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Locust Lake State Park

Type
State park (campground, lake & trail system)
Where
220 Locust Lake Road, Barnesville, PA
Township(s)
Ryan Township
Managed by
PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR), Bureau of State Parks
Coordinates
40.78499, -76.11921 · Open in Maps
GPS decimal degrees printed on the official DCNR "Stay the Night" page (park/campground area)
Last verified
2026-06-18

Locust Lake State Park is Schuylkill County’s classic family lake campground. Its 282 wooded campsites ring a 52-acre lake on the side of Locust Mountain near Barnesville — a tent-only area on the north shore and a tent-and-trailer/RV area on the south, with swimming, boating, fishing, and a network of lakeside and wooded trails.

The park is administered together with neighboring Tuscarora State Park. The two share a park office, but they are different kinds of place: Locust Lake is the drive-in campground, while Tuscarora offers roofed cottages and yurts and no conventional campsites.

Camping

The campground has modern restrooms and shower houses, a sanitary dump station, three playgrounds, and a camp store with boat rental near the fishermen’s launch. Each site has a parking pad, picnic table, and fire ring.

The camping season runs roughly mid-March to mid-October. Because nightly rates, season dates, and site availability change each year — and the park has at times limited availability during facility upgrades — reserve and confirm the current details through Pennsylvania State Parks (ReserveAmerica) or by calling 888-PA-PARKS rather than relying on a fixed figure here.

On the water and the trails

The 52-acre lake is open to swimming at a guarded beach in season, to non-powered and electric-motor boating, and to fishing. Trails loop the lake and climb into the surrounding woods at an easy-to-moderate grade.

Getting there

The park sits off the I-81 corridor between Mahanoy City and Barnesville; the lake lies between the two campground areas. Boat-launch and camp-store parking are on the western side of the lake.

Access & parking

Getting there
On the side of Locust Mountain between Mahanoy City and Barnesville, off the I-81 corridor. The lake sits between the two campground areas.
Parking
Each campsite has a parking pad; boat-launch and camp-store parking on the western side of the lake.
Accessibility
DCNR flags accessible camping at this park, with modern restrooms and shower houses; confirm specific accessible site numbers through the reservation system.

Sources

Frequently asked

Does Locust Lake State Park have a campground?
Yes. Locust Lake is the county's main state-park campground, with 282 wooded sites — a tent-only area on the north side of the lake and a tent-and-trailer/RV area on the south side. (Nearby Tuscarora State Park, managed together with Locust Lake, offers cottages and yurts but no drive-in campground.)
When is the campground open, and what does a site cost?
The camping season runs roughly mid-March to mid-October. Season dates, nightly rates, and site availability change year to year — reserve and confirm current details through Pennsylvania State Parks (ReserveAmerica) or by calling 888-PA-PARKS.

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