13. Visit a state park
Three state parks are located within Butler County — Moraine State Park, McConnells Mill State Park and Jennings Environmental Education Center. Each park is open year-round and offers a wide variety of outdoor activities.
Moraine offers 71 miles of trails around the 3,225-acre, man-made Lake Arthur, as well as an 18-hole disc golf course and 11 cabins available for rent year-round. During the spring and summer months, Moraine also offers pontoon boat cruises on “Preston’s Pearl.”
“We plan on a wide variety of programming from guided hikes with themes from frogs to trees, wildflowers and bees to eagle-watch on the upper deck of the Preston’s Pearl,” said Natalie Simon, Moraine’s environmental education specialist.
McConnells Mill features 11.2 miles of hiking trails, with five trails ranging from easy to extremely difficult. The park also features two rock-climbing areas, as well as fishing and whitewater rafting in Slippery Rock Creek.
From Dec. 30 through Jan. 8, Jennings held a “self-guided” walkabout called “New Year, New Views,” which showcased some of the best scenery in the park. This is only the tip of the iceberg of what Jennings has planned for 2024, according to park manager Wil Taylor.
“We have a variety of programs that will be occurring throughout the winter, from maple sugaring demonstrations to night hikes to an astronomy program coming up in February,” Taylor said.
