Trifter

Little Buffalo State Park is a small park located about 3 miles outside of Newport, Pennsylvania. It has something for everyone! It has quite a few scenic places, as well as historical value for those of you who enjoy museums and such!

There are two entrances to the park, but they do not connect so if you want to see everything, you will have to go through both of them.

The lower entrance provides access to the Ranger Station, Old Mill Museum, Blue Tavern Museum, boat launch area, canoes, the dam breast, and lower hiking trails. The Ranger Station is at the start of the first entrance. It does not feature a lot to see, but has a small diarama of the park and offers brochures on local attractions. The Blue Tavern Museum is located straight across from the Ranger Station. It’s only open for a few hours each day, but is filled with hundred of interesting artifacts that range from Native American pottery and weapons to soldier uniforms and antique item from local areas.

The Old Mill museum is located only a few hundred feet up the road. It was a real working Grist Mill in its day, and is open for people to walk through and see how it once worked. It displays a variety of grindstones that were used there, and labels of what the mill produced.  The Park Rangers turn on the machinery to allow people to see how everything works, and the old water wheel still turns to produce power to run the mill.

A side road takes you to the boat launch at the south end of the lake. The canoes are located there as well. And a small parking lot to the left side gives you access to the dam breast area. Within that area is a small butterfly garden, stage, playground, steps up to the top of the dam breast for a nice look at the lake and access to hiking trails. There is also a restored red covered bridge and railroad car.

The upper entrance to the park leads to the pool, more hiking trails, concession and first aid stands, boat rentals, picnic areas, and docks. The concession stand and first aid stand are both situatednear the pool. The pool does require a fee to swim there, but has water slides and multiple features for kids that shoot water in different directions.

Picnic areas are spread throughout the parks, but all the pavillions are located here at the upper end. Pavillions are most likely only available by reservation.

Down at the lake, there is fishing, docks, and a rental shop when you can rent a variety of boats that include canoes, kyacks, and paddle boats.

And the hiking trails range from easy to difficult. Some go around the lake, while others work their way back into the forest and hills. There are some restrooms located along some of the trails, but not all of them.

If needed, check with the Ranger Station about pet policies and handicap accessability to areas in the park.