forming since the end of the last glacial period 10,000 years ago and is surrounded by an old-growth forest of boreal species typically found much farther north, such as black spruce, balsam fir, eastern hemlock, and yellow birch.