Accommodations up to Four Persons
Located on the Clarion River at 1493 River Road, the Cook Forest Bell House affords the perfect place for a romantic stay, pampered weekend or quiet break from the routine of life with the intimate feel of a bed and breakfast. The entire first floor of this beautiful home is all included in your rental rate! 2 elegantly furnished bedrooms, full custom designed bath with timed heat lamp, billiard table, living room with wood burning fireplace, kitchen efficiency, outdoor fire pit and a luxuriously appointed private deck. The grounds, including riverfront access, is exclusively yours. This is a unique alternative to a cabin rental in Cook Forest. If you like the idea of luxury living in an enchanted forest setting, this place is for you!
Experience some of the most beautiful hiking trails and old growth forest east of the Mississippi. Marvel at Hemlocks so tall you can barely see their tops. Listen to the sounds of the forest as it awakens to shifting patterns of light as dawn transitions to morning. Reflect on the events of life encouraged by the serenity of gently moving water or the whispering wind through the trees. Observe the social habits of wildlife especially the newborn in mid spring and early summer. Keep a watchful eye for the not-so-common soaring eagle, roaming black bear, fox and bobcat. Be still in the meditation garden as light softens, colors become more vivid and day surrenders to night. Enjoy the endless wonders of the night sky and perhaps, catch the back and forth bantering of owls echoing across the valley.
Let the magic of ordinary days, here in the forest, renew and transform everything the eye can not see.
River Reflections
A newborn fawn nestled in the peaceful yard.
The picturesque tranquility of the river deck to relax and unwind.
Starry Nights with a view of the Milky Way
Pricing and Reservations
GUEST RATES
May through October Daily Rate $235
per night.
3 Day Minimum required for the following Holidays:
Memorial Day, Labor Day, AA Conferences and July 4th.
Please Observe the Following:
- 2-night minimum on weekends or weekdays.
- 1-night stay is a $35 additional charge to the applicable daily rate (when available).
GENERAL
- All rates subject to 6% Sales Tax & 3% Hotel Tax.
- Weekend is two nights, Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday.
- Weekly reservations start on Friday or Sunday.
- Midweek includes Monday thru Thursday nights.
- Two night minimum on advanced reservations.
RESERVATIONS
A deposit of approximating 50% of your rental rate, excluding tax, is required within 7 days of your booking to secure your reservation.
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOUR DEPOSIT IS NOT RECEIVED WITHIN THE 7 DAY ACCEPTANCE PERIOD, YOUR BOOKING WILL BE CANCELED AUTOMATICALLY, WITHOUT NOTICE, SO WE CAN ACCOMMODATE OTHER RESERVATION REQUESTS.
Payment must be in the form of Check, Cash, or Money Order. We do not accept credit cards.
The balance due must be made when you check-in on the day of arrival.
PLEASE REMIT DEPOSITS TO:
Lisa Wolff
1493 River Road
Cooksburg, PA 16217
* Please make checks payable to "Lisa Wolff".
Directions
GENERAL DIRECTIONS
The Cook Forest Bell House GPS Location
N 41° 19.783'
W 079° 09.240'
From the East
On Pennsylvania Interstate 80, take Exit 78 (Brookville) and go north on Route 36 approximately 13 miles. Turn right on Route 899 (just before the Iron Mountain Grill), travel 1.9 miles down the hill and left around the bend. Turn left on Greenwood Rd. From the stop sign (intersection of River Road and Greenwood) proceed straight along the river, we are approximately 1.2 miles on your right.
From the West
On Pennsylvania Interstate 80, take Exit 62 (Clarion), turn left and continue straight for 13 miles. Turn right on Route 36 and go South into Cook Forest. At the bottom of the hill, just before the Cooksburg Bridge, turn left on River Rd. and travel 6.8 miles. We are located on the left side of the road.
From the South
Travel Route 28 North to 28 East. PA-28 becomes Route 36 in Brookville. Continue on PA-36 for about 13 miles. Turn right on Route 899 (just before the Iron Mountain Grill), travel 1.9 miles down the hill and left around the bend. Turn left on Greenwood Rd. From the stop sign (intersection of River Road and Greenwood) proceed straight along the river, we are approximately 1.2 miles on your right.
From the North
Travel PA- 322, turn left onto Route 66 North. Travel for approximately 11 miles. Turn right onto PA-36. Follow Route 36 into Cook Forest. At the bottom of the hill, just before the Cooksburg Bridge, turn left on River Rd. and travel 6.8 miles. We are located on the left side of the road.
History of our Location and the Bell
Designed by the owner, Lisa Wolff, and constructed by John Yeaney General Contractor in 2010 on 2.94 acres, The Cook Forest Bell House sits in a location steeped in history including the Bell for which it's named.
The 42-inch diameter Bell was manufactured by the Northern Bell Co. which went out of business in 1904. The Bell has been located on 1493 River Road as long as can be remembered. Long time residents and locals report that the Bell was once used for the one room school house located on River Road in the 1800’s.
In northeastern Clarion County, a gently rolling plateau landscape plunges into a unique gorge that ironically holds both historical relics from the Pennsylvania logging era and one of the Commonwealth’s last remaining stands of old growth forest. Both can be found at Cook Forest State Park.
The wide and placid Clarion River, not too far from its confluence with the Allegheny River, flows through a deep gorge that shelters the historic and scenic wonders of Cook Forest. Long before anyone could conceive of natural or historic protection in Central and Western Pennsylvania, let alone a state park, the region was clear cut with the assistance of waterways, down which logs were floated to saw mills. Many remnants of the riverside diners that fed the traveling loggers can still be found in the river bed of the Clarion River.
The Cook Forest area was at an immediate disadvantage because of the Clarion River’s ease of navigation. The area was first logged for its native white pine and hemlock as early as the 1820s, quite early for the Pennsylvania logging industry. After a hundred years the general area had been denuded of its old growth forest except for a few parcels that had not yet been logged due to mere quirks in scheduling. Concerned citizens, with help from the Commonwealth, purchased the remaining old growth tracts for protection, leading to the creation of Cook Forest State Park.
Some of the ancient trees stand up to 300 feet in height, and the power of nature is clearly visible in this most natural of locations. As the Chinese proverb goes, “the tallest tree attracts the strongest winds,” and this old forest shows the dramatic evidence of several windstorms in recent decades.
