Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Encyclopedia
Pine Grove Furnace State Park is a protected Pennsylvania area that includes Laurel and Fuller lakes in Cooke Township. The park provides various outdoor recreation
activities, has the remains of the Pine Grove Iron Works
, and was the site of the 1830 Laurel Forge, 1880s Pine Grove Park, and an 1892 brick plant. Pine Grove Furnace State park is 8 miles (12.9 km) from exit 37 of Interstate 81
on Pennsylvania Route 233
.
is the Pine Grove Iron Works
of about 176 acre (0.71224736 km²) with structures associated with the 1764 Pine Grove Furnace
, which ended production in 1895. The 1870 South Mountain RR
and the subsequent 1891 Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad
provided the railway lines to the industrial areas of the state park.
and was built by Peter Ege in 1830. The Laurel Forge Pond (now Laurel Lake) was created by a dam below the Sage Run confluence at Mountain Creek
to provide waterwheel power via the forge's water race
. By 1873 the forge area included a boarding house, coal house, several dwellings, 2 railroad spurs, and a train depot; and in 1884 "Laurel Station" was added as a stop for excursions of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad
. Laurel Dam was breached by flooding in 1889 https://edisk.fandm.edu/michael.rahnis/outgoing/DEP/DEP_REPORT_TEXT.pdf & 1919 (downwash from both breached the Mount Holly Springs
dam downstream), and the lake is 25 acre (0.1011715 km²) of the state park.
in 1881 http://techterms.net/ironwork/TAIME/pdf/TAIME_vol_10.pdf and "J.C. Fuller’s Fifth Annual Reunion" in 1883.http://www.chestercohistorical.org/photoarchive/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/411141myers2008.pdf By July 1884 the park included a green field for baseball and other games "at the Park station", water fountains, lunch tables & seats, large dancing pavilion, long bowling alley, children's swings, a carousel (flying horses, etc), and a nearby 200 yd (182.9 m) rifle range. A Baldwin
steam car
carried visitors between the park and the iron works, and the "first hard day's practice" of the 1903 Dickinson College
football team was at the park.http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FB0D12FA3E5911738DDDAA0994D1405B838CF1D3 Both "Pine Grove Park" and "Pine Grove Furnace" were listed in 1904 as railway stations of the Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad
, but the park ended operations and was in "ruins" when the Reading Company
laid new tracks in 1912. A January 1913 plan to restore the private park was superseded by the commonwealth's purchase of the area.
was "hauled by wagon from the quarry a quarter of a mile from the works, and the clay [was] brought by rail from Laurel Station, three miles away" (the Pine Grove kiln held 12,000 bricks). The soapstone was used for washing the clay (Ivery patent in 1901)http://books.google.com/books?id=LRJLAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA10&dq=%22J.+W.+Ivery%22+clay&hl=en&ei=LDDYTfykOqjY0QGPhbH8Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFgQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=%22J.%20W.%20Ivery%22%20clay&f=false and the clay was formed, dried, and kilned south of the iron works at the brick plant in front of cemetery hill until .
. By 1921,http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/sfrmp/docs/The%20Legacy%20of%20Penn's%20Woods%20-%20The%20History%20of%20the%20Bureau%20of%20Forestry.pdf "Pine Grove" was one of Pennsylvania's 7 "forest parks",http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/history/historyearlyyears.aspx within which the smaller Pine Grove Furnace State Park was established by 1931 http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/history/shorthistory.aspx under the 1929 Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/history/shorthistory.aspx (the remaining state forest was named the Michaux State Forest
.)
Many of the facilities at the park were built during the Great Depression
by the Civilian Conservation Corps
. The young men of the CCC Camp S-51-PA constructed roads throughout the state forests, constructed bridges on the state roads, planted trees for reforestation, and cleaned streams. The 1912 Reading railroad tracks have been removed, and from mid-September 2006 through July 2007, Laurel Lake and its dam were reconditioned. Park lifeguards were eliminated for the 2008 season but were restored to Fuller Lake in 2009 after a July 2008 Fuller Lake drowning, the 1st at a state park beach since 1999.
of the Pine Grove Iron Works. Boating is not permitted on Fuller Lake. Laurel Lake
is a 25 acres (10.1 ha) that was created to supply water power for Laurel Forge. Boaters are limited to using electric powered and non-powered watercraft on Laurel Lake. Gas powered boats are not permitted. All boats must have a valid registration from any state.
