Little Buffalo
State Park
Little Buffalo State Park is a place where people have met for centuries. Besides having extensive picnic areas and a lake for fishing and boating, the park is steeped in history. Historical features include a covered bridge, a restored, operating grist mill, an old farm house built on the site of a colonial tavern, and a narrow guage railroad trace which feature one of the original railroad cars.
From PA Route 322, take the Newport Exit and follow PA Route 34 South through the town of Newport. One mile from town turn right onto Little Buffalo State Park Road to the park. From PA Route 322 to the park entrance is 4.6 miles
Little Buffalo has approximately 8 miles of hiking trails. Sturdy footwear is recommended because of rocky footing on some of the trails.
Volksmarching: Governed by the American Volksport Association and the International Federation of Popular Sports, Volksmarchers earn awards for hiking. Little Buffalo State Park has a Volksmarcht Year Round Walk. White arrows point out the 10K (6.2 miles) walk on Mill Race, Fisherman’s, Buffalo Ridge, Little Buffalo Creek, Middle Ridge, Little Buffalo State Park Road and Exercise trails. For official information contact the park office.
| Little Buffalo Creek Trail | 1 mile | easy trail | blue blazes |
Located at the west end of the park, this trail offers hikers the beauty and sounds of water and good opportunities for seeing wildlife. This trail runs between the Main Picnic Area and the west end of the park. During the winter season, Creekside Trail makes a nice cross-country ski trail especially when skiers include the Newport and Sherman’s Valley Railroad trace and the mow strips in the west end of the park.
| Exercise Trail | 1.2 mile | easy trail | mowed path |
This loop trail has 18 permanent stations where hikers can do many different exercises, including; balance beam, pull-ups, hand walks, bar vaults, sit-ups and many other exercises. It is a good trail on which to see bluebirds.
 Blue
Ball Trail |
.25 mile | easy trail | paved |
This paved trail is ADA accessible from the East Picnic Area and runs to near the Blue Ball Tavern.
| Fisherman’s Trail | 1 mile | easy trail | yellow blazes |
This hiking trail wanders through a mature hemlock forest between the East Picnic Area and the Main Picnic Area. A dense canopy of hemlock trees allows very little sunlight to reach the forest floor making for a relatively cool walk even on the warmest days. The dim light prohibits the growth of most plants, but ferns and small hemlocks manage to grow under the canopy. A vista overlooking the lake and dam is on the east end of the trail near the East Picnic Area.
| Mill Race Trail | .5 mile | easy trail | orange blazes |
This trail can be accessed by Shoaff’s Mill and by the environmental interpretive center. The trail follows the stream Furnace Run and the mill race. The race is the narrow channel that supplies water to power the mill. A wayside exhibit explains how the mill race was dug using a mill race scoop pulled by horses. By Furnace Run hikers can find pieces of slag, a green colored stone that is a waste product of the iron furnace that was located upstream. This trail is good for seeing wildflowers.
| Middle Ridge Trail | 2.5 miles | difficult trail | red blazes |
This trail runs from the Exercise Trail to the west end of the park. It offers many short, steep climbs while traveling through a variety of habitats. Open fields feature nice views of the lake. In the mixed hardwood forest, hikers may see large, cone-shaped mounds of earth which may house tens of thousands of Allegheny mound builder ants. These ants have very strong jaws and can inflict a painful bite on those who disturb their mounds.
| Buffalo Ridge Trail | 1.5 mile | difficult trail | white blazes |
This trail runs from the East Picnic Area to the Newport and Sherman’s Valley Railroad trace by the Main Picnic Area. This difficult trail winds up Buffalo Ridge and offers glimpses of the industrial history of the area. A mixed hardwood forest with scattered hemlock giants covers the area today, but before it was timbered, the ridge was covered in giant oaks, hickories and American chestnut. Colliers scoured the ridge to make charcoal for the Juniata Iron Works. Look for flat areas of dark ground where wood was stacked, covered with soil and leaves, and burned slowly to make charcoal.
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Webmaster: Jim T. yorkhikingclub@email.com
Jan. 23, 2000
