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Powerboating and Camping by Bob Frye

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Powerboating and Camping by Bob Frye Powerboating and Camping Imagine combining days at the racetrack with evenings at the spa. by Bob Frye You enjoy the thrills and chills of photos by the author high-speed action the first half of the day and the relaxation that comes with peace and tranquility the second half of the day. That’s what it’s like to boat and camp at some of the United States Army Corps Engineers lakes spread across western Pennsylvania. Seven Pennsylvania waters managed by the Corps’ Pittsburgh District allow unlimited horsepower boating, A personal watercraft operates on Crooked Creek Lake, where pleasure boaters who like to run and gun can do so Armstrong County. to their hearts’ content. Six of those—Crooked Creek Lake, Armstrong County; East Branch Clarion River Lake, Elk Kinzua Dam is a mammoth 12,100 acres. Shenango River County; Loyalhanna Lake, Westmoreland County; Shenango, Lake is 3,560 acres at normal summer pool, Youghiogheny River River Lake, Mercer County; Tionesta Lake, Forest County; and Lake is 2,840 acres and East Branch Clarion River is nearly 1,200 Youghiogheny River Lake, Fayette and Somerset counties—also acres. Even the smallest lakes with campgrounds are decent- have campgrounds where boaters can pitch a tent or park an sized, with Tionesta Lake taking in 540 acres, Loyalhanna Lake recreational vehicle. One even features campsites accessible 475 acres and Crooked Creek Lake 400 acres. only by boat. The seventh, Kinzua Dam and Allegheny “On the busiest holiday weekends, like Memorial Day or Reservoir, Warren County, doesn’t have a Corps-managed Labor Day, the lake will be full, with lots of boats. But, generally, campground, but there are several within the surrounding even then, we are not overcrowded,” said John Kolodziejski, Allegheny National Forest that powerboaters can use. resource manager at Shenango River Lake. All of the lakes are wildly popular. In fact, if anything, the lakes are underused when it comes to “Given that we have no horsepower limitations, we see a lot of people combining boating with camping. personal watercraft and a lot of boaters interested in water skiing Talk to the managers of these facilities, and they all say the and tubing,” said Brian Luprek, manager of the 16-mile-long same thing. The majority of boaters are day users, who trailer Youghiogheny River Lake. “The personal watercraft and tubing their boat to the lake in the morning, race it around the lake has especially grown in popularity in the last ten years or so. And, all day and drag it home that night. The crowds are heaviest on this is just a great place to use them and have fun.” summer’s three main holidays, Memorial Day, Independence The lakes can handle the pressure, though. Day and Labor Day. 30 Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • July/August 2013 PFBC Facebook: PaFishandBoat Boaters enjoy a sunny day on Kinzua Dam, Warren County, not far from one of the campgrounds run by Allegheny National Forest. When it comes to the United States Army Corps of Engineers lakes, all exist primarily to serve as flood control projects. Recreation is a secondary mission. So, there are times—when water levels must be raised or lowered based on rain or the lack of it—that their boat launches may be unavailable or difficult to access. When in doubt, call ahead to make sure you can get on the water. For more information about the seven lakes with unlimited horsepower boating and camping, use the following contact information. But, other weekends and weekdays could stand a lot more • Crooked Creek Lake people, both on the water and in the campgrounds. Phone: 724-763-3161 “Normally, Monday through Thursday, 75 percent of www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/ our campsites are available. And, it’s the same with boating. Lakes/CrookedCreekLake.aspx There may be only a dozen boats on the whole lake Monday • East Branch Clarion River Lake through Thursday,” said Paul Toman, resource manager at Phone: 814-965-2065 Loyalhanna Lake. www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/ Boat campers can often build their experience around Lakes/EastBranchClarionRiverLake.aspx where they want to camp and how “rough” they want their outing to be. • Kinzua Dam and Allegheny Reservoir Most of the drive-up sites at the six Corps-run Phone: 814-726-0661 campgrounds feature a gravel spur that can accommodate www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/ tents and recreational vehicles. Some sites have electric and Lakes/KinzuaDamAlleghenyReservoir.aspx water hooks-ups, others electric only. Some are primitive. All or Allegheny National Forest have a picnic table and fire ring. Phone: 814-927-6628 Campers will usually have access to water and a comfort www.fs.usda.gov/allegheny station with flush toilets and sometimes showers. • Loyalhanna Lake Some sites sit in the woods, others on the lakefront. Phone: 724-639-9013 Campers often have the choice of taking their boat out www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/ of the water each day before going back to camp or, as at Lakes/LoyalhannaLake.aspx Loyalhanna Lake, leaving it in the water, moored just off • Shenango River Lake shore, so it’s ready to go at first light. Phone: 724-962-7746 If you really want to get away from the crowds and are www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/ willing and able to camp as a self-contained unit, Tionesta Lakes/ShenangoRiverLake.aspx Lake and Kinzua Dam feature campsites accessible only by • Tionesta Lake boat. They’re very primitive, often with no facilities, but are Phone: 814-755-3512 often wonderful, especially after a fast-paced day on the water. www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/ So, options abound. Powerboaters looking to extend their Lakes/TionestaLake.aspx time at the lake just need to realize what’s available and take advantage of it. • Youghiogheny River Lake “We definitely have an established clientele of boaters Phone: 814-395-3242 who enjoy using Shenango River Lake’s campground,” said www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/ Kolodziejski. “But, that doesn’t mean we don’t receive new Lakes/YoughioghenyRiverLake.aspx people each year and that we can’t handle more.” PFBC website: www.fishandboat.com Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • July/August 2013 31.
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