Shawnee State Park

Shawnee State Park is 3,983 acres of Pennsylvania’s scenic Ridge and Valley Province. Ten miles west of the historic town of Bedford along US 30, Shawnee has modern recreational facilities that blend into the natural environment. A focal point of the park is the 451-acre Shawnee Lake.

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Directions - Weather  - Recreation  - Stay the Night  - Winter Activities  - Winter Report  - Environmental Education  - Calendar of Events  - Accessibility  - History  - Nearby Attractions  - Volunteers  - Rules and Regs  - In an Emergency  - Contact Us  - Downloadables and Maps

Park Advisories

Shawnee Lake Assessment 2009

Due to ongoing concerns with state of Shawnee Lake, the Bureau of State Parks contracted with Princeton Hydro, LLC, to review and interpret three years of collected lake data. Their findings are included within this report, and include a list of possible lake management activities and their feasibility on Shawnee Lake."

Shawnee Lake Assessment Report 2009 pdf (304 kb, 7/09)

Directions

US 30 and PA 96 pass through Shawnee State Park.

Recreational Opportunities

Hiking  - Biking  - Picnicking  - Swimming  - Boating  - Fishing  - Hunting  - Disc Golf  - Cross-country Skiing  - Sledding  - Snowmobiling  - Ice Fishing  - Ice Skating  - Organized Group Tenting  - Yurts  - Shawnee Lodge  - Camping Cottages  - Camping

Swimming: The sand and turf beach has modern bathhouses with flush toilets and showers. Vending machines are available. The beach is open from late-May to mid-September, 8 a.m. to sunset. Swim at your own risk. Please read and follow posted rules.

Picnicking: Picnic tables, charcoal grills, water fountains and restrooms are scattered around the park. Five picnic pavilions may be reserved up to 11 months in advance for a fee. Unreserved picnic pavilions are free on a first-come, first-served basis. Bowman Picnic Pavilion # 3 is ADA accessible.

Make a reservation

Hiking: 16 miles of trails

Biking: 7.5 miles of trails
The 3.4-mile Lakeshore Trail is easy biking and includes a small section of shared road. All other designated bicycling trails are moderate difficulty.

Fishing: The 451-acre Shawnee Lake is stocked with warm-water game fish. Common game species are smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskellunge, pickerel, catfish, crappie, yellow perch, bluegill, sunfish, sucker, bullhead and carp. An ADA accessible fishing pier is by the Diehl Parking Lot. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission laws apply. For complete information on fishing rules and regulations in Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Web site.

Hunting and Firearms: Over 3,000 acres are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are deer, rabbit, squirrel and grouse.

Hunting woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day following Labor Day to March 31 in designated hunting areas. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations apply. Contact the park office for ADA accessible hunting information.

Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. Other visitors use the park during hunting seasons. Firearms and archery equipment used for hunting may be uncased and ready for use only in authorized hunting areas during hunting seasons. In areas not open to hunting or during non-hunting seasons, firearms and archery equipment shall be kept in the owner's car, trailer or leased campsite. The only exception is that law enforcement officers and individuals with a valid Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms may carry said firearm concealed on their person while they are within the park.

For complete information on hunting rules and regulations in Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission Web site.

Boating: electric motors only
The 451-acre Shawnee Lake has three boat launch areas and 183 dry boat mooring spaces. The Clearfields boat dock and launch ramp are ADA accessible. The boat concession rents paddleboats, canoes and rowboats during the summer.

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; launch use permit from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

For complete information on boating rules and regulations in Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Web site.

Disc Golf: Disc Golf: General Forbes’s Challenge is in the Clearfields Day Use Area. The 9-hole, par-3 course has some nice distance holes and an up-and-over-the-hill challenge.

Stay the Night

Camping: modern sites, some with electric The 293 sites have picnic tables and fire rings, and accommodate either tents or trailers. 98 sites have electric hookups. Three campsites are ADA accessible. There is a sanitary dump station and centrally located washhouses with flush toilets, showers and laundry tubs. A camp store sells wood, charcoal and other camping supplies and is open from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day. The camping season begins the second Friday in April and ends in mid-December.

Explore the campground map.

Explore camping for more information.

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Camping Cottages: The three cottages sleep five people in single bunks and double/single bunks, and have wooden floors, windows, electric heat, porch, picnic table, fire ring and electric lights and outlets.

Make a reservation

Yurts: The two Mongolian-style tents are round, on a wooden deck and sleep five people in single bunks and double/single bunks. Yurts have a cooking stove, refrigerator, countertop, table, chairs, electric heat and outlets, fire ring and picnic table.

