Reeds Gap State Park

Reeds Gap State Park is 220 acres of wilderness in the New Lancaster Valley of Mifflin County. Large hemlocks and white pines cast cool shadows over Honey Creek, which flows through the park.

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Directions - Weather  - Recreation  - Hiking  - Winter Report  - Accessibility  - History  - Education  - Calendar of Events  - Natural History  - Nearby Attractions  - Volunteers  - Rules and Regs  - In an Emergency  - Contact Us  - Downloadables and Maps

Park Advisories

Directions

Reeds Gap is reached from US 322 from Milroy by following park signs for seven miles.

Recreational Opportunities

Hiking  - Picnicking  - Fishing  - Hunting  - Cross-country Skiing  - Camping

Fishing: Native and stocked trout are found in Honey Creek and smaller mountain streams like Reeds Gap Run. Hiking trails offer access to Honey Creek. The spring months offer the best angling. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission laws apply.

For complete information on fishing rules and regulations in Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Web site.

Camping: tents only
The 14-site campground is for tents only. It is open from the second Friday in April to the second Sunday in October. Water is by Pavilion #2. Water and restrooms are by Pavilion #3. Restrooms and showers are across State Park Road. Pets are permitted.

Explore camping for more information.

Make a reservation

Hiking: 3.6 miles of trails

A walk on the 1.8-mile, red-blazed Honey Creek Trail Loop often reveals wildlife signs or sightings.

The 1.3-mile, blue-blazed Blue Jay Trail Loop goes along Honey Creek through the main activity areas of the park. It offers a variety of scenery.

The 2-mile Flicker Path is a moderately difficult trail that is more challenging than Blue Jay Trail.

The Self-guiding Interpretive Trail is a 1.1-mile trail following the scenic banks of Honey Creek. Interpretive waysides focus on the various ecological communities. This green-blazed trail starts at the kiosk beside the snack bar and follows parts of Blue Jay and Honey Creek trails between the swimming pool complex and Picnic Pavilion #3.

Reeds Gap Spur Trail starts at the park office and climbs through Reeds Gap along scenic Reeds Gap Run to Knob Ridge Road and continues to Poe Valley State Park, a distance of 18 miles. This very beautiful and rugged trail has interesting large rocks along the upper section. Once many logs were brought down the trail to a sawmill that stood by the park office.

ATVs: ATVs are prohibited on state park roads and trails.

Cross-country Skiing: Skiers can enjoy the trails, service roads and open areas. About five miles of ungroomed trails are available with proper snow conditions. Explore the Winter Report for current snow and ice depths.

Hunting and Firearms: Over 100 acres are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are deer, turkey, bear and squirrel.

Hunting woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day following Labor Day to March 31 in designated hunting areas. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations apply. Contact the park office for ADA accessible hunting information.

Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. Other visitors use the park during hunting seasons. Firearms and archery equipment used for hunting may be uncased and ready for use only in authorized hunting areas during hunting seasons. In areas not open to hunting or during non-hunting seasons, firearms and archery equipment shall be kept in the owner's car, trailer or leased campsite. The only exception is that law enforcement officers and individuals with a valid Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms may carry said firearm concealed on their person while they are within the park.

For complete information on hunting rules and regulations in Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission Web site.

Picnicking: Four mostly wooded picnic areas are available year-round. There is ample parking, tables and one small, non-reservable shelter. Modern flush toilets and running water are available during the warmer months. Three picnic pavilions may be reserved up to 11 months in advance for a fee. Unreserved picnic pavilions are free on a first-come, first-served basis. Make a reservation

Environmental Education and Interpretation

A park educator offers programs during the late spring and summer months. Organized groups and schools can request special programs by contacting the park office.

The annual Reeds Gap Fall Festival is held the second Saturday in October and features many family activities and musical entertainment.

Access for People with Disabilities

Some picnic tables, the middle restroom and the park office are accessible. Service roads may be used to provide access for people with disabilities. Parking permits are available from the park office.

If you need an accommodation to participate in park activities due to a disability, please contact the park you plan to visit.

