Pymatuning State Park Recreational Opportunities Stay the Night A Recreational Guide for Almost everything about Pymatuning species are walleye, muskellunge, carp, crappie, ËCamping: modern restrooms with showers Pymatuning State Park State Park is huge. At 21,122 acres, it is the perch, bluegill, and largemouth and smallmouth There are three camping areas that are largest state park in the Commonwealth. bass. Ice fishing during the winter months is generally open from mid-April through The 17,088-acre Pymatuning Reservoir is also popular. Fishing licenses issued by either October. Contact the park for specific dates. the largest lake in the Commonwealth. In Drop-in photo of boat here Ohio or Pennsylvania are honored anywhere All campgrounds are near swimming, boating, Drop-in photo of camping here its three campgrounds, Pymatuning has the on the lake, but only Ohio licensed fishermen fishing and hiking and have a sanitary dump can fish from the Ohio shore and Pennsylvania most campsites in the PA state park sys- F. P. O. station. The maximum stay in all camping F. P. O. licensed fishermen from the Pennsylvania areas is fourteen days during the summer tem. More people visit Pymatuning than shore. There is accessible fishing access in the almost any other PA state park. But the season and 21 days during the off-season. Jamestown Day Use Area and, an accessible Alcoholic beverages are not permitted in biggest thing about Pymatuning is the fun fishing pier at the Espyville and Linesville overnight areas. Drop-in cover photo of fall trees here you can have boating, fishing, swimming, marinas and the Shenango River. In the northern part of the park, facilities, including showers and flush toilets. camping and enjoying other recreational ËBoating: 10 hp motors permitted ËSwimming: The Linesville and Tuttle, and About half of the campsites have electricity. opportunities. In addition to the state park The 17,088-acre Pymatuning Reservoir has Jamestown One and Two beaches are open Linesville Campground has modern facili- There is a boat launch, beach, playground and facilities, the PA Fish and Boat Commis- many boat launches along the shores, including from late-May to mid-September, 8 a.m. to ties, including showers, flush toilets and ADA F. P. O. an ADA accessible launch in the Jamestown sunset. Swim at your own risk. The beaches accessible campsites. About half of the an amphitheater. sion operates a fish hatchery and the PA ËCabins: Marina and many boat launches. The three have bathhouses with restrooms. Jamestown campsites have electricity. Twenty modern rental cabins by Game Commission has wildlife viewing On the shores of the middle of the Jamestown Day Use Area are available for areas. Pennsylvania boat marinas have boat mooring beach has an ADA ramp. and rent pontoon boats, motorboats, rowboats, Pymatuning Reservoir, Tuttle Campground year-round use. Five ADA accessible, modern Directions canoes and motors, and have a store that has has modern facilities, including showers, flush rental cabins by the Linesville Campground The south shore of the park, including bait, tackle and snacks. toilets and accessible campsites. About half are open from mid-April to late-October. Jamestown Campground, boat launch, beach, A minimal motor hp increase is under of the campsites have electricity. Pets are Cabins have a furnished living area, cabins, picnic areas, group tenting and the consideration. Check with the park office for permitted on selected sites. There is a boat kitchen/dining area, toilet/shower room and park office, can be reached from US 322. The updates. Drop-in photo of beach here launch, playground, camp store and an two or three bedrooms. Occupants must Department of Conservation Drop-in DCNR north shore of the park, including Linesville Non-powered boats must display one of the amphitheater. The Walking Trail is a loop that bring linens, towels, cookware and tableware. & Natural Resources Logo F. P. O. Campground, beach, picnic areas, boat launch, following: boat registration; launching permit F. P. O. begins near the camp store. Organized Group Tenting: This rustic area Michael DiBerardinis, Secretary Commonwealth of Pennsylvania marina and cabins can be reached from US 6. or mooring permit from Pennsylvania State On the south shore of Pymatuning Reser- can serve groups up to 400 people and is in Edward G. Rendell, Governor Tuttle Campground, beach, picnic areas, boat Parks, available at most state park offices; voir, Jamestown Campground has modern the Jamestown area. launch and Espyville Marina can be reached launching permit from the Pennsylvania Fish from PA 285. and Boat Commission. Motorboats must Winter Activities Protect and Preserve Our Parks Reservations display a current boat registration. ËPicnicking: Picnic tables and charcoal grills ËHunting and Firearms: About 10,300 acres Ice Fishing: Walleye, perch and crappie are the Please make your visit safe and enjoyable. Drop-in pymatuning map here Call toll-free 888-PA-PARKS, Mon. to are available in many areas. Jamestown and are open to hunting, trapping and the training fish most often caught through the ice of the Obey all posted rules and regulations and Sat. 