Little Buffalo State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Little Buffalo State Park |
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IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
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Sunset over Holman Lake
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 Little Buffalo State Park
Location in Pennsylvania
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| Location | Perry, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Area | 923 acres (374 ha) |
| Elevation | 643 ft (196 m) |
| Established | 1972 |
| Named for | Little Buffalo Creek |
| Governing body | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |
| Website | Little Buffalo State Park |
Little Buffalo State Park is a fun and interesting state park in Perry County, Pennsylvania. It covers about 923 acres (3.7 km2) of land. This park is a great place to visit for both history and outdoor activities.
At the park, you can walk across a cool covered bridge. You can also see a working grist mill that has been fixed up. The park is home to Holman Lake, which is a very popular spot for fishing. Plus, hundreds of acres are open for hunting. Little Buffalo State Park is located near Newport, just off Pennsylvania Route 34.
Contents
Park History
Little Buffalo State Park gets its name from Little Buffalo Creek, which flows through the park. The creek and a nearby area called Buffalo Ridge are named after bison. People believe these large animals once roamed this part of Pennsylvania.
Humans have lived in what is now Pennsylvania for a very long time. The first people were Paleo-Indian hunters who moved around a lot. Later, during the Woodland period, people started to live in villages and grow crops.
Early Settlements
In 1754, a large area of land was bought from the Iroquois League of Six Nations. This area included what is now Perry County. People started to settle here after the American Revolution. They cleared the land to start farms. Many of these farms are still active today.
One of the first farmers, John Koch, opened the Blue Ball Tavern in 1811. This tavern was a stop for travelers on the Carlisle Pike. It offered food, drinks, and a place to sleep. It was also a popular meeting spot for local people to share news. The Blue Ball Tavern was even used by messengers during the War of 1812. It's rumored that the plans to create Perry County in 1821 were made right there! The tavern closed in 1841. Today, a farmhouse built in 1865 stands on the tavern's old foundation. This farmhouse is now the Blue Ball Tavern Museum and a library.
Charcoal and Mills
In the early days, the Newport area was important for making charcoal. Before coal was discovered, charcoal was needed to power iron furnaces. A single iron furnace could use up 1 acre (4,000 m2) of forest in just one day! Huge charcoal furnaces were built near Newport. Workers called colliers would stack timber around large hearths. They would tend these fires for 10 to 14 days to make charcoal.
The charcoal was then sent to the Juniata Iron Works. This iron works operated until 1848, when most of the wood in the area was used up. You can still see signs of the charcoal industry at Little Buffalo State Park today. There are large circular areas of mostly bare land where the furnaces once stood. You can even find pieces of charcoal in the park's woods.
After the iron works closed, the land continued to be farmed. In 1849, William Shoaff bought 63 acres (250,000 m2) of land and a gristmill from the iron works. Farmers brought their crops to Shoaff's Mill until the 1940s. The mill has been restored and is working again! Visitors can watch cornmeal being made, or see apples being ground for apple cider.
Little Buffalo State Park officially opened in 1972. Allan W. Holman Jr., a local politician, helped make the park a reality. Holman Lake is named in his honor.
Park Wildlife
Little Buffalo Creek and Holman Lake are perfect homes for many different wild animals. The warm waters of the creek and lake are great for fish like crappie, sunfish, and largemouth bass. Bass will eat almost anything in the lake, including ducklings, crayfish, and even other fish!
Holman Lake has many yellow perch. To help manage their numbers, fish like walleye, muskellunge, and channel catfish have been added to the lake. Because of all these different fish, Holman Lake is a very popular spot for fishing. It's even a "Big Bass Lake." This means that any bass you keep must be at least 15 inches long, and you can only keep four per day.
Birds and Mammals
The fish in Holman Lake attract many birds. You might see Bald eagles and osprey fishing here, even though they don't nest in the park. Great blue herons and green herons wade in the shallow water looking for fish, frogs, and crayfish. Wood ducks, mallards, and Canada geese also live at the lake.
The woods and fields around the lake are home to the bluebird. These beautiful birds were once rare because they lost their natural nesting spots in tree holes. People have helped them by building birdhouses that are just right for bluebirds. You can also find turkeys and ruffed grouse in the park's forests.