In-season archery hunting is permitted in most of the state park, while small areas for seasonal firearms hunting are on the west and south (groundhog
hunting is prohibited). The beaches and swimming at Fuller and Laurel lakes are open Memorial Day
weekend through Labor Day
weekend.
The grist mill is being used as the visitor center and the former inn
is now the park office. There are many picnic table
s spread throughout the park. In addition to the tables, two pavilion
s are available for rent at Pine Grove Furnace State Park.
over the Cumberland County Biker/Hiker Trail (rail trail
) and, on the west, along 0.4 mile (0.643736 km) of roadways. The marker for the Appalachian Trail midpoint is east of the state park (40°1.827′N 77°17.225′W),http://rohland.homedns.org/at/state/state_detail/AT_state_detail.aspx?stateID=1§ionID=12 and thru-hikers
completing the store's half-gallon ice cream
challenge receive a commemorative wooden spoon. The trails are open to cross-country skiing
and some trails and roads are open to snowmobiling
during the winter months.
s and tenting, and across the road is a wooded "organized group tenting" area around an open playing field (a YMCA camp is near Laurel Lake). Pines Cabin and the Paymasters Cabin have central heating and are available for rent. The Ironmaster's Mansion is a youth hostel commonly used by Appalachian Trail thru-hikers.
valley and the neighboring mountain slopes (Piney Mountain, Post Steeple, & South Mountain) are part of the Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
ecoregion and have few areas that are not wooded. In addition to the typical mammals, birds, and other fauna of the northeastern US ecoregion, the park's Laurel Lake attracts migratory waterfowl of the Atlantic Flyway
(butterflies
reach their peak in the summer months.) The lakes have pickerel
, trout
and perch
; while Mountain Creek
has brook
, brown
and rainbow trout
.
Outdoor recreation
Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity is leisure pursuits engaged in outside, especially in natural or semi-natural settings out of town...
activities, has the remains of the Pine Grove Iron Works
Pine Grove Iron Works
The Pine Grove Iron Works was a southcentral Pennsylvania smelting facility during the Industrial Revolution. The works is notable for remaining structures that are historical visitor attractions of Pine Grove Furnace State Park, including the furnace stack of the Pine Grove Furnace.-Geography:The...
, and was the site of the 1830 Laurel Forge, 1880s Pine Grove Park, and an 1892 brick plant. Pine Grove Furnace State park is 8 miles (12.9 km) from exit 37 of Interstate 81
Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania
Interstate 81 is an long north–south Interstate Highway, stretching from Dandridge, Tennessee to Fisher's Landing, New York at the US/Canadian border...
on Pennsylvania Route 233
Pennsylvania Route 233
Pennsylvania Route 233 is a north–south highway in south central Pennsylvania. It runs from the village of Mont Alto, just north of Waynesboro and the Maryland state line to Green Park...
.
History
The state park's historic place on the national registerNational Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on National Register of Historic Places in the Cumberland County, Pennsylvania...
is the Pine Grove Iron Works
Pine Grove Iron Works
The Pine Grove Iron Works was a southcentral Pennsylvania smelting facility during the Industrial Revolution. The works is notable for remaining structures that are historical visitor attractions of Pine Grove Furnace State Park, including the furnace stack of the Pine Grove Furnace.-Geography:The...
of about 176 acre (0.71224736 km²) with structures associated with the 1764 Pine Grove Furnace
Pine Grove Iron Works
The Pine Grove Iron Works was a southcentral Pennsylvania smelting facility during the Industrial Revolution. The works is notable for remaining structures that are historical visitor attractions of Pine Grove Furnace State Park, including the furnace stack of the Pine Grove Furnace.-Geography:The...