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to make reservations Linesville beaches have ADA accessible picnic of dogs during established seasons. Common 17,088-acre Pymatuning Reservoir. respect fellow visitors and the resources of the F. P. O. up to eleven months in advance. Campsites sites complete with grill and table. game species are deer, rabbit, squirrel and Iceboating: Iceboating is permitted everywhere park. can be reserved up to noon of the day of There are ten picnic pavilions that may be waterfowl. Contact the park office for on the lake. • Be prepared and bring the proper equipment. arrival. Cabins, organized group tenting reserved up to 11 months in advance for a fee. accessible hunting information. Snowmobiling: Fries Road Trail by Tuttle areas and picnic pavilions can be reserved Natural areas may possess hazards. You are Unreserved picnic pavilions are free on a first- The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Campground and the abandoned railroad grade responsible for yourself and your family’s up to two days in advance. come, first-served basis. Pets in day use areas Wildlife Management Area has controlled by the spillway provide five miles of trails for safety. must be kept on a leash or safely restrained and shooting during the annual waterfowl season. snowmobiles. In the Jamestown area, there are For More Information Contact: are prohibited in swimming areas and some Special areas are also established for duck additional trails and open fields. • Alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Pymatuning State Park 2660 Williamasfield Road overnight areas. hunting. Public hunting is available in many Cross-country Skiing: Most open areas of the • Your pets are welcome in many areas but are Jamestown, PA 16134 Sight-seeing: Anywhere along the lake, areas surrounding the controlled shooting prohibited in swimming areas and most park are open to cross-country skiing. 724-932-3141 beautiful vistas of this large body of water can section. A propagation area comprising 2,500 Sledding: overnight areas. Pets must be controlled and The slopes of the Spillway are good e-mail: [email protected] be enjoyed. Some of the more unique sights acres of water provides a protected location for attended at all times and on a leash or other- Drop-in photo of ranger here for sledding. An Equal Opportunity Employer include the dam, the Linesville “spillway,’’ the migratory waterfowl during their flights north wise safely restrained. fish hatchery, the two causeways across the lake and south. Access for People with Disabilities www.state.pa.us, PA Keyword: state parks and the PA Game Commission Wildlife • Please camp only in designated areas and try Hunting woodchucks, also known as ËThis symbol indicates facilities and activities Learning Center. The spillway is perhaps one groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only to minimize your impact on the campsite. Information and Reservations that are accessible. This publication text is For general state park information or to reserve a of the best known locations because the fish permitted from the day following Labor Day to • Do your part to keep wildlife wild! Enjoy available in alternative formats. picnic pavilion, cabin, campsite or other overnight being fed are so crowded that the “ducks walk March 31 in designated hunting areas. The wildlife from a safe distance and do not feed or If you need an accommodation to partici- facility, call toll-free 888-PA-PARKS, Mon. to Sat. on the fishes’ backs” to compete for the food Department of Conservation and Natural approach wild animals. 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. fed by the visitors. Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Com- pate in park activities due to a disability, please Environmental Education and Interpretation • Prevent forest fires by properly disposing of mission rules and regulations apply. contact the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks: hot coals and having a fire in proper facilities. Pymatuning State Park offers a wide variety Use extreme caution with firearms at all 888-PA-PARKS (voice) of environmental education and interpretive times. Other visitors use the park during 888-537-7294 (TTY) Do not leave a fire unattended. programs. Through hands-on activities, hunting seasons. Firearms and archery equip- 711 (AT&T Relay Services) • Please park only in designated areas and obey guided walks and evening programs, partici- ment may be uncased and ready for use only in all traffic regulations. 