Make a splash! It's easy when you have 83,000 miles of rivers and streams to play in here in Pennsylvania. Add more than a few lakes and ponds and some excellent swimming holes,
and what you have is a wet and wild paradise.
Boaters, Kayakers, Canoe enthusiasts, and swimmers all love the Pennsylvania waters.
If you're after a lazy day in the sun, you can find it along our unspoiled waterways.
If you want whitewater adventure that makes your heart race, you can find that too.
There is a waterway here for everyone to enjoy!
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SPEEDWELL FORGE LAKE Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Speedwell Forge is a 106-acre popular destination for un-powered boat (mainly canoes and kayaks) users looking for a peaceful place to watch wildlife, exercise, or just to enjoy some time on the water. A pavilion with picnic tables is available by the lake. Portable restrooms are available seasonally. BOATING Boating is limited to boats powered by electric motors and un-powered boats. There are 3 access points and associated parking facilities, 2 have a surfaced launch ramp. Un-powered boats may be moored at the lake in accordance with Commission property regulations. To be used at the lake, boats must be registered or have a valid launch permit. We do boat registrations here at Lancaster County Marine! |
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COCALICO CREEK Lebanon County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Cocalico Creek is a 26.6 miles long tributary of the Conestoga River located in Lebanon and Lancaster Counties in Pennsylvania. The source is at an elevation of 1320 feet near Stricklerstown in Millcreek Township, Lebanon County. The mouth is the confluence with the Conestoga River at an elevation of 278 feet at Talmage in West Earl Township, Lancaster County. |
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CONESTOGA RIVER Berks County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County, Pennsylvania As one of the County’s more scenic rivers, the Conestoga is a popular waterway for canoeing and kayaking. This Class 1 river runs for sixty miles, emptying into the Susquehanna. |
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BLUE MARSH LAKE Western Berks County, Pennsylvania Blue Marsh Lake is located minutes from Reading and is a great place to enjoy a day outside. Lake recreation activities include swimming, boating, water skiing, scuba diving, and fishing, plus ice boating, ice fishing and ice skating during the winter months. There are miles of biking and equestrian trails around Blue Marsh, and the Lake is a great place to go birding. A boating permit is required. |
 Blue Marsh is located off of Rt. 183 west of Reading, PA. |
SUSQUEHANNA RIVER LONG LEVEL - LAKE CLARKE Lancaster County, Pennsylvania York County, Pennsylvania A great place to enjoy life is on Lake Clarke. The lake is in Lancaster County with York County on the west shore line. Lake Clarke was formed in 1931 when the Safe Harbor Dam was built on the Susquehanna River. The dam, in addition to storing water for hydroelectric-generating plant, created an 11.5 square-mile lake that over the years has developed into one of Pennsylvania's prime recreation areas, especially for water-sports enthusiasts. Each year, thousands of visitors to Lake Clarke enjoy sailing, water skiing, fishing, waterfowl and large and small game hunting, hiking, and picnicking. And there are many who come to the area just to appreciate its beauty. |
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LAKE MARBURG York County, Pennsylvania The 1,275-acre Lake Marburg has seven boat launch ramps around the lake. All are open to the public, but the campground launch is only for the use of registered campers. Up to 20 hp motors permitted. Motorboats must display a boat registration from any state. Non-powered boats must display one of the following: boat registration from any state; launching permit or mooring permit from Pennsylvania State Parks that are available at most state park offices.. The 3,452-acre Codorus State Park is in the rolling hills of southern York County. The 1,275-acre Lake Marburg has 26 miles of shoreline and is a reststop for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. The lake is also popular with sailboaters and motorboaters. Anglers love the lake for warm water fishing and can also fish Codorus Creek for trout. Picnicking, swimming in the pool and camping are popular activities. |
 From I-83, take Exit 8. Go 18 miles west on PA 216 to the park. From PA 116, go through Hanover. Turn right onto PA 216 east and go three miles to the park. |
CODORUS CREEK York County, Pennsylvania Codorus Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in York County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Codorus Creek (Native American for "rapid water"), formed by the confluence of the West and South branches approximately 0.8 miles upstream of the Pennsylvania Route 182 crossing, flows for approximately 15.2 miles to join the Susquehanna River near the community of Saginaw. |
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MUDDY RUN Southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania 700 acres of beautiful woodland and rolling fields surrounding a scenic 100-acre lake nestled within the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch farmlands in Southern Lancaster County. A boat launch is available. No gasoline powered boats are permitted. Large & small mouth bass,trout and crappies are popular game fish. Pennsylvania Fish Commission regulations apply with fishing licenses available at the boat dock. |
 Muddy Run Park is located on Rte 372, 4.5 miles west of Rte 272 at Buck, PA and 2 miles east of the Susquehanna River and the Norman Wood Bridge. The buck is approx. 14 miles south of Lancaster, PA. |
MARSH CREEK Chester County, Pennsylvania Marsh Creek State Park is in the rolling hills of northcentral Chester County. The 1,705-acre park contains the 535-acre Marsh Creek Lake, which is great for fishing, sailing and is a reststop for migrating waterfowl. Electric motors permitted. |
 The park is about two miles west of the village of Eagle on PA 100. Access to the park from the Pennsylvania Turnpike is via PA 100 north. At Eagle, signs direct you to the park. |
