Little Pine State Park

Spanning 2,158 acres of Pennsylvania wilderness, Little Pine State Park is anything but small. Within the Park, the Little Pine Creek weaves through miles of the Tiadaghton State Forest and feeds into the 60-acre Little Pine Lake.

The Little Pine Creek valley has a rich history dating back to the 17th century when Native American tribes inhabited the area. The Iroquois and Algonkians used the territory as hunting ground, and a Shawnee village and burial ground has reportedly been found just north of the Park.

After the French and Indian War, when many tribes moved westward towards Ohio, the US began acquiring large tracts of land including the Little Pine valley. Settlers soon arrived, including brothers John and James English in 1809. They built two sawmills on the creek which evolved into the village of English Mills.

By the mid-19th century, a high demand for lumber reached the Little Pine area where white pine and hemlock were abundant along the mountainsides. Lumber companies harvested trees and sent them down the creeks to the West Branch Susquehanna River where they would be transported to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This boom continued until 1909 when the last log raft floated down Little Pine Creek, one hundred years after the English brothers arrived.

In 1933, a picnic area was built along in the area by a New Deal program that provided labor jobs in rural areas owned by the government. Within twenty years, the dam was built and recreational areas were developed. Today, along with the lake, visitors enjoy hiking trails, campgrounds, and even spot nesting bald eagles.