Saturday Morning Hikes near Lewisburg

About the library hikes: the summer program was WellSpan GO! Union County, run with the Union County libraries. It ended Aug 8, but its 13 trail pages are still up, with a route description and GPS for each. Several hikes below are GO! routes, and the GO! page is linked when there is one.

Quick pick: nearest and easiest is Hufnagle Park (Kidsburg). Most "real hike" for the least effort is Milton State Park or Halfway Lake at R.B. Winter. Best bonus is Montour Preserve, where the kids dig fossils and keep them.

1. Hufnagle Park + Kidsburg (Lewisburg)

Where

520 St. Louis St, Lewisburg. Park in the metered municipal lot off Market St just before S 5th St.

What to expect

GO! "Chisel" loop: past the amphitheater, over Bull Run twice on bridges, ending at Kidsburg, a big nature playground of logs, boulders, climbers, slides and swings built for ages 2 and up. To make it longer, keep going on the Bull Run Greenway toward Bucknell.

Nearby

Lewisburg Children's Museum, 815 Market St (Sat 10–5). Downtown Market St for a snack afterward.

Watch for

The St. Louis St crosswalk, the active railroad tracks beside the playground, and the stream edge.

2. Fairground Road Park (East Buffalo Twp)

Where

747 Fairground Rd, Lewisburg.

What to expect

GO! "Cannon" loop: over a silver bridge to a big duck pond, around the park and through a stand of trees, over a small metal bridge, ending at the playgrounds. The Sakura (cherry) Garden is here too.

Nearby

The Buffalo Valley Rail Trail's Lewisburg end is a few minutes away if the girls want more.

Watch for

The pond edge.

3. Lewisburg Area Recreation Park

Where

218 N 15th St, Lewisburg. Park by the playground and tennis courts.

What to expect

GO! "Farming" loop: mostly sidewalk with a short dirt stretch along a stream by the soccer fields, a bridge, climbing boulders, and a skatepark to watch.

Nearby

Spruce Hills Park (Hawthorne Dr), another 0.35 mi loop with a big playground, is 5 minutes away if you want a second stop.

Watch for

One crosswalk across 15th St. The pool is closed for the season.

4. Buffalo Valley Rail Trail at Vicksburg + Purple Cow ice cream

Where

1328 Beaver Run Rd, Vicksburg (trailhead lot with a pavilion).

What to expect

GO! "Arrowhead" route: flat, open farmland walk west to Young Rd and back. Good for bikes and balance bikes too. The trail was resurfaced this summer and reopened July 2.

Nearby

Purple Cow ice cream, 4716 Old Turnpike Rd, about a mile away. Open year-round, Mon–Sat 11–9, so you'd be waiting for 11. Cash only. Mifflinburg Community Park (two playgrounds, restrooms) is 8 minutes further west and connects to the same trail.

Watch for

Bikes coming up behind you, and the road crossings at each end. No shade.

5. Milton State Park (river island)

Where

205 PA-642, Milton. Main lot by the restrooms.

What to expect

You're on an 82-acre island in the West Branch of the Susquehanna. The full GO! "Forestry" loop around both islands is 2.1 mi. For the girls, loop the north island on the North Trail and come back on the gravel path, roughly a mile (my estimate). River views the whole way, woods, and a walk right under the Route 642 bridge, which kids love. Playground at the start or end.

Nearby

Downtown Milton is across the bridge.

Watch for

Unfenced riverbanks, mud after high water, poison ivy, and ticks. No hunting in the park, so it's a good pick in deer season.

6. Shikellamy State Park, Marina (Packers Island, Sunbury)

Where

Packers Island, Sunbury (reach it from Northumberland via King St). Park at the last lot on the left, across from the old marina building, and start at the "Susquehanna River Watershed" sign.

What to expect

GO! "Shovel" loop: up past the playground, down to the river, past the rowing pavilion, and out to Kury Point where the West and North Branches of the Susquehanna meet. Flat and paved, the easiest real "mile" on this list.

Nearby

Joseph Priestley House, 472 Priestley Ave, Northumberland (the discoverer of oxygen's house; tours Sat/Sun at 1, 2 and 3 through Nov 15). The Shikellamy Overlook, across the river on the Union County side, has a playground and a view straight down a 360-ft cliff onto the confluence. The overlook's own trail has steep steps and cliff edges, so for these two it's a look-and-play stop, not a hike.

Watch for

Unfenced river edges and the boat-launch area.

7. R.B. Winter State Park, Halfway Lake

Where

17215 Buffalo Rd (PA-192), west of Mifflinburg. Park in the open lot right off 192 facing Halfway Lake. Little or no cell service.

What to expect

The red-blazed Lakeside Trail circles the lake in 0.6 mi. Add part of the yellow-blazed Rapid Run Nature Trail through big hemlocks and white pines. There's a stone CCC dam (the first one in Pennsylvania), a stream bridge, and a beach. This is the closest in feel to Dale's Ridge. Skip the GO! "Pottery" route; it climbs switchbacks to an overlook.

Nearby

Sand Bridge State Park (13180 Buffalo Rd) is on the way, with a 0.5 mi walk along Rapid Run. Old Mill Creamery in Mifflinburg on the way home (I couldn't confirm its fall hours).

Watch for

The park is surrounded by Bald Eagle State Forest, and part of the park itself is open to hunting. The lake area is a safety zone, but wear orange from October on, and skip it Nov 21–24 (bear rifle) and Nov 28–Dec 13 (deer rifle). Also the lake edge and ticks.

8. Montour Preserve (near Washingtonville)

Where

Visitors' Center, 374 Preserve Rd, Danville. The fossil pit has its own lot at 160 Sportsmans Rd.

What to expect

Goose Woods Trail (0.5 mi, to the sugar shack) or Hummingbird Trail (0.75 mi). Lake Chillisquaque, wildlife blinds, and children's play areas. The big draw is the fossil pit: kids split shale and keep the fossils they find. Bring a small hammer or a flat screwdriver and a bag.

Nearby

Visitors' Center open 8–4 (closed Sundays in winter). Grounds open dawn to dark.

Watch for

Spillway construction closes part of the Chilisuagi Trail near the dam through 2027. No hunting in the preserve, so it's a good deer-season pick. Ticks.

9. Dale's Ridge Trail (the benchmark)

Where

1471 Strawbridge Rd, Lewisburg, just over the Buffalo Creek bridge.

What to expect

You already know this one. For a shorter version, walk the Buffalo Creek floodplain past the 1700s Dale/Engle/Walker House and the log cabin, then come back on the dirt farm road without climbing the switchbacks (my suggestion, not a posted route).

Watch for

A trailhead redesign started in April 2026 and runs to about 2028, so expect some work near the lot. Ticks in the tall grass.

Hunting seasons this fall (2026)

Town parks, Milton State Park and Montour Preserve aren't hunted. R.B. Winter, Sand Bridge and the state forest around them are. Pennsylvania now allows Sunday hunting in most seasons.

Any time from October on in the woods: something blaze orange on each person. And a tick check after every hike; Union County has a lot of Lyme.