Little Buffalo
State Park
Length: 1.5 miles
Rating: Strenuous
White Blaze
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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