, which ended production in 1895. The 1870 South Mountain RR
South Mountain Railroad (Cumberland)
The South Mountain Railroad was a southcentral Pennsylvania railway line for "connecting the Pine Grove works to the Cumberland Valley R. R." and which provided mining and passenger services via a southwest section from Hunter's Run, Pennsylvania, and a northern section from Hunter's Run to the...
and the subsequent 1891 Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad
Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad
The Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad was a railway line from the Hunter's Run junction of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railway that ran southwestward along the south side of Mountain Creek to the Pine Grove Iron Works...
provided the railway lines to the industrial areas of the state park.
Laurel Forge
Laurel Forge manufactured wrought iron from Pine Grove Furnace pig ironPig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
and was built by Peter Ege in 1830. The Laurel Forge Pond (now Laurel Lake) was created by a dam below the Sage Run confluence at Mountain Creek
Mountain Creek (Yellow Breeches Creek)
Mountain Creek is a tributary of Yellow Breeches Creek in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States.Mountain Creek joins Yellow Breeches Creek near the borough of Mount Holly Springs.-References:...
to provide waterwheel power via the forge's water race
Sluice
A sluice is a water channel that is controlled at its head by a gate . For example, a millrace is a sluice that channels water toward a water mill...
. By 1873 the forge area included a boarding house, coal house, several dwellings, 2 railroad spurs, and a train depot; and in 1884 "Laurel Station" was added as a stop for excursions of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad
Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad
The Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad was a railway line of Pennsylvania from Hunter's Run southward to Gettysburg in the 19th century. The north junction was with the South Mountain RR, and a crossing with the Hanover Junction, Hanover and Gettysburg Railroad's westward extension was at Gettysburg...
. Laurel Dam was breached by flooding in 1889 https://edisk.fandm.edu/michael.rahnis/outgoing/DEP/DEP_REPORT_TEXT.pdf & 1919 (downwash from both breached the Mount Holly Springs
Mount Holly Springs, Pennsylvania
Mount Holly Springs is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,925 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
dam downstream), and the lake is 25 acre (0.1011715 km²) of the state park.
Pine Grove Park
Pine Grove Park was established "in a grove of magnificent trees" east of the iron works by Colonel Jackson C. Fuller after he purchased Pine Grove Furnace in 1877 (Fuller also owned a farm in the area.)http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BFQmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JgAGAAAAIBAJ&pg=1659,1043476&dq=fuller+pine-grove&hl=en The park had the "Fuller Cornet Band" for entertainment, and Fuller hosted the American Institute of Mine EngineersAmerican Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers
The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers is a professional body for mining and metallurgy, with 90,000 members. It was founded in 1871 by 22 mining engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States, being one of the first national engineering societies in the...
in 1881 http://techterms.net/ironwork/TAIME/pdf/TAIME_vol_10.pdf and "J.C. Fuller’s Fifth Annual Reunion" in 1883.http://www.chestercohistorical.org/photoarchive/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/411141myers2008.pdf By July 1884 the park included a green field for baseball and other games "at the Park station", water fountains, lunch tables & seats, large dancing pavilion, long bowling alley, children's swings, a carousel (flying horses, etc), and a nearby 200 yd (182.9 m) rifle range. A Baldwin
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
steam car
Steam dummy
A steam dummy or dummy engine, in the United States of America and Canada, was a steam engine enclosed in a wooden box structure made to resemble a railroad passenger coach....
carried visitors between the park and the iron works, and the "first hard day's practice" of the 1903 Dickinson College
Dickinson College
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
football team was at the park.http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FB0D12FA3E5911738DDDAA0994D1405B838CF1D3 Both "Pine Grove Park" and "Pine Grove Furnace" were listed in 1904 as railway stations of the Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad
Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad
The Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad was a railway line from the Hunter's Run junction of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railway that ran southwestward along the south side of Mountain Creek to the Pine Grove Iron Works...
, but the park ended operations and was in "ruins" when the Reading Company
Reading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
laid new tracks in 1912. A January 1913 plan to restore the private park was superseded by the commonwealth's purchase of the area.