Along the streams and lake shores, you might spot a mink. These animals hunt mostly at night. Other woodland animals living in the park include white-tailed deer, red and gray squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, and even black bears.
Reptiles and Amphibians
Little Buffalo State Park is also home to snakes and turtles. The red spotted newt lives near the lake. This small amphibian is about five inches long and is green with red spots. Many newts live here because fish don't eat them. The newt's skin has a mild toxin that makes it taste bad to fish.
Park Activities
Little Buffalo State Park offers many fun things to do for visitors.
Picnic Areas
There are two picnic areas at Little Buffalo State Park. Both areas have nice views of Holman Lake and are shaded by oak, maple, and ash trees.
- The Main Picnic Area is close to the swimming pool. It has a first-aid station, showers, and a food stand. This area also has a playground, horseshoe pits, two pavilions, restrooms, picnic tables, grills, and a boat rental station.
- The East Picnic Area is near the historical covered bridge and farmhouse. It has restrooms, picnic tables, grills, a horseshoe pit, a pavilion, an environmental center, and the Moore Performing Arts Pavilion.
Swimming Fun
The park has a large swimming pool with two slides and a sprayground area. It's a great place to cool off on a hot day!
Holman Lake Activities
Holman Lake is open all year for fishing and boating. As a "Big Bass Lake," you can only keep bass that are 15 inches (38 cm) or longer, with a limit of four per day. The lake has many largemouth bass, catfish, and panfish. It is also stocked with brook, brown, and rainbow trout. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission helps control the large population of yellow perch by adding muskellunge and walleye. People enjoy fishing for all these fish from the shore, from boats, and even on the ice in winter.
You can use electric-powered, gas-powered, and non-powered boats on Holman Lake. However, if your boat has a gas engine, you are not allowed to use it. You must use an electric motor or row. In winter, the lake is open for ice skating and ice fishing.
Hunting Opportunities
Hunting is allowed on about 300 acres (1.2 km2) of Little Buffalo State Park. Hunters must follow the rules of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Common animals hunted here include ruffed grouse, eastern gray squirrel, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, and eastern cottontail. Hunting groundhogs is not allowed.
Hiking Trails
Little Buffalo State Park has about 8 miles (13 km) of hiking trails. It also hosts a year-round Volksmarching event.
- Volksmarching is a traditional German activity where people walk a 6 miles (9.7 km) course. The course is marked with white arrows and uses several park trails.
- Little Buffalo Creek Trail - This easy, 1 mile (1.6 km) trail is marked with blue blazes. It runs from the Main Picnic Area to the western end of the park.
- Exercise Trail - This trail is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) long and has 18 exercise stations along the way.
- Blue Ball Trail - This 0.25 miles (0.40 km) trail is paved and easy to use for everyone. It connects the Blue Ball Tavern to the East Picnic Area.
- Fisherman's Trail - Marked with yellow blazes, this 1 mile (1.6 km) trail goes through a cool hemlock forest. The dense trees keep the trail cool. You'll mostly see ferns and hemlock seedlings here. The eastern end of the trail overlooks Holman Lake and the dam.
- Mill Race Trail - This easy, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) trail is marked with orange blazes. It follows Furnace Run and the mill race that powers Shoaff's Mill. You can see exactly how the mill race works!
- Middle Ridge Trail - Marked with red blazes, this is a difficult 2.5 miles (4.0 km) trail. It runs from the Exercise Trail to the western end of the park. It has some short, steep climbs and passes through different habitats and by the lake.
- Buffalo Ridge Trail - Marked with white blazes, this difficult 1.5 miles (2.4 km) trail climbs Buffalo Ridge. It goes from the East Picnic Area to an old railroad bed. On this trail, you can see remains of the old charcoal furnaces from the park's industrial past.
All hiking trails are also open for cross-country skiing during the winter months.
Nearby State Parks
Here are some other state parks within 30 miles (48 km) of Little Buffalo State Park:
- Big Spring State Forest Picnic Area (Perry County)
- Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area (Dauphin County)
- Colonel Denning State Park (Cumberland County)
- Fowlers Hollow State Park (Perry County)
- Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area (Dauphin County)
- Kings Gap Environmental Education and Training Center (Cumberland County)
- Pine Grove Furnace State Park (Cumberland County)
- Reeds Gap State Park (Mifflin County)
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