Ole Bull State Park

Ole Bull State Park. A Wealth of Resources. Clear streams, productive forests, abundant wildlife-little wonder descriptions of the Kettle Creek Valley inspired Ole Bornemann Bull, famed Norwegian violinist, to aspire to settle here in 1852. This jewel of the Pennsylvania Wilds offers relaxation and adventure every season of the year. , , Pitch your tent at a creekside site, or rent the Ole Bull Lodge for a family gathering. Cast for trout along Kettle Creek and Ole Bull Run. Walk the Beaver Haven Nature Trail at dusk, alert for beavers along Kettle Creek. Cross-country ski over groomed trails. Or explore deeper into the Pennsylvania Wilds-Ole Bull State Park's trails connect with the 85-mile Susquehannock Trail System and north-central Pennsylvania snowmobile trails. , , Wildlife through the seasons , Listen for the songs of migratory warblers in spring and summer. Catch the fleeting glimmer of a trout surfacing along Kettle Creek. Surprise white-tailed deer or wild turkey foraging amid bright autumn foliage. In winter, follow the tracks of gray fox and otter in fresh-tallen snow. Look and listen for resident songbirds, like red-breasted nuthatch and American goldfinch, in the leafless canopy. The surrounding Susquehannock State Forest offers opportunities to hunt for deer, bear, turkey and small game. , , Historic visions , When Ole Bull purchased this rugged land in 1852, he hoped to build a Norwegian settlement. Though the colony disbanded a year later, the foundations of Bull's unfinished cabin remain, testament to his dreams. Intense logging followed in the late 1800s, clearing the "Black Forest" of the massive pines and hemlocks that earned its name. In 1925, the Commonwealth purchased these cleared hillsides to create a public forest reserve. During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps developed the park's facilities, building campsites, pavilions and the swimming area dam.