6000-mp-dcnr1/220 5/05 Printed on recycled paper Drop-in photo of carp here Nearby Attractions pants gain appreciation, understanding, and authorized hunting areas during hunting develop a sense of stewardship toward natural For more information on nearby attractions seasons. In areas not open to hunting or during Natural Areas and cultural resources. F. P. O. non-hunting seasons, firearms and archery contact: Crawford County Convention and Curriculum-based environmental education equipment must be kept in the owner’s car, Visitors Bureau, 800-332-2338, Natural areas have unique programs are available to schools and youth trailer or camp. www.visitcrawford.org or scenic, geologic or ecological groups. Teacher workshops are available. Hiking: 7 miles Mercer County Convention and Visitors Bureau, value and are set aside for Group programs must be arranged in advance There are trails near Tuttle and Jamestown 800-637-2370, www.mercercountypa.org. scientific observation and to and may be scheduled by calling the park campgrounds, and the abandoned railroad For more information about Ohio State protect outstanding examples ËFishing: The 17,088-acre Pymatuning office. Programs are offered year-round. For grade on the Spillway is a flat, wide trail. Parks contact: Pymatuning State Park, 440- of natural interest and beauty. more information contact the park office. Reservoir is a warm-water fishery. Common 293-6030. Pymatuning has two natural areas. The 725-acre Blackjack Drop-in photo of lake here History Swamp has unique natural Early Inhabitants name “Pymatuning” is derived from the governor of Pennsylvania, delivered these conservation of waters entering the communities. In the northern F. P. O. In the distant past, beyond the period of Iroquois, probably from the Seneca, and means stirring words as part of his address at the Pymatuning Swamp and for regulating the part of the lake is Clark Island legend and history, the great swamp that “the Crooked-mouthed Man’s Dwelling Place,” dedication of Pymatuning Dam on August 17, flow of water in the Shenango and Beaver which has 161 acres of mature became Pymatuning Reservoir was occupied with “crooked-mouthed” referring to deceit 1934. rivers. A secondary purpose is to use the dam hardwood and white pine forest. Visitors are welcome to by the “Mound Builders.” These farmers rather than facial disfigurement. Pinchot was fulfilling a Pennsylvania dream and lake as a reservoir to impound flood explore these undeveloped buried their important dead in large mounds In 1784, the second Treaty of Fort Stanwix that began in 1868 when the General Assembly water during periods of excessive runoff from natural areas. and had an impressive trade network secured the area north of the Ohio River to provided a survey and an estimate of the cost the 158 square miles of drainage area above involving goods from all over North to drain the Pymatuning swamp to create Pennsylvania from the Iroquois and Wyandot the dam. In an Emergency America. It is not known what happened to Indians. Many settlers from Connecticut and farmlands. The swamp was not drained because In the next 18 years, public and private it would cripple the industries downstream in these mysterious people. New York moved into the area. These early organizations raised the $3,717,739 needed to Contact a park employee or dial 911. The Erie Nation are the first recorded the Beaver and Shenango valleys. farmers found the swamp to be a harsh build the dam. On October 6, 1931, 7,000 For directions to the nearest hospital, look on bulletin boards or at the park office. inhabitants of the Pymatuning area. They A severe flood in 1913 spurred the Nearest Hospitals: neighbor because it swallowed stray cattle and men began work, turning the dream into were ruled by a queen noted for her cunning legislature to action. The Pymatuning Act, housed dangerous animals like bear, mountain reality, and three years later Governor Pinchot To the South: To the West: To the East: strategy and crooked dealings. lion and millions of mosquitoes. signed the same year, appropriated $100,000 to gave his inspiring words at the dedication of UPMC Horizon St. Joseph Emergency and Diagnostic Center Meadville Medical Center The Seneca Nation of the Iroquois History of Pymatuning Reservoir initiate building a dam. The Pymatuning Act the 17,088-acre Pymatuning Reservoir. 110 North Main Street 476 South Main Street 751 Liberty Street Confederacy conquered the Erie and used “All human accomplishments begin with a states that the primary purpose of the Greenville, PA 16125 Andover, OH 44003 Meadville, PA 16335 the large swamp for hunting grounds. The dream.” The Honorable Gifford Pinchot, then Pymatuning Reservoir shall be for the 724-588-2100 440-293-6111 814-333-5000