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 Big Spring State Forest Picnic Area - Perry County, Pennsylvania
N 40° 15.804 W 077° 39.547
18T E 273879 N 4460384
Tucked in the side of Conococheague Mountain, Big Spring State Forest Picnic Area is a quaint picnic and hiking area. (Toboyne Township, Perry County, Pennsylvania)
Waymark Code: WMFNXQ
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 11/10/2012
Views: 3
Big Spring State Forest Picnic Area - Perry County, Pennsylvania
Activities within the park boundaries include:
Picnicking:
The picnic tables and picnic pavilions throughout the park are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Hiking:
1 mile of trails
A short loop trail leads to the site of the partially completed railroad tunnel. Historic interpretation is provided at the trailhead. The park provides access to the Iron Horse Trail, designed for day hikes and overnight hiking in Tuscarora State Forest.
Snowmobiling:
Big Spring State Forest Picnic Area serves as a trailhead providing parking, restrooms and access to the extensive snowmobile trail system in Tuscarora State Forest.
Park Type: Day-Use / Wayside
Activities:
Picnicking, Hiking
Park Fees: Not listed
Background:
In the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, logging companies lumbered the area. Trees were hauled from the stump to the mill on the Perry Lumber Railroad. This narrow gauge railroad had a terminus at the east end of the park. The trees were cut to supply tanneries, barrel manufacturers and charcoal furnaces. A tannery near the spring operated from early in the 1800s until 1860. In 1871, an axe handle factory was started in the old tannery.
The Newport and Shermans Valley Railroad laid tracks through the park to link to the Path Valley Railroad in Franklin County. Their tunnel through Conococheague Mountain failed and the Newport and Shermans Valley Railroad went out of business.
During the early 1900s, the area was a community picnic area accessible by road and railroad. The Commonwealth developed the current facility in 1936 with Civilian Conservation Corps Camp S-111.
Date Established?: 1936
Link to Park: [Web Link]
Additional Entrance Points: Not Listed
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