We're in the area to visit Ohiopyle and were looking for some places close by to take our golden…read moreretriever swimming and while eating breakfast this morning at Yum Yums one of the owners recommended this place. After hubby and I toured Kentuck Knob we stopped by our hotel to get our golden and headed straight here. I was worried that being Father's Day that the place would be insanely crowded but there weren't many people there and since there are so many areas to park everyone that was there was pretty well spaced out. We stopped at the boat ramp area so our golden could jump off the 2 floating docks and he absolutely loved it. The water is really clean and hubby even saw a huge fish jump out of the water while our dog was retrieving his ball. This area has benches and a walkway around the lake and there are also bathrooms, pavilions and picnic tables and seems to be quite popular with the local fisherman plus it was so clean and pristine, my only regret is that we didn't find this place sooner because we would have been bringing our pup here every morning and evening. Great place for fishing, family get togethers or for a nice walk around the lake, we're actually getting ready to head back up there now.

Close to I-70 but without the noise, brings you close to Mother Nature with many walking &…read morebicycling paths

Very nice, clean park. I was here for an event in a pavilion with a park right there which was…read morenice. Pavilion was clean and seems to be nicely upkept.

As if there wasn't enough parks in the Laurel Highlands, there is Laurel Hill State Park a 3,935…read moreacre natural area of beautiful forest, overlooks, ponds and streams. My recent visit was promising at first, but the rain just kept coming all day long and it "dampened" my spirits completely. I stopped by the main office and got directions to the Jones Mill Dam. Since it was raining so much I gave it some time to clear up, but to no avail. This park is certainly worth checking out and it will be super beautiful later on in the Spring. The wood frogs, spring peepers and other animals will be active. On the same road that this park lies on is two other parks: Kooser State Park and Laurel Ridge State Park, so it is possible to hit those up while in the area. I will certainly make the trip out here later on towards May.

I was staying at Hidden Valley recently and I was looking for a cool place to hike in the area that…read moreI hadn't been to before and I happen to discover this gem. What a great spot for a hike, but an even better place for a swim, relaxing, a picnic on the grass or some sun on the sand by the water. So after we arrived we hit the trail that ran along the water while taking in the small but beautiful lake. We then proceeded to head into the woods. It was a great little hike and the trails were very easy. After we were done hiking we got the huge blanket and the cooler with snacks and drinks in it out of the car and headed over to a shaded spot under the trees. We sat in the grass area in the left corner of the parking lot and listened to music, ate, drank and enjoyed each other's company for a good while. Then after that we packed up our stuff in the car and headed down to the water and enjoyed the lake which is very clean and refreshing and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. I love that they have sand and everyone looked so happy. They also have an area where you can purchase food and beverages but they also have many other great amenities which I am sure can be discovered on here or on their website. I am so glad I discovered this place. I will most definitely be stopping by again when I am in the area. Enjoy :)

Raccoon Creek is a short drive from the city and an amazing escape into nature! I've camped here a…read morefew times and love how easy and accessible it is for so many reasons. The bathrooms are close by the camp sites and clean! Plus they have hot water for showering. The water pump for drinking water is fresh and better than my tap at home. The lake is so nice and the ice cream stand is the best (bring cash). Definitely recommend booking the camp sites closest to the trail that takes you to the beach. It's about a 15 minute hike, but so much nicer than driving 15 minutes to the beach.

A very large park on Western Pennsylvania with numerous trails, camps and unique destinations. The…read moreonly negative I've encountered in this park is an angry, abrasive and unprofessional park ranger. I've been visiting this place for years and had met many kind, friendly and helpful fellow visitors. I cannot say the same for that ranger - I hope y'all never come across her in your effort to find clarity on directions. My favorite areas of Raccoon Creek are the beach and the mineral springs. When the area water levels aren't low, you'll also see a beautiful 10 foot waterfall adjacent to Frankfort Mineral Springs. The beach is lovely in all seasons, but if you can catch it during the peak of Fall foliage. The many colors of the trees reflecting from the lake surface is quite the sight! There's a boat rental and the rates are very reasonable. There's also a very large picnic area with dozens of tables, plenty of parking and restrooms.

