Raystown Lake - Public Lands - Hunting and Fishing - Links -
Personal Fitness - League Sports - Racing & Flying - Amusements

Huntingdon is surrounded by a rich landscape of farms and forests. The county is home to three state parks in addition to Raystown Lake. Abundant public lands and waterways are the setting for most of the area's recreational opportunities. Approximately 135,000 acres—roughly 24 percent of the county—are available to the public for outdoor activities including camping, picnicking, hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, and cross-country skiing.

In addition to the natural recreational areas, the county boasts excellent facilities for bowling, golfing, swimming, body building, target shooting, tennis, racketball, and handball. There are sports leagues for youth and adults, and nearby amusement parks for children of all ages.

Raystown Lake

Raystown Lake is Huntingdon County's recreational centerpiece. The deep, serpentine lake, covering 8,300 acres, is a paradise for boaters, anglers, water skiers, jet skiers,and scuba divers. Bordering the water is 21,000 acres of forested public lands.

Seven public launches along the lake's 30-mile length provide access for boaters. Also along the shoreline are two major recreational centers: the Seven Points Recreational Complex and Lake Raystown Resort and Lodge. Found at both developments are campsites, marinas with dockage and rentals, tour boats, picnic grounds, restaurants, and beaches. In addition, the resort has a motel, a waterpark, and a miniature golf course. Seven Points is the site of an amphitheater and the park's headquarters. Raystown Lake is owned by the federal government and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Public Lands

Three of the Pennsylvania's most attractive state parks are located in Huntingdon County. Trough Creek State Park, near Raystown Lake, is a beautiful, serene refuge for hikers, picnickers, anglers and campers. Whipple Dam State Park, Rothrock State Forest and Greenwood Furnace State Park are in the northeastern corner of the county. Both parks offer swimming in stream-fed lakes, picnicking, fishing,and hiking. Greenwood is located on the grounds of a former iron-making community, and the park's staff uses exhibits, demonstrations, and structural remnants from the community to describe the iron-making process and life in an iron-making community.

A short distance from Whipple Dam and Greenwood Furnace is the Stone Valley Recreation Area, approximately 1,500 acres of forest and wetlands managed by Penn State University. The recreational area offers hiking, picnicking, non-motorized boating, boating lessons, fishing, and camping. Within the recreational area is the Shavers Creek Environmental Center, which sponsors exhibits and educational programs with environmental themes. Also, the center operates a rehabilitation center for injured birds of prey.

The Bureau of Forestry welcomes the public to visit its approximately 66,345 acres of woodland in Huntingdon County. The bureau manages several picnic and "natural" areas within its holdings, including the Alan Seeger Natural Area in the northeastern corner of the county. Alan Seeger is a primeval track of white pine and virgin hemlock surrounded by towering stands of rhododendron. Some of the mammoth trees there are over 500 years old.

Almost every town in the county has its own park, with a diamond for baseball and softball, and open space for family outings and community festivities.

Hunting and Fishing

Deer, turkey and bear are just a few of the game species hunted in the county. Hunting is allowed in the state forests, in sections of the Raystown Lake reservation, and on approximately 32,500 acres of state game lands managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. An additional 30,000 acres of farmland are open to hunters through cooperative agreements with the game commission.

For those who prefer shooting targets, one of the largest skeet shooting ranges in the nation is located near McConnellstown. The club also has outdoor rifle and archery ranges. Indoor archery ranges are located in Huntingdon and Orbisonia.

Those who shoot with a camera instead of a gun will find a diverse population of animals to photograph. The bird population, in particular, is varied because the county is located along a major migratory corridor. Although no eagles nest in the county, Raystown Lake is a regular winter stopover for several of the majestic birds of prey.

Trout, bass, striped bass, walleye, muskie, perch, carp, and Atlantic salmon are a few of the many warm- and cold-water species living in the county's waterways. Raystown Lake, with its multiple thermal layers, is home to a fish population as diverse as you'll find anywhere else in the state. Recent catches at the lake include a 47 lb. 13 oz. striped bass, a 17 lb. 14.5 oz. brown trout, a 10 lb. 6 oz. Atlantic salmon and a 46 lb. muskie. President Jimmy Carter is among the many anglers who have wetted lines in the natural trout streams in the northern part of the county. Huntingdon County is home to several fishing clubs. Tournaments, both public and private, are regularly scheduled.

Personal Fitness

There are three private gyms in the county, and Juniata College offers memberships for persons wanting to use its sports facilities, which include weight-lifting equipment, swimming pool, sauna, tennis courts, handball court, and racketball court. Among the many recreational offerings of the Huntingdon Community Center are aerobics and karate programs.

The Huntingdon Area Middle School and Juniata College have indoor pools for year-round swimming. Sites for seasonal swimming include treated-water pools at Three Springs and Mapleton; and natural-water pools at Huntingdon, Greenwood State Park, Whipple Dam State Park, and Raystown Lake.

There is one bowling alley and two golf courses in the county, and a third golf course just over the county line. The 18-lane bowling alley is owned and managed by a competing member of the Professional Bowlers Association. The Huntingdon Country Club is a public 18 hole golf course. The Borough of Huntingdon boasts a beautiful new swimming pool.

The county's public lands are perfect for cross country skiing and snowmobiling; and ice fishing and ice skating are popular pastimes on the county's lakes and ponds. Within an hour's drive are ski slopes in neighboring Blair and Centre counties.

League Sports

Non-scholastic sports programs for area youth include baseball, soccer, football, basketball, gymnastics, and swimming. League sports for adults include baseball, softball, basketball, bowling, and volleyball.

Racing & Flying

Auto racing enthusiasts can get behind the wheel or watch from bleachers at the Hill Valley Speedway near Orbisonia or the Hesston Speedway near Hesston. Those who enjoy the thrill of the ride can visit the Go-Cart tracks at the intersection of Routes 26 and 994, Entriken.

Amusements

Among the popular places for family outings are the Lake Raystown Resort waterpark, the county's three miniature golf courses, and the Lakemont Park and Delgrosso's amusement complexes near Altoona. Numerous communities in Huntingdon County host annual carnivals with amusement rides and games of chance.

Huntingdon County Visitor's Bureau.

US Army Corps of Engineers - Lake Raystown.

Game Commission

Pennsylvania State Site