Hiking Tuscarora State Park: A Mountain Lake and Beautiful Streams

Join us as we hike in Tuscarora State Park in northern Pennsylvania! Another state park to hike and cross off our bucket list!

By the middle of April, Brian and I were anxiously awaiting warmer weather so we could go camping and hiking. There was finally warmer weather on the horizon so we set off to camp in Locust Lake State Park and go hiking in Tuscarora State Park.

Now, there are plenty of people who go cold-weather camping, however, we aren’t these people. Pennsylvania tends to hold onto it’s winter months a little longer than some states, but we made the best of a warm-ish weekend!

We left on Friday right after work, set up our tent and despite an abnormally cold night in April, we were awake and ready for some solid PA hiking on Saturday. As this was just a quick getaway, we decided to hike 2 trails in Tuscarora State Park.

Tuscarora State Park – Location

Located in Schuylkill County Pennsylvania, Tuscarora State Park has a beautiful lake, clear mountain streams, hiking trails, a campground and a nice picnic area. They are dog friendly (with a 6 foot leash of course) and Luna loved the trails and swimming in the lake.

Just under 2 hours north of where we live, Brian and I weren’t quite ready for the cold of our early Spring camping adventure. But we made the most of it and enjoyed some time away from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. The quiet of Tuscarora Lake made for a peaceful getaway and we would definitely go back there for another weekend to explore more trails.

Tuscarora is definitely not one of Pennsylvania’s most popular state parks, but it is still quite beautiful. And just because it’s not the most popular doesn’t mean you should skip it. In fact, because of how peaceful it was, I would say you should definitely check it out!

Here’s some info on the park to get you started. Where to camp, what trails to hike and even a few details of our hike and stay! So let’s jump right in with where to lay your head at night.

Camping

Tuscarora State Park and Locust Lake State Park are very close to each other, so you can camp at either park if you want to hike at Tuscarora.

However, there are quite a few reasons why we ended up choosing to camp at Locust Lake State Park even though we primarily hiked in Tuscarora. Let’s look at the differences!

Camping in Tuscarora State Park

Tuscarora State Park only has a few camping locations. And they are either Yurts, or Cottages. Since we have a tent, we weren’t able to camp here. Reservations can be made here if you want to camp in Tuscarora State Park

There is also limited dog availability and just like usual, we brought Luna camping with us.

These reasons were enough for us to look elsewhere to camp. Fortunately, Locust Lake State Park is quite close to Tuscarora, so our hiking plans weren’t messed up.

Camping in Locust Lake State Park

Locust Lake has a plethora of camp sites to choose from and is also within walking distance of another beautiful mountain lake, albeit smaller than Tuscarora Lake. This campground has a bathhouse with showers and bathrooms for both men and women (this is a must for me, I like showering after a long day of hiking!). There were several dog sites as well, which is a must for camping with Luna (obviously).

This campground is open from the beginning of April to the end of October each year. To make reservation you can search Locust Lake State Park on reserveamerica.com or by clicking this link that I have provided for you!

Now that you have a few facts about where to camp, and my personal recommendation, let’s jump into the hiking!

Hiking in Tuscarora State Park

Hiking in a new area requires some research. So why don’t you let me do some of it for you! First let’s look at the trails that are available to you!

Trails

You can find some basic information about Tuscarora, such as the history, wildlife, camping, hiking, etc. at this link. This Recreational Guide is provided by the PA DCNR (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) and can be a great starting point for this park. It also touches on Locust Lake State Park since they are so close together.

If you prefer to just look at a map, you can use this link to the map of Tuscarora State Park.

There are 7 trails that are hike-able. We chose just two of them, since we were only there for 1 full day.

• Spirit of Tuscarora
• Lake View Trail
• Crow Trail
• Forest Edge Trail
• Laurel Trail
• Locust Mountain Trail
• Old Log Trail

Most of the trails listed above are very short and fairly easy. So after some research, Brian and I decided to hike The Spirit of Tuscarora, which takes you down along the lake to start before leading you back by the peaceful Locust Creek. Then we drove to the other side of the park to hike the Lakeview Trail, which unsurprisingly, takes you along the lake and provides some truly beautiful views of Tuscarora Lake.

Ok, so we now know the basics about the park, the location and where to camp. Let’s get into the fun part, the hike!

Hiking Tuscarora State Park

As mentioned above, we chose to hike 2 trails this day. The first being the Spirit of Tuscarora Trail and the second was the Lake View Trail. Here is a little snippet of each part of our hikes so you know what to expect!

Spirit of Tuscarora Trail

Tuscarora State Park proved to be a beautiful hiking location good for any time of the year. We hiked there in the early spring, but the fresh mountain stream and the clear mountain lake hyped up our anticipation for summer and all the hiking we had planned.

We chose to start with the Spirit of Tuscarora because it one of the more popular hikes in the park. Getting to any popular trail early is the key to a successful peaceful hike!

Luna was with us and ready to run as soon as we let her out of the truck. We started on the trail and immediately you are met with the beauty of the lake. This lake is beautiful and appears a stunning blue color when we hiked past it in the morning light.

Of course Luna jumped right into the cold water and swam until she was ready to continue on the hike.

As you continue back up and away from the lake, you will come to a split in the trail. We chose to go to the right so that we could come back along the stream/lake at the end of our hike.

After the fork in the trail, you are simply hiking in the woods. There isn’t much to see on this side of the trail, but the peace and quiet mixed with the smell of the woods still made this part enjoyable.

About a mile or so later, you will reach the first parts of a stream. This area is much prettier and made for an enjoyable spring hike.

Between the flowers blooming along the trail and the babbling sounds of the stream, we were able to enjoy the beauty of this trail.

Nearly the remainder of our hike was spent along this peaceful stream. Luna led the way and Brian and I took turns taking videos and photos as we hiked along. We truly enjoyed our time hiking Tuscarora State Park and we wouldn’t hesitate to go back for a day of peace and quiet.

Now, onto our second hike of the day and what to expect from the Lake View Trail…well, aside from a very obvious view of the lake.

The Lake View Trail

The Lake View Trail is a small trail that takes you along the lake for about 1.75 miles. You then turn around and come back the way you came. A true out-and-back hike that dead ends on the far side of the lake, across from the parking lot.

The trail begins near the boat ramp parking lot and is just to the left of the ramp itself. It starts out as a paved trail and quickly turns to a small dirt path.

You start in the woods and the trail takes you into an open field above rocky bluffs surrounding the lake. We sat here and ate our lunch while enjoying the view of the lake.

As we continued on, the trail wraps around the lake and takes you to the other side. This trail is narrow as it leads you through the woods, but don’t let that deter you from enjoying the lake’s beauty.

As we poked in and out of the woods the entire hike, we were able to enjoy the mostly shaded trail. With such close proximity to the lake, we were also able to take in the stunning view of the lake.

Eventually we reached the end of the trail and worked our way back. This quick trail offers some of the best views of and around the lake. We were even able to snap this adorable family photo!

We finished the hike and headed back to the campsite for a much needed shower and relaxing evening sitting around the fire. Luna all but passed out laying near the fire after all her running and swimming.

Conclusion

Tuscarora is not one of Pennsylvania’s most popular state parks. But this doesn’t mean you should skip the peaceful location of this PA State Park! We chose to camp at Locust Lake State Park and spent most of our time hiking Tuscarora State Park. Luna enjoyed the water and we enjoyed the quiet trails. I highly recommend hiking in Tuscarora State Park if you get the chance.

Looking to explore other PA state parks? You can also check out my other blog posts about Evansburg State Park or French Creek State Park.