Linn Run State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Linn Run State Park |
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A snowy scene at Linn Run State Park
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 Linn Run State Park
Location in Pennsylvania
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| Location | Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Area | 612 acres (248 ha) |
| Elevation | 1,798 ft (548 m) |
| Established | 1909 |
| Governing body | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |
| Website | Linn Run State Park |
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Linn Run State Park Family Cabin District
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Cabin #9
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| Nearest city | Cook Township |
| Area | 13.5 acres (5.5 ha) |
| Built | 1933 |
| MPS | Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) Architecture in Pennsylvania State Parks: 1933-1942, TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 87000107 |
| Added to NRHP | February 12, 1987 |
Linn Run State Park is a fun Pennsylvania state park covering 612 acres. It's located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, within Cook and Ligonier Townships. The park shares a border with Forbes State Forest.
Inside the park, two smaller streams, Grove Run and Rock Run, join together. They form a larger stream called Linn Run. You can also find a beautiful waterfall named Adams Falls here. The park is easy to get to, just off Pennsylvania Route 381 near the small town of Rector.
Contents
Park History
The area around Linn Run State Park is now a lively second-growth forest. This means the trees growing there today are not the original ones. About 100 years ago, this land looked very different. It was often called a "waste land."
From Old Forests to New Growth
The Allegheny Mountains used to be covered with huge, very old trees. These were old-growth forests. But in the late 1800s and early 1900s, lumber companies cut down almost all of these trees. This was a big part of the "lumber era" in Pennsylvania.
Workers took the cut logs to sawmills to make lumber. Smaller logs were used to support tunnels in coal mines. The bark from hemlock trees was used to make tannin for leather.
Fires and Rebuilding
After the trees were cut, the lumbermen left behind lots of dry treetops. Sparks from passing steam locomotives often set these dry branches on fire. Huge wildfires then swept through the mountains.
In 1909, Pennsylvania bought the land. A park manager named John R. Williams reported that about 60% of the park had burned. These fires badly damaged the young trees trying to grow. You can still see signs of these old fires today.
Bringing Back Wildlife
The destruction of the forests also harmed the wildlife. Many animals lost their homes or were hunted too much. To help bring animals back, White-tailed deer were brought from Michigan and New York.
These deer were released all over Pennsylvania. The deer you see in Pennsylvania today are descendants of those first deer, brought in after the lumber companies left in 1910.
Things to Do at Linn Run State Park
Linn Run State Park offers many fun activities for visitors.
Hiking Trails
All trails in the park are great for hiking. However, you cannot ride mountain bikes or snowmobiles on these hiking trails.
- Adams Falls Trail is 1.0 mile long and goes past Adams Falls. This trail is quite rocky and features many large boulders. The waterfall is surrounded by hemlock trees and beautiful rhododendron plants.
- Iscrupe Trail is 0.75 miles long. It follows the path of the old Linn Run Road and ends at the Adams Falls Picnic Area.
- Flat Rock Trail is 0.5 miles long. It leads to a big, smooth rock right by the Linn Run stream.
- Grove Run Trail is a 4.0-mile loop. It starts behind the Grove Run Picnic Area and gets steeper as it follows Grove Run.
Hunting and Fishing
You can go Hunting on about 400 acres of Linn Run State Park. Common animals to hunt include squirrels, turkey, and white-tailed deer. However, hunting groundhogs is not allowed. Hunters must follow the rules set by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Linn Run is also a great place for trout fishing. The stream has both stocked trout (fish put there by people) and native brook trout.
Picnic Areas
Linn Run State Park is a popular spot for families and groups to have picnics. There are two main picnic areas in the park.
- Adams Falls Picnic Area is located near Adams Falls. It has many picnic tables, a covered pavilion, a playground, and modern restrooms.
- Grove Run Picnic Area is near Grove Run. It has picnic tables, a playground, and restrooms, but it does not have a pavilion.
Cabins for Rent
The cabins at Linn Run State Park are special! This area is called the Linn Run State Park Family Cabin District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The oldest cabins were built in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC was a program during the Great Depression that helped put people to work building parks and other public projects. These cabins were built in a style called WPA Rustic.
There are ten cabins at Linn Run State Park. Only one of them is modern, with its own kitchen and bathroom inside. The other nine cabins are "rustic." This means they don't have indoor plumbing. However, they do have basic furniture like beds, tables, and chairs. They also have wood-burning stoves, electricity, a refrigerator, oven, and microwave. Each rustic cabin has its own outhouse and a water pump nearby. There is also a modern bathhouse in the cabin area for everyone to use.
Nearby State Parks
Here are some other state parks within 30 miles of Linn Run State Park:
- Keystone State Park (Westmoreland County)
- Kooser State Park (Somerset County)
- Laurel Mountain State Park (Westmoreland County)
- Laurel Hill State Park (Somerset County)
- Laurel Ridge State Park (Cambria, Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties)
- Laurel Summit State Park (Westmoreland County)
- Ohiopyle State Park (Fayette County)
- Yellow Creek State Park (Indiana County)
Images for kids
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The creek travels parallel to the Flat Rock Trail.
