Every summer, my family makes the four-hour trek to Little Pine Valley
for our family reunion. My grandma grew up in the Valley; her old family
homestead became what is now Carsontown, a small town just a few
minutes away from Little Pine State Park, where we always camp. Nestled
in the Appalachian Mountains, the picturesque park offers more than one
hundred campsites and features a variety of trails winding up into the
mountains or down next to the creek.
The Buttonball Trail is
the most family-friendly of the trails. Lasting only about half a mile,
it begins next to the bridge at the park’s entrance and ends at the
water’s edge. Just that stretch, however, is enough to happen upon
plenty of wildlife, particularly in the morning. It is not uncommon to
see deer rustling the weeds on either side of the path or herons taking
flight above the creek. Rabbits and small rodents abound, and snakes and
turtles sometimes make an appearance. While bears are said to roam the
grounds from time to time, I have never encountered one on this or any
other path. At the end of the path, just a few steps towards the trees
will take you to a very dark and quiet corner of the creek populated by
newts and crayfish. My brother and I have spent many hours at this spot,
which we’ve dubbed The Newt Hole, trying to catch the squirmy critters.
There are also plenty of trails for more hardy hikers, some
going up into the mountains and some looping around the nearby dam. For a
quick but steep hike, head over to the spillway, a popular fishing spot
towards the far end of the campground. Next to the water is a rocky
hill leading up to a monument. It only takes five or ten minutes to
reach the top, but from there you have a great view of the campground
and the dam on the other side. Between the entrance and the spillway is a
small cemetery. Its gate is usually locked, but it is interesting just
to peek inside and see all the weathered gravestones. It’s the only
campground I’ve ever been to with a cemetery in it! If you follow the
campground road past the spillway and up towards the mountain, keep an
eye to the right, where you will see a tree whose base bears an uncanny
resemblance to a turtle. These little expeditions are especially fun for
youngsters.
The dam offers a beach where families can swim as
long as the water level isn’t too low or too high. You can also rent
pedal-boats and venture further out on the reservoir. This beach is just
below a picnic pavilion, which we rented for our family reunion for
several years before switching to the Lower Picnic Area, which is a much
shadier location by the creek. When the water is high enough, this is
one of many spots along the creek where you can spend the afternoon
innertubing.
Until just a couple years ago, a quick walk up
the hill from the campground brought you to the store and restaurant of
Happy Acres, another campground. The store was particularly convenient,
as we could purchase any last-minute or replacement supplies there and
didn’t even have to move the car. Thus far, the store and restaurant
remain unoccupied, so the closest store is in Waterville, a drive of ten
or fifteen minutes. The general store there has groceries as well as
souvenirs, from postcards to leather clothing. Waterville also has a
couple of restaurants and a post office.
The area around
Little Pine is very scenic, perfect for an afternoon drive. You can
check out Waterville, Jersey Shore, English Center… even venture into
Williamsport, home of Little League Baseball, which is about a forty
minute drive. Also nearby is the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, which I
myself have never seen but I hear the view is terrific. The view from
the mountaintops is breath-taking, but the roads are not very
accessible. We used to drive up a couple of the mountains, but most are
now only traversable by foot. If you can set aside a day to get up
there, it’s worth the effort.
Within the campground, there are
a number of educational programs at the pavilion, which the friendly
park rangers will be glad to fill you in on as they make their rounds of
the park. These range from films to discussions over coffee to hands-on
exhibits of small local wildlife. On Sundays, there are church services
in the pavilion, as well as at the Carsontown church just down the
road, which is only open during the summer and caters mainly to
visitors.
At the present time, the campground is undergoing
major construction; when we visited in July half the campsites were
off-limits and four Port-o-potties replaced the typical park plumbing.
By next year, though, the park will be restored to full capacity,
including the addition of showers.
Little Pine is a beautiful
and little-known spot in Central Pennsylvania, and while it is a part of
my heritage – so much so that I devoted my entire senior thesis to it –
it is just as enjoyable to those who have never heard of it before.
There’s no place quite like Little Pine. Check it out, and I’m sure
you’ll be enchanted as well.
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