Fuller Brick and Slate Company
The Fuller Brick and Slate Company's operations that began in 1892 were developed by J. W. Ivery at the "Pine Grove works"http://books.google.com/books?id=lW1DAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA24 using clay exposed in the region's quarries. Slate was quarried 3 mi (4.8 km) southwest of the works, the soapstoneSoapstone
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock, a talc-schist. It is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich in magnesium. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occurs in the areas where tectonic plates are subducted, changing rocks by heat and pressure, with influx...
was "hauled by wagon from the quarry a quarter of a mile from the works, and the clay [was] brought by rail from Laurel Station, three miles away" (the Pine Grove kiln held 12,000 bricks). The soapstone was used for washing the clay (Ivery patent in 1901)http://books.google.com/books?id=LRJLAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA10&dq=%22J.+W.+Ivery%22+clay&hl=en&ei=LDDYTfykOqjY0QGPhbH8Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFgQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=%22J.%20W.%20Ivery%22%20clay&f=false and the clay was formed, dried, and kilned south of the iron works at the brick plant in front of cemetery hill until .
State forest and park
The Pine Grove Division of the state's South Mountain Forest began with the South Mountain Mining & Iron Company's sale of 6993 acre (28.3 km²) acres to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry in 1912. On September 12, 1913, three additional tracts totalling 9873 acre (40 km²) were sold in the areas of land surrounding Pine Grove and Laurel Forge—including 1817 acre (7.4 km²) in Adams CountyAdams County, Pennsylvania
Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
. By 1921,http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/sfrmp/docs/The%20Legacy%20of%20Penn's%20Woods%20-%20The%20History%20of%20the%20Bureau%20of%20Forestry.pdf "Pine Grove" was one of Pennsylvania's 7 "forest parks",http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/history/historyearlyyears.aspx within which the smaller Pine Grove Furnace State Park was established by 1931 http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/history/shorthistory.aspx under the 1929 Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
The Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks is an agency of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that manages and operates the state park system of the state. The agency is part of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources .-External links:...
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/history/shorthistory.aspx (the remaining state forest was named the Michaux State Forest
Michaux State Forest
Michaux State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #1. The main offices are located in Fayetteville in Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the United States....
.)
Many of the facilities at the park were built during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
. The young men of the CCC Camp S-51-PA constructed roads throughout the state forests, constructed bridges on the state roads, planted trees for reforestation, and cleaned streams. The 1912 Reading railroad tracks have been removed, and from mid-September 2006 through July 2007, Laurel Lake and its dam were reconditioned. Park lifeguards were eliminated for the 2008 season but were restored to Fuller Lake in 2009 after a July 2008 Fuller Lake drowning, the 1st at a state park beach since 1999.
| Intersection | Coordinates |
|---|---|
| W park border (pt on PA 233 Pennsylvania Route 233 Pennsylvania Route 233 is a north–south highway in south central Pennsylvania. It runs from the village of Mont Alto, just north of Waynesboro and the Maryland state line to Green Park... ) |
40.0312°N 77.3119°Whttp://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=40.031443,-77.305287&daddr=40.031771,-77.308828+to:40.031209,-77.311869&hl=en&geocode=FdPUYgIdOWpk-w%3BFRvWYgIdZFxk-w%3BFenTYgIdg1Bk-w&mra=ls&sll=40.031771,-77.308828&sspn=0.004896,0.013036&ie=UTF8&ll=40.031582,-77.308581&spn=0.004896,0.013036&t=h&z=17 |
 & former "Laurel Road" |
40.0319°N 77.3101°W |
| T339 & Biker/Hiker Trail | 40.0314°N 77.3053°W |
| Mountain Cr bridge @ Fuller Lake | 40.0308°N 77.2978°Whttp://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=40.031673,-77.290277&daddr=40.030798,-77.297825&geocode=FbnVYgId26Rk-w%3BFU7SYgIdX4dk-w&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=40.031673,-77.290277&sspn=0.004896,0.013036&ie=UTF8&ll=40.030227,-77.294043&spn=0.004896,0.013036&t=h&z=17 |
| E park border (Old RR Bed Rd) | 40.0317°N 77.2903°W |
Recreation
Fuller Lake of 1.7 acre (0.6879662 ha) has filled an abandoned quarryQuarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
of the Pine Grove Iron Works. Boating is not permitted on Fuller Lake. Laurel Lake
Laurel Lake
Laurel Lake is a waterbody with recreation area at Pine Grove Furnace State Park .-History:The lake was created for supplying a water race to Laurel Forge by an 1830 dam on Mountain Creek...
