Mifflin: Forests, Waterways and History
Accommodation in Mifflin
Mifflin County combines extensive woodland and waterside trails with the tangible history of the Pennsylvania Canal. Reeds Gap State Park is home to a 220-acre wilderness area in New Lancaster Valley. The park is open daily year-round from sunrise to sunset—a useful timeframe for planning a visit. If you’d like to combine nature experiences with culture, the county also offers traces of canal and railroad history, as well as regional traditions.
Woodland and Trails for Different Interests
Bald Eagle State Forest covers more than 33,000 acres in Mifflin County. It offers opportunities for hiking, hunting and scenic drives. This gives you different ways to take in the forest landscape: you can focus on a hike or explore the area by car. Tuscarora State Forest extends across Mifflin and Juniata counties. It includes more than 36,000 acres of mountainous terrain, as well as native trout streams. State Game Lands No. 113 lies entirely within Mifflin County, covers 534 acres and offers hunting areas and wildlife habitat.
There are also several types of trails for active days. The Two Chief Trail consists of four sections and is just under three miles long in total. The Mid-State Trail is a long-distance hiking trail with access to trailheads near Milroy and Reeds Gap. If you’re planning to go mountain biking, Rothrock State Forest has 290 miles of trails and forest roads open to mountain biking. The distances can help you choose between a shorter route and an extended trail experience; on their own, they don’t indicate hiking time or difficulty.
The Juniata River and the History of the Canal
The Juniata River offers several ways to incorporate water and scenery into your travel plans. The Juniata River Water Trail is a designated National Recreation Trail spanning more than 150 miles. Its two sections are Class I waterways and are suitable for beginners under normal conditions. In Mifflin County, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission maintains four public access points, mainly on the Juniata River and one on Tea Creek. The Mainline Canal Greenway runs along the Juniata River and spans 41 miles within the county.
Canal history can also be seen in preserved structures and sections. Three Locks at Strodes Mills preserves a section of the Pennsylvania Canal near Lewistown, with three adjacent locks and surviving masonry. The Towpath Trail is a restored section of this canal’s historic towpath. In Granville Township, the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal, Juniata Division, Canal Section preserves a surviving portion of the PA Mainline Canal dating to around 1825. These places and names offer different points of entry if you’re interested in the region’s historic infrastructure.
Historic Sites and Regional Traditions
In Lewistown, the Embassy Theatre recalls a historic theater dating to around 1927 and its role in entertainment and recreation. The Fort Granville Markers consist of a commemorative plaque and a roadside marker; they commemorate a fort from the French and Indian War. The Lewistown Station Marker identifies the oldest surviving structure of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Old Stone Arch Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is associated with early 19th-century infrastructure on the Harrisburg–Pittsburgh Turnpike. The Stone Arch Bridge Historic Site covers one acre; benches and walking paths are nearby.
Regional customs include Goose Day, which has been observed in the Juniata River Valley for more than two centuries. An early settler from England brought it to the valley in the late 18th century. For Goose Day, local restaurants there add goose dishes to their menus. The Festival of Ice takes place on Thursday and Friday evenings in the week after Thanksgiving. Visitors can watch ice artists create large sculptures from blocks of ice; the event also includes the official lighting of the Christmas tree at Monument Square. The timing is important for your travel plans if these seasonal traditions are what tip the balance.
When choosing a vacation rental, you can consider whether you’d like to focus your trip more on woodlands, river and canal history, or regional customs. This lets you choose a focus that suits your stay without combining the different experiences into a single route.
Places to Explore Further
To get your bearings within the county, you can also visit the town pages for Lewistown and Burnham.
For the broader travel overview: Pennsylvania.
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