 Although the park was donated to the state , the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce made initial improvements there and operated it for the first two decades . Elsewhere in the gorge the state bought land abandoned by lumber companies , sometimes for less than $ 2 per acre ( $ 5 per ha ) . Except for the adjoining Colton Point State Park , this land became the Tioga State Forest , which was officially established in 1925 and lies just north and south of the park . As of 2008 the state forest encompasses 160 @,@ 000 acres ( 65 @,@ 000 ha ) , mostly in Tioga County . 