History

Reeds Gap is a natural water gap in Hightop, also called Thick Mountain. American Indians from the village of Ohesson, today’s Lewistown, used this valley as hunting grounds. When European settlers arrived, they homesteaded and named the area the New Lancaster Valley.

During the late 1700s, Reeds Gap became a bush meeting ground. The settlers packed lunches and traveled in their horse-drawn wagons to hear a circuit preacher and enjoy neighborhood fellowship. These bush meetings, also known as homecomings, were held through the 1920s.

In the mid-1800s, the park’s namesakes, Edward and Nancy Reed, set up a water-powered sawmill along Honey Creek just inside of the western boundary of the present park.

Part of the historic water-storage dam is still visible along the red-blazed Honey Creek Trail Loop downstream from the swimming pools. Edward Reed’s son, George Wilbur Reed, was a sawyer at the mill. Another son, John, later moved the watermill to Virginia by horses.

Around 1900, a steam-powered sawmill was located by the park’s maintenance building. After decades of logging, the forests were gone. On January 15, 1905, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased this depleted land from the William Witmer and Sons Lumber Company. Eventually parts of this land became Reeds Gap and Poe Valley state parks.

Around 1930, people sold five-cent bottles of soda pop cooled in Reeds Gap Run to attract picnickers and to improve the local economy.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a national work program established in 1933 during the Great Depression. A residential camp for over 200 young men was built five miles east of Reeds Gap in the upper end of New Lancaster Valley. Camp S-113 was run by the U.S. Army and the former Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters. One of their projects was to change the “jungle” around Reeds Gap to an attractive recreation facility. By the late 1930s, the park offered stone fireplaces, tables, picnic pavilions, play equipment, pit toilets and running water.

Local bands entertained on summer Sunday afternoons from a bandstand and swimmers enjoyed a small lake formed by a CCC-built dam in Honey Creek. Reeds Gap State Park officially opened in 1938.

The CCC program ended early in World War II. Most of the wooden CCC structures were removed as they deteriorated, but part of the old CCC camp is now a state forestry field office. Electrical power came to the valley in mid-1940s.

In 1965, a major developmental phase started when the swimming pools replaced the old dam. Shortly thereafter, a new water system, flush toilets, a modern bathhouse, snack bar, maintenance building and parking lots were constructed.

For more information on the CCC, explore the Civilian Conservation Corps Online Archive.

Natural History

The dominant habitat in and around the park is of towering white pines, hemlocks and oaks. Maple, ash, tulip poplar, gum, hickory, and dogwood trees, and mountain laurel and rhododendron add to the year-round scenic beauty.

Nearby Attractions

Many fine attractions are in Mifflin County. Many Amish live to the south, especially near Belleville. For more information on nearby attractions, contact the Juniata River and Valley Visitors Bureau, www.juniatarivervalley.org.

The 200,000-acre Bald Eagle State Forest, adjacent to the park, is managed for timber, water, wildlife and recreation. The gravel Locust Ridge Road at the east end of New Lancaster Valley features a scenic view of the valley. You can take this road on your way to see the large old growth timber at Snyder-Middleswarth State Forest Picnic Area. The Big Valley Vista on the gravel Siglerville-Millheim Pike is also spectacular. 570-922-3344

The Siglerville-Millheim Pike takes you to Poe Valley and Poe Paddy state parks. Poe Valley offers camping and a 25-acre lake. Poe Paddy has popular campsites along Penns Creek. 717-667-3622

In an Emergency

Contact a park employee or dial 911.
For directions to the nearest hospital, look on bulletin boards or at the park office.

Nearest Hospital:
Lewistown Hospital
400 Highland Avenue
Lewistown, PA 17044
717-248-5411

For More information Contact

Reeds Gap State Park
1405 New Lancaster Valley Road
Milroy, PA 17063-9735
717-667-3622
Manager: Rory Bower

E-mail: reedsgapsp@state.pa.us
An equal opportunity employer

Make online reservations or call toll-free 888-PA-PARKS, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, for state park information and reservations.