Indian Park, Montoursville Pa

104 Park Rd, Montoursville, PA 17754

Quick Links:

• Facilities Map Of The Park
• To Rent A Pavillion
• Biking The Bike Trail
• To See the Concerts & Events Scheduled In The Park
• Indian Park On Facebook
• Indian Park Master Plan Map (2014)

If you are looking for a park that has it all, this one is hard to beat.  Baseball fields, basketball courts, two separate playgrounds, a nature trail around a pond, and a paved bike path - even a covered bridge and a gazebo, making it a great spot for family photos.   The Montoursville Recreation Board also does a fantastic job of scheduling concerts and movie nights here.

The Starr family opened the original park, named Starr Island, in 1898 with a boating area and picnic grounds. Families would take the trolley, for a 5 cent fare, from Williamsport to the park, to spend the day.  In 1909 additional attractions, including a roller coaster, fmerry-go-round, and theatre, were added, and it was renamed Indian Park. A combination of regular flooding caused by overflowing mill dams, the end of trolley service and declining attendance led to the park's closure around 1924. In 1941 Jalopy Auto races were held at the park,  and there were efforts to turn the park into a church camp, but it was not until 1988 that Indian Park was reestablished as a recreational facility.

Today the park has two small ponds, popular for fishing but too small for kayaking.  There are a couple of nature trails , three separate playground areas, one quite large, a few of pavilions, a gazebo,  softball fields, baseball fields, and at least one soccer field.  The bike path that I am so fond of begins here too. It's not as elegant as arriving by trolley with a picnic basket, but it's still one of the nicest spots to spend an afternoon.  :-)  

There are lots of little bridges over the creek here, and benches, and even a table set up for a chess match - bring your own playing pieces.

One of the signs along the blind trail

One of the trails, this one around the pond

A recent addition - a bike repair station!  

There's a pump on the right for putting air in tires, and tools hang on cables in the inside.  

Bikes can be placed on top to work on them!

The Bike Path

• Montoursville Bike Path Map
• Bikeway from Hepburnville To Indian Park
• The Bike Path on Susquehanna Greenway

We like to start at Indian Park , go under the green bridge, then over the green bridge, picking up the path that takes you past Riverview Park.  From there we pick up the Reighard trail.  If going to Brusters we turn right to go under the underpass, up to the red light, turn left, Brusters is one block down the sidewalk.  To Pick up the River Walk Trail in Williamsport, turn left  - do NOT go under the underpass, but rather over the footbridge to the left - turn left at the sidewalk, then left again onto the riverwalk trail.  

You can see photos from the bike trail here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2011/05/14-miles-on-bike-paths.html

and here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2010/07/bike-trail-at-indian-park-montoursville.html

Indian Park History

• Read More Here
• The Tabernacle From The Original Starr Island Park Moved to Clinton County

Many histories of the park state that that park hosted the "largest roller coaster on the east coast", but roller coaster historians examined photos and found that it was a standard figure eight coaster, no different from many others around that time.   Historian Don King is quoted in a newspaper article - "King said the roller coaster was named the Dip-to-Dip and was made of wood. It ran the length of the park and was known by all the locals."  So perhaps it was larger than the one shown in photos!

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