Raystown Lake, PA is the perfect vacation spot for everyone.
When you are planning a trip that everyone can enjoy you have to ask yourself a few questions. Will there be paddling? What about fishing? And mountain biking, hiking, swimming? And what about great food and shopping? And what about a nice place to stay? Look no further than the Raystown Lake Region of Pennsylvania. It has opportunities aplenty for all. Whether you want to just breathe in the fresh air and walk through the forest and enjoy the unspoiled shoreline scenery of Raystown Lake. Or you want to bring your boots, kayak, fishing pole and mountain bike to really get the most out of your time in Huntingdon County — or just bring your camp chair to relax by the fire and gaze at the stars. Raystown Lake has it all.
Raystown Lake is the largest lake entirely within Pennsylvania. It has 118 miles of shoreline in which you can find beaches, docks, boat launches and fishing spots. Beyond the lake, there are two convenient public launch areas to a historic portion of the Juniata River in Huntingdon County, PA that just opened this summer. The two launches bookend the deepest gorge in Pennsylvania, known locally as Jack’s Narrows, where the Juniata River cuts a gap in Jacks Mountain. The peaks of Jacks Mountain on the south side of the gorge is just over 2,120 feet in elevation, and 2.9 miles away on the north of the gorge is just over 2,320 feet. The river surface of the Juniata River drops from 566 feet above sea level at Mapleton to 545 Feet above sea level 3.3 miles downstream at Mount Union. That makes the gorge nearly 1/3 mile deep! The community-owned launches open up Jacks Narrows to access for paddlesports, fishing and leisurely inner-tube floating. The facilities and distance between them make this the first and best recommendation for inner-tube floating in Huntingdon County, and perhaps the entire Juniata River watershed, as state-owned launch facilities prohibit inner-tube access. This stretch of the Juniata River is gentle and easily navigated by paddlers at all experience levels.
For the less aquatically inclined, Raystown Lake has you covered! You can ride on 36 miles of world-class single track on Allegrippis Trail system or practice on the new two-acre Raystown Mountain Bike Skills Park. The Allegrippis Trails were designed by mountain bikers and built by the International Mountain Bicycling Association. They are arranged as stacked loops, giving the user the opportunity to plan a route as short or as long as they would like. There are nearly endless combinations, so even riders who come back time after time have the opportunity to use a new route each time. There are also caves to tour, state parks, rails-to-trails, museums, shops, diners, and more to explore. Your trip will not have a single dull moment.
After your day of adventure, you will need a great place to stay! Whether you like to camp in a hammock under the stars, a finely appointed luxury vacation home, the shelter of a tent, motel, inn, bed & breakfast or the comfort of a recreational vehicle; the Raystown Lake region has a site for you! Accommodations include hotels, luxury vacation homes, cabins, lodges and…Raystown Lake is the only lake in Pennsylvania where you can get a houseboat and live on the water during your vacation! Raystown Lake is the perfect place to visit.