is a 25 acres (10.1 ha) that was created to supply water power for Laurel Forge. Boaters are limited to using electric powered and non-powered watercraft on Laurel Lake. Gas powered boats are not permitted. All boats must have a valid registration from any state.
In-season archery hunting is permitted in most of the state park, while small areas for seasonal firearms hunting are on the west and south (groundhog
Groundhog
The groundhog , also known as a woodchuck, whistle-pig, or in some areas as a land-beaver, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other marmots, such as the yellow-bellied and hoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but...
hunting is prohibited). The beaches and swimming at Fuller and Laurel lakes are open Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
weekend through Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
weekend.
The grist mill is being used as the visitor center and the former inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
is now the park office. There are many picnic table
Picnic table
A picnic table is a modified table with attached benches, designed for eating a meal outdoors .-Uses:...
s spread throughout the park. In addition to the tables, two pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
s are available for rent at Pine Grove Furnace State Park.
Hiking
The state park has 1.4 miles (2.3 km) of the Appalachian TrailAppalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
over the Cumberland County Biker/Hiker Trail (rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
) and, on the west, along 0.4 mile (0.643736 km) of roadways. The marker for the Appalachian Trail midpoint is east of the state park (40°1.827′N 77°17.225′W),http://rohland.homedns.org/at/state/state_detail/AT_state_detail.aspx?stateID=1§ionID=12 and thru-hikers
Thru-hiking
Thru-hiking is the process of hiking a long-distance trail from end to end. The term is most commonly associated with the Appalachian Trail, but is also used for other lengthy trails and long distance hikes, including the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. Thru-hiking is also...
completing the store's half-gallon ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
challenge receive a commemorative wooden spoon. The trails are open to cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
and some trails and roads are open to snowmobiling
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
during the winter months.
- Creek Trail is a 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) trail that begins at the park amphitheater and follows Mountain Creek as it passes vernal poolVernal poolVernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are temporary pools of water. They are usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species...
s and a stand of white pine treesEastern White PinePinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
. - Mountain Creek Trail is a 1.4 miles (2.3 km) trail that passes through wetlands and forests as it follows Mountain Creek. Hikers may get the opportunity to see white-tail deer, heronHeronThe herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
, beaverBeaverThe beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
s and waterfowlWaterfowlWaterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
. - Koppenhaver Trail is 1 miles (1.6 km) in length and passes through a stand of mature hemlockTsugaTsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock....
and white pine. - Swamp Trail is 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) in length and passes through a swampSwampA swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
.
Camping and lodging
Charcoal Hearth Campground along Bendersville Rd is 0.25 miles south of the park's store and has 71 sites for travel trailerTravel trailer
A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
s and tenting, and across the road is a wooded "organized group tenting" area around an open playing field (a YMCA camp is near Laurel Lake). Pines Cabin and the Paymasters Cabin have central heating and are available for rent. The Ironmaster's Mansion is a youth hostel commonly used by Appalachian Trail thru-hikers.
Geography and ecology
The park's portions of the Mountain CreekMountain Creek (Yellow Breeches Creek)
Mountain Creek is a tributary of Yellow Breeches Creek in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States.Mountain Creek joins Yellow Breeches Creek near the borough of Mount Holly Springs.-References:...
valley and the neighboring mountain slopes (Piney Mountain, Post Steeple, & South Mountain) are part of the Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
The Appalachian-Blue Ridge Forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the Eastern United States, delineated by the World Wide Fund for Nature.-Setting:...
ecoregion and have few areas that are not wooded. In addition to the typical mammals, birds, and other fauna of the northeastern US ecoregion, the park's Laurel Lake attracts migratory waterfowl of the Atlantic Flyway
Atlantic Flyway
The Atlantic Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Atlantic Coast of North America and the Appalachian Mountains. The main endpoints of the flyway include the Canadian Maritimes and the region surrounding the Gulf of Mexico; the migration route tends to narrow considerably in...
