Little Pine State Park

Little Pine State Park, Pennsylvania, USA
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
Location	Cummings Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, USA
Nearest city	Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Area	2158 acres (8.73 km²)
Established	1930s
Governing body	Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Little Pine Creek Lake, from the dam

Little Pine State Park is a Pennsylvania State Park in Cummings Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Little Pine State park is 2158 acres (8.73 km²) along 4.2 miles (6.8 km) of Little Pine Creek, a tributary of Pine Creek, in the midst of the Tiadaghton State Forest. A dam on the creek has created a 94 acre (0.38 km²) lake for fishing, boating, and swimming.

History

The Little Pine Valley was used by the Iroquois and Algonkian tribes as a hunting ground. Historians believe that there may have been a Shawnee village and burial ground just to the north of Little Pine State Park.

By the mid 19th century the demand for lumber reached the Little Pine area, where White pine and hemlock covered the surrounding mountainsides. Lumbermen came and harvested the trees and sent them down the creeks to the West Branch Susquehanna River to the log boom and sawmills at Williamsport. James and John English were the first to build a sawmill in the area in the Little Pine Area. They built two sawmills in 1809 on Little Pine Creek. The village of English Mills sprung up around the two sawmills. It was formally established in 1816. The lumber era at Little Pine lasted until 1909 when the last log raft was floated down Little Pine Creek. Remnants of the lumber era can be seen today in and around the park.

The park was founded in the 1930s as a picnic area built by the Civilian Conservation Corps along Little Pine Creek. In 1950, the dam was built for both flood control and recreational purposes. The swimming area, beach, family camping area, and more picnic facilities were added in 1958. Hurricane Agnes destroyed much of the park's infrastructure in 1972, but improvements and new facilities were constructed along with rebuilding. In 2005 the lake was drained, debris removed, and maintenance work was done on the dam. Nearby Upper Pine Bottom State Park is maintained by staff from Little Pine State Park.

Location

Little Pine State Park is located on Pennsylvania Route 4001, 4.0 miles (6.4 km) northeast of the unincorporated village of Waterville or 8.0 miles (12.8 km) southwest of the village of English Center. The nearest borough is Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, about 15 miles south at the mouth of Pine Creek on the West Branch Susquehanna River.

Facilities and recreation

Camping season at Little Pine State Park runs from the first weekend in April to mid-December. The park has 104 modern camping sites, 6 for tents only, the rest can accommodate travel trailers up to 30 feet in length. All these sites have electricity. There are also three cottages (each can sleep five people) and four group tenting sites (two able to accommodate 40 people and two for 20 people).

Hiking and cross country skiing can be enjoyed on several trails in the park and surrounding Tiadaghton State Forest, including the 5 mile (8 km) Lakeshore trail around the lake, where cross country skiing is available in winter. Part of the 261 mile (420 km) long Pennsylvania Mid State Trail runs through the park, south of the dam.

Hunting is possible in season on approximately 1700 acres (6.9 km²) of the park, plus the adjacent Tiadaghton State Forest lands. Rifle, pistol, archery, and trapping are all possible, with firearm and archery ranges in the park. Typical game animals include bear, deer, fox, grouse, squirrel, and turkey.

Picnicking facilities include four picnic areas, each with a pavilion that may be reserved, and many picnic tables and grills. A volleyball court is available. The lower picnic area is separate from the rest of the park (about 0.5 mile (1 km) below the dam and campground).

Sledding and tobogganing in the park are allowed on the shores of the lake in winter. The lake ice must be at least 4 inches (10 cm) thick.

Little Pine Lake

Boating on the lake is allowed with electric motors only. There is one boat launch area for the lake, 25 mooring places (available April 1 to November 1), and rental paddleboats, canoes and rowboats available (from Memorial Day to Labor Day).

Fishing in the park includes fly fishing on 4.2 miles (6.8 km) of Little Pine Creek, bank fishing on 3.3 miles of lake shoreline, and boat fishing on the 94 acre (0.38 km²) lake. Fish species include: smallmouth bass, catfish, pickerel, perch, sunfish, and native and stocked trout (brook, brown, and rainbow). Ice fishing on the lake is possible in winter. The laws and regulations of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission apply.

Swimming is open from late May to mid-September, from 8 AM to sunset each day. The beach is sand, with a lawn beside it. No lifeguard is on duty.

Nearby state parks

• Bald Eagle State Park (Centre County)
• Bucktail State Park (Clinton County and Cameron County)
• Colton Point State Park (Tioga County)
• Hyner Run State Park (Clinton County)
• Hyner View State Park (Clinton County)
• Kettle Creek State Park (Clinton County)
• Leonard Harrison State Park (Tioga County)
• McCalls Dam State Park (Centre County)
• Ole Bull State Park (Potter County)
• Ravensburg State Park (Clinton County)
• R. B. Winter State Park (Union County)
• Sand Bridge State Park (Union County)
• Susquehanna State Park (Lycoming County)
• Upper Pine Bottom State Park (Lycoming County)

References

• "Little Pine State Park". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
• "State Parks near the Tiadaghton State Forest". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
• "DCNR lowering lake level at Little Pine State Park". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
• Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division. "2005 General Highway Map of Lycoming County" (PDF). Retrieved 2006-07-28.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Note: shows Little Pine State Park
• "Little Pine State Park History". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
• "Pennsylvania State Parks: The CCC Years". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2006-11-28.