Located south of Huntingdon off of Route 26 and appearing like a splotch of blue cradled by the dark green hills which surround it, Raystown Lake is both Pennsylvania 's largest man - made water body and the only one where houseboats can be rented.
Created between 1968 and 1978 by the Army Corps of Engineers to provide flood control for the Susquehanna Valley, hydroelectricity, and recreation, the narrow, zigzag-shaped, 28-mile-long lake, emulating the Raystown branch of the Juniata River which feeds it, covers 8, 300 acres and offers 118 miles of woodland shores.
Occupying land first discovered by Native Americans, it sports a significant, once-exposed archaeological site designated Sheep Rock Shelter, a sizable, overhanging ledge near the present-day Susquehannock
Campground originally used for tribe and animal protection.
Excavating the site before the reservoir was expanded during the 1960s, researchers from Juniata College and Pennsylvania State University unearthed a 6,000 - year - old skull and bones from a Native American woman, along with knives, pottery, and spearheads.
The rolocked earth-and-rock dam which created the lake, with a 1,550-foot base width, a 24-foot top width, a 1,700-foot length, and a 225-foot height, created what could be considered Pennsylvania " s "crown jewel," enabling Allegheny Electric Cooperative 's powerhouse to provide hydroelectricity to 8,500 homes and Huntingdon County to establishing tourism as its second-largest industry after agriculture with more than two million annual visitors.
But it is has evolved since its inouspicious beginnings as a collection of cottages for boats, the area & # 39; s shores and hills, because of US Army Corps of Engineers regulations restricting development, still sport their natural guise, wearing coats of thick forests and retaining the indigenous wildlife which depends upon them.
A Mecca for nature-lovers and sports enthusiasts today, it offers an array of leisure activities for both day and extended-stay visits, prior to which understanding and enjoyment is a look inside the visitor center perched on a ridge and affording pristine views of the views azure lake it presents.
Dispensing information, directions, and brochures, it offers a glimpse of conditions 6,000 years ago through its interactive, paleontology exhibits, as well as interpretation through display titled "Building and Operating a Dam," "Raystown Bygone Days," and "Generating Electricity. "
Audiovisual presentations are given in given multi-purpose room and a gift shop sells drinks, snacks, books, and souvenirs just beyond the entrance.
Lake - and surrounding wilderness - related activities are numerous.
Swimming, for example, can be enjoyed at one of two Corps-managed beaches located within the Seven Points Recreation Area. The first, the appropriately named Seven Points Beach near lake mile marker 9 on its west side, is subdivided into a 200-by -600 foot buoyed area with a concrete bottom and a foot base with primarily used by children. It's facilities include a shower and changing house, picnic tables, playground equipment, and the lighthouse food concession. The Oak Picnic Shelter is located on a peninsula across from the beach.
The second swimming facility, Tatman Run Beach, is located on the lake & # 39; s southern end and features a 200-by-700 foot buoyed area, along with a change house, a playground, picnic tables, grills, and a boat launch .
The Run, Aitch, James Creek, Tatman Run, Shy Beaver, Weaver Falls, and Seven Points of the Latter of which, bordered by the Tuscey Mountain ridges and located off of Bay Drive, offers a paved, three-lane, 40-foot-wide boat launch with capacity for 119 towered vehicles and a modular courty floating dock. There is either a limit on boat size nor horsepower on the lake, but there are no-wake zones to preclude fluctuations of wildlife viewing and fishing.
Fishing itself can be be accomplished at a variety of areas, including from rocky points, shallow bays, coves, and right in the middle of the lake from a boat, and may yield smallmouth, largemouth, or striped bass, muskie, walleye, crappie, stripers, perch, carp, brown trout, lake trout, or atlantic salmon.
More than 700 campsites, ranging from primitive-tent to full-facility hookup types, blanket the area. Six Army Corps facilities include Seven Points, Nancy 's Camp, Susquehannock, Group Camp, Lake Raystown Resort, and Branch Camp.
Hiking can be pursed on four established trails: the Hillside Native and Old Logger & the Old Logger. The Riverside Nature Trail below and the 30-mile-long Terrace Mountain Trail.
Aside from recreation and waterfowl areas, Raystown Lake offers unrestricted hunting for rabbit, squirrel, grouse, beaver, pheasant, raccoon, turkey, and whitetail deer.
Several nests offer bald eagle viewing opportunities.
Most of Raystown & # 39; s facilities are centered in two areas.
The first of these, Seven Points Marina, is located at its northern end. A largest facility, with a shop, restaurant, a 35-strong rental fleet, and 946 slips.
Its Memories at the Lake restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor dining, while its Oar House store sells clothing, supplies, souvenirs, ice, bait, and tackle.
Its rental fleet includes seven 16-foot, ten-hp, four-person aluminum skiffs for sightseeing and fishing; nine 90-hp, eight-person pontoon boats; and 19 houseboats. The latter, rentable during either Monday-to-Friday or Friday-to-Monday intervals, vary in size and accommodation, including those which sleep four, six, eight, or ten with cabin-style bunk beds, full bedrooms, sliding boards, and hot tubs.
Public excursions are owned "Princess" houseboat. Accommodating 125 on both lower-enclosed and upper-open decks configured with a buffet, the aluminum-hulled, 75-foot-long vessel, propelled by 440 horsepower, takes sightseers on 90 - mnute trips with appropriate commentary, tracing the lake 's red cedar tree - lined shore, exploring its islands and coves, and examining the Sheep Rock archaeological site with its red shale, diagonal - patterned face Although it is mostly submerged, its upper portion, depicting its latest layers, is still visible.
Other cruises include the two-hour one to the dam, fall foliage trips, holiday and seasonal excursions with fireworks, and those with theme buffets, such as seafood, Italian, and surf-and-turf.
The second major concentration of facilities is the Lake Raystown Resort, Lodge, and Conference Center.
Located on 400 acres of waterfront property, the family-owned resort, having evolved from a small Army Corps campground, opened in 1984, and today offers a wide range of accommodations, restaurants, boat rentals, and related activities.
Of the former, its lodge offers 50 rooms and two suites. Its rustic, one-room, original Army Corps cabins, constructed of native hemlock logs, sleep six and are the closest to the lake, while newer ones feature pine and maple wood. The Oak Park cottages accommodate up to seven, or one equal number can reside in the two-bedroom villas nestled in the woods on their own peninsula. The resort & # 39; s 221 campsites, offering water, electric, and cable hookups, accept tents, pop-ups, travel trailers, fifth wheels, and motor homes.
Dining venues include the Marina Café, Bistro Express, and three convenience stores: the Trading Post, the Marina Store, and the General Store.
The full-service, 650-slip seasonal marina offers canoes, Jon fishing boats, pontoon boats, and houseboats for rent, the latter of which, measuring 60-by-16 feet, sleep up to ten, and sport swim and upper sun decks , waterslides, barbecue grills, four bedrooms, two full baths, a galley / kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and air conditioning.
The Lake Raystown Resort offers its own, 90-minute public sightseeing cruise on the "Proud Mary Showboat," along with other dinner, full-bar, and sunset excursions.