LAKE REDMAN York, Pennsylvania William Kain County Park’s 1,675 acres include two beautiful lakes, Lake William and Lake Redman. The lands surrounding these two reservoirs offer an array of trails and numerous ways to link together a variety of loops. The trails here are well marked. |
 Exit 4 off of Interstate 83 go west thru 2 lights, left turn at the second light.(George St.) Go south on George St until you get to the town of Jacobus make a left turn at the flower shop (there are signs for the park at this intersection) go about 1/2 mile and the park is on the left. |
LAKE ALDRED Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Holtwood Preserve The 2,400-acre Lake Aldred is popular for boating and water-skiing. PPL boat ramps for public use are available at the villages of York Furnace and Pequea. Marinas are located at York Furnace and Pequea as well. Boaters are advised to stay about a mile below the Safe Harbor Dam and to be wary of currents at the north tip of Weise Island and on the east side of the Urey Island chain. Weise Island, in the middle of the Susquehanna River just north of Pequea Creek, has a natural sandy beach for day use only. Boaters at the southern end of Lake Aldred are warned of the Holtwood dam and its 55-foot spillway by a line of buoys. Boating is prohibited south (downstream) of the buoys. Below the dam, boating is restricted downstream to the Norman Wood Bridge. |
 North of Rt. 372 |
MUDDY CREEK Whitewater rafting and kayaking spots in Pennsylvania are easier than the national norm, so don't forget that many of the sections here are safe for beginners. The nature scenery of Pennsylvania and the sparkling of the sunlight on the water attract people from near and far. On this section you do get some distance, it's perfect for a one day trip. This stretch of Muddy Creek - Susquehanna Tributary in Pennsylvania is 5 miles long and has been rated as a class II (III) section by American Whitewater. Great exercise and a chance to spend some time outdoors are great attractions for lots of people. Muddy Creek - Susquehanna Tributary doesn't have a lot of paddling sections, the Paper Mill Road to Susquehanna River section is the only one. |
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PEACH BOTTOM Southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania |
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SWATARA STATE PARK Non-powered boats only. |
  Swatara State Park is in Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, 14 miles north of Lebanon and three miles west of Pine Grove. The park is easily reached from I-81: at Exit 90, Lickdale, take PA 72 north; at Exit 100, take PA 443 west. |
SCHUYLKILL RIVER The Schuylkill River, is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about 130 miles long. Its watershed of about 2000 square miles lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in Schuylkill County. The west branch starts near Minersville and joins the eastern branch at the town of Schuylkill Haven. The Schuylkill River is very popular with watersports enthusiasts. Paddling the Schuylkill River can be a fun way to exercise and enjoy the outdoors. The river is lined with farms, trees, and dotted with small towns and villages as it winds its way through Schuylkill and Berks Counties. Further south you'll find yourself paddling through many of the region's small and mid-sized cities and experiencing the area's industrial past from the water's edge. The River winds its way through Valley Forge National Historical Park on its way to Philadelphia. The river can be shallow and rocky at spots, so please be sure to check the water levels in the area you wish to paddle before putting in. Also, please note that there are 10 dams on the Schuylkill, and paddlers are required by law to portage around these dams. Portages can be lengthy in unimproved locations. |
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RAYSTOWN LAKE Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Raystown Lake is a 29,000 acre project with 12 public access areas, a 8,000 acre lake, picnic areas, beaches, boat launches, campgrounds, trails, hunting, fishing, marina concession stands and is operated and maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers. Boating and swimming and fishing are all popular activities. There are many campsites on the lake, as well as several boat launches, restaurants & trails. Firework displays are held at the Raystown Lake Resort on Memorial Day Weekend, July 3, and the Sunday night before Labor Day. The fireworks at the resort are watched from the lake but can also be seen from the Pennsylvania Route 994 bridge; the resort is just south of this bridge. |
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LAKE WALLENPAUPACK Hawley, Pennsylvania border of Pike & Wayne Counties Pocono Mountains Lake Wallenpaupack is a man-made lake built in 1927 by the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company for hydroelectric power. The lake has huge dimensions - 5,700 acres, 13 ½ miles long with 52 miles of shoreline. Lake Wallenpaupack is a center of recreation for the surrounding communities, providing boating and fishing access in the summertime, as well as ice skating and ice fishing in the winter. Lake fish include smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, walleye, muskellunge, pickerel, rainbow trout, brown trout, catfish and yellow perch. Striped bass and hybrid striped bass have been stocked in the lake. |
 Pocono Mountains |
CHESAPEAKE BAY Havre de Grace, Maryland to Virginia Beach, Virginia The Chesapeake Bay is an estuary, a body of water where fresh and salt water mix. It is the largest of 130 estuaries in the United States. The Bay is about 200 miles long, stretching from Havre de Grace, Maryland, to Virginia Beach, Virginia. The Bay's width ranges from 3.4 miles near Aberdeen, Maryland, to 35 miles near the mouth of the Potomac River. Public access points are places anyone can visit to swim, hike, paddle or simply enjoy the history and natural beauty of the Chesapeake. Providing access to natural areas helps the public build a connection with the rivers, forests and wildlife of the Bay watershed. The Chesapeake Bay Program publishes the Chesapeake Bay, Susquehanna River & Tidal Tributaries Public Access Guide, which provides information on over 500 major public access sites in the Bay region. Users can find sites offering opportunities for boating, fishing, wildlife observation and beach use. |
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