(butterflies
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
reach their peak in the summer months.) The lakes have pickerel
American pickerel
The American pickerels are two subspecies of Esox americanus, a species of freshwater fish in the pike family of order Esociformes: the redfin pickerel, E. americanus americanus Gmelin, 1789, and the grass pickerel, E. americanus vermiculatus Lesueur, 1846.Both subspecies are native to North America...
, trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
and perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
; while Mountain Creek
Mountain Creek (Yellow Breeches Creek)
Mountain Creek is a tributary of Yellow Breeches Creek in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States.Mountain Creek joins Yellow Breeches Creek near the borough of Mount Holly Springs.-References:...
has brook
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
, brown
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
and rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
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Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within 30 miles (48 km) of Pine Grove Furnace State Park:- Big Spring State ParkBig Spring State Park (Pennsylvania)Big Spring State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Toboyne Township, Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 274, southwest of New Germantown. Big Spring State Park is a hiking and picnic area...
(Perry CountyPerry County, PennsylvaniaAs of the census of 2000, there were 43,602 people, 16,695 households, and 12,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 79 people per square mile . There were 18,941 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile...
) - Caledonia State ParkCaledonia State ParkCaledonia State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Greene Township, Franklin County and Franklin Township, Adams County in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is named for an iron furnace, Caledonia Furnace, that was owned by Thaddeus Stevens beginning in 1837. Today the park is known...
(AdamsAdams County, PennsylvaniaAdams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
and Franklin CountiesFranklin County, PennsylvaniaAs of the census of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
) - Codorus State ParkCodorus State ParkCodorus State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Heidelberg, Manheim, Penn, and West Manheim Townships in southwestern York County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park was created around Lake Marburg, an artificial lake covering , and is named for Codorus Creek, which forms the lake...
(York CountyYork County, PennsylvaniaYork County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 434,972. It is in the Susquehanna Valley, a large fertile agricultural region in South Central Pennsylvania....
) - Colonel Denning State ParkColonel Denning State ParkColonel Denning State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Lower Mifflin Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in the Doubling Gap of Blue Mountain on Pennsylvania Route 233 between Newville and Landisburg. Doubling Gap Lake is a man-made lake covering...
(Cumberland County) - Cunningham Falls State ParkCunningham Falls State ParkCunningham Falls State Park is a Maryland State Park located west of Thurmont, Maryland, USA, in the Catoctin Mountains. It features a man-made lake and its namesake waterfall, Cunningham Falls. Cunningham Falls is a cascading waterfall. It is the largest waterfall in Maryland. Catoctin...
(MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
) - Fowlers Hollow State ParkFowlers Hollow State ParkFowlers Hollow State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Toboyne Township, Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is from Blain just off Pennsylvania Route 274...
(Perry County) - Gifford Pinchot State ParkGifford Pinchot State ParkGifford Pinchot State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Warrington Township, York County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park contains wooded hillsides, reverting farm fields, and Pinchot Lake. It is near York and Harrisburg in the south-central part of the state.The park is named...
(York County) - Kings Gap Environmental Education and Training CenterKings Gap Environmental Education and Training CenterKings Gap Environmental Education and Training Center is a Pennsylvania state park in Cooke, Dickinson and Penn Townships, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania acquired the land in 1973, from the C. H. Masland and Son Carpet Company...
(Cumberland County) - Little Buffalo State ParkLittle Buffalo State ParkLittle Buffalo State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Centre and Juniata Townships, Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is a historical destination as well as a recreational destination. Visitors to the park can cross a covered bridge and observe a restored and...
(Perry County) - Mont Alto State ParkMont Alto State ParkMont Alto State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Quincy Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 233 one mile from Mont Alto.-Mont Alto Iron Company:...
(Franklin County)