Make a reservation

Shawnee Lodge: This two-story house overlooks Shawnee Lake. It sleeps eight people in four bedrooms with two double beds and four single beds. The lodge has air conditioning and a modern kitchen. A fire ring and picnic table are in the yard. Renters should bring their own linens, towels and dishes. Make a reservation

Organized Group Tenting: On the secluded Kegg Run finger of the lake, the organized group tenting area offers campers easy access to fishing, and canoe and kayak launching. Four campsites each have a capacity of 20 campers or a total capacity of 80. The camp has composting toilets. Each site has picnic tables and a fire ring. Organized youth and adult groups can rent the area April through December. Advance reservations are required.

Explore organized group tenting for more information.

Winter Activities

Explore the Winter Report for current snow and ice depths.

Cross-country Skiing and Snowshoeing: Most trails are suitable for novice and experienced skiers and snowshoers. Lake Shore is the most popular trail.

Snowmobiling: Registered snowmobiles are permitted on an 11-mile trail network in the eastern side of the park.

Sledding and Tobogganing: A large area of hillsides near Clearfields Picnic Area #2 is great for sledding.

Ice Fishing: Common species caught through the ice are yellow perch, northern pike, walleye and pickerel. The ice thickness is not monitored. For your safety, be sure the ice is four inches thick and carry safety equipment.

Ice Skating: An area at Colvin Boat Launch is quite popular during the winter months.

Environmental Education and Interpretation

The park environmental interpretor conducts a summer program of nature walks and evening programs that focus on the natural and historical resources of the park and surrounding landscape.

Explore the Calendar of Events for a listing of events from today forward.

Explore environmental education and interpretation for more information.

Access for People with Disabilities

If you need an accommodation to participate in park activities due to a disability, please contact the park you plan to visit.

History

Shawnee State Park is named for American Indians who lived for a short time in the vicinity of the park during their westward migration from the Potomac to the Ohio Country in the early 1700s.

General Forbes camped his army within the boundaries of the park while building the Forbes Road in the campaign of 1758 against the French at Fort Duquesne, Pittsburgh. One can still walk remnants of the Forbes Trail within the park.

The white barn, buildings and houses now surrounded by a lake of water were once surrounded by a sea of grass. These buildings belonged to John Bowman’s “Water Brooks Farm.” John Bowman was president and chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh and was the driving force behind the building of the Cathedral of Learning.

Nearby Attractions

For more information, contact: Bedford County Visitors Bureau, 800-765-3331, www.bedfordcounty.net or
The Alleghenies www.thealleghenies.com.

Bedford County offers many points of interest. Days can be spent sampling the past heritage and the present culture through its mountains and rolling agricultural fields.

US 30, the Lincoln Highway, roughly follows the Forbes Trail that was the main highway between Fort Bedford and Fort Ligonier in the 1700s. Original inns and other examples of a unique Bedford architectural style can be seen along the road and in small settlements such as Schellsburg.

The City of Bedford Historic District includes the oldest courthouse in use in Pennsylvania and the Espy House where President George Washington headquartered in 1794 to review his troops on their way to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in Western Pennsylvania. A walking tour of 51 buildings in the historic district is available in the Bedford County Travel Guide.

Old Bedford Village, on old US 220 just north of Bedford, is a complex of historical buildings which were collected from all over the county. Arranged in the manner of a typical colonial settlement, the buildings were reconstructed and contain demonstrations of the early American crafts which were found in colonial Bedford. Craftsmen clothed in authentic garb explain their craft.

For downhill skiers, Blue Knob Ski Area, in Blue Knob State Park, is one of the best ski resorts in Pennsylvania and is 25 miles from Shawnee State Park. Cross-country skiers will find a variety of interesting terrain for their sport.

Bedford County is well known by sportsmen for its beautiful trout streams and abundant deer and other wild game. For the non-hunter, Bedford offers great wildlife observation opportunities, especially migrating birds.

In an Emergency

Contact a park employee or dial 911.
For directions to the nearest hospital, look on bulletin boards or at the park office.

Nearest Hospital:
UPMC Bedford Memorial Hospital
10455 Lincoln Highway
Everett, PA 15537
814-623-6161

For More Information Contact

Shawnee State Park
132 State Park Road
Schellsburg, PA 15559-7300
814-733-4218
Manager: Robert F. Bromley

E-mail: shawneesp@state.pa.us
An equal opportunity employer

Make online reservations or call toll-free 888-PA-PARKS, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, for state park information and reservations.