What a wonderful experience renting our kayaks. They are so friendly and accommodating to…read moreeverything we needed. The staff is awesome and we will definitely be back with friends to have the same experience again. Thank you so much for your guidance.

The family wanted to paddle board so I called to reserve 3, my husband kayaks and my 2 kids and I…read morepaddle board. I was told they take no reservations over the phone. It's a cash only business. However, I was told they had 5-6 available, so we rushed straight there. When we got there we were told there was only 1 paddle board. We reluctantly rented a hydrobike, a paddleboard and 2 kayaks. I didn't want to waste my money to pay for something we didn't want, and my kids were disappointed, but if they only had 1, what else could we do after driving the whole way there and only having a couple hour window to spend together before my oldest had to work? I asked to be put on a waitlist for one and the lady literally said, "Well, I guess I could start one, but you would have to be up here to get it." So I asked if one came in, could we be first in line and she said yes. I then watched one come in, so I gave her the kayak chip and asked to exchange it for a paddle board chip, but she said that the paddle boarder had to pay first. With time ticking on our rentals we waited for her to come up and pay and then watched her leave. Afterward, I was told that there was still no paddle board available. So we gave up and walked down to the dock and I explained that we had a chip for a hydrobike, a paddleboard, and 2 kayaks but that we wanted another paddleboard or 2, and pointed to the pile of them laying there. The dock worker assured me that they had 4 available and as we were talking another came in. He walked up with me to the table where you get the chips and they told him that the paperwork showed that there were none available, and so we couldn't get one. Seriously? We went back down to the dock and one of the guys got 2 paddle boards out for us, but then saw the chips we had and put one back. I asked if we could keep it since there were plenty available and one of the employees yelled at me and said that there must be people waiting for them or they would've given us a chip for one. There were 5 paddleboards, no one waiting but us since she had no wait list and didn't start one but told us we could have one if one came in. We never did get another paddle board and our hour was cut short as we waited for them. This place is incompetently and poorly run, and they didn't even try to remedy our situation by physically looking to see that there were boards available. How hard is that? Common sense is not strong with these folks! We received no apology and no extra time on our rental. On a rare occasion when I had my kids available together on a beautiful day and we all wanted to have fun paddle boarding together, we couldn't because the paperwork said that none were available, even though there were 5! You can't make this stuff up!!!

This is an excellent park for seeing birds. It's clean and well maintained…read more They have shelters for rent at reasonable prices. When you enter the park, you will see a small pond complete with ducks and geese. There are some great hiking trails.

This park is fantastic! Plenty of animals to see and interact with. Also they have some great…read moretrails to go hiking on. The trails were clearly marked making it easy to follow. I loved exploring this place and will definitely be back.

It's not the biggest lake in the area, but it's a nice lake. There is a boat launch (We have…read morelaunched our kayaks from this spot many times), and a completely new bridge over the lake with a new paved walking trail along-side of it, under it (see my photos), and partially on the other side of the bridge also (great for people that want to fish). If you get hungry, Mad Mex is right next door, lakeside, with a great deck for observing the comings and goings on the water. There is also a walking trail down to the dam, and several parking areas. One time when I was here, I saw a Bald Eagle flying over the lake, and also nesting in a tree on the shore . . . great local natural resource . . . Cheers!!!

I've lived in the area for a while now but have never made it to this lake before. Today was the…read moreperfect weather for a walk so I finally made it here. The park is on the smaller side but does have plenty of parking spaces. The trail is paved and clearly marked. I was expecting it to loop all the way around the lake but it didn't seem to. There were a few trails off of the paved path that I didn't explore. The views of the lake are very nice and there are a few benches to stop and enjoy it. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this place was and also how busy it was. I arrived just before 10am and the place was buzzing with people enjoying the lake.

This park is very well paved for parents that want to walk with a stroller. It's quite beautiful…read moreand relatively quiet.