PERRY COUNTY, Pa. — Due to the statewide increase in COVID-19 numbers, Little Buffalo State Park will not set up its annual Christmas Trail this year, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said Tuesday.
"Pennsylvania has seen an increased number of COVID-19 cases recently, and additional mitigation efforts have reduced the recommended number of people that should gather in one place," the department said in a press release. "The logistics of the Christmas Trail being an outdoor event with no well-defined way of controlling the attendance make it difficult to adhere to the guidelines.
"Many different versions of the trail have been discussed to discourage crowds, but the large number of visitors that usually attend and the draw of visitors from outside the local area present too great a risk of spreading the virus."
The Christmas Trail is a yearly effort put on by the park, along with the Friends of Little Buffalo organization. The quarter-mile trail is normally decorated with thousands of Christmas lights and holiday displays in the park's East Picnic area.
Little Buffalo State Park is located in Newport, Perry County.
