The McKeever Environmental Learning Center is folded into a natural wooded setting about 75 miles north of Pittsburgh near Sandy Lake, Mercer County. The McKeever Center was established in 1974, and is administered by Slippery Rock University as a public service institute of the State System of Higher Education. Its primary purpose is to provide programs to assist citizens of all ages in becoming better stewards of the Earth's resources. The McKeever Center's lodges, auditorium, dining hall, and classroom/office building are surrounded by 205 acres of hardwood forest with streams, meadows, and hemlock ravines. The four miles of trails which meander through these areas of scenic beauty are open to the public seven days a week from sunrise to sunset.