Shawnee State Park

Shawnee State Park is 3,983 acres of Pennsylvania’s scenic Ridge and Valley Province. Ten miles west of historic Bedford along US 30, Shawnee has fine recreational facilities that are convenient and fit into the natural environment. A focal point of the park is the 451-acre Shawnee Lake. Shawnee is a featured park, April, in the 2009 Pennsylvania State Parks Calendar.

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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

Directions

US 30 and PA 96 pass through Shawnee State Park.

Recreational Opportunities

Hiking  - Biking  - Picnicking  - Swimming  - Boating  - Fishing  - Hunting  - Sledding  - Snowmobiling  - Ice Fishing  - Ice Skating  - Organized Group Tenting  - Shawnee Lodge  - Camping

Swimming: The sand and turf beach has modern bathhouses with flush toilets and showers. 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 for swimming.

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. A picnic pavilion is ADA accessible.

Make a reservation

Hiking: 15 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 accessible hunting information.

Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. The park is used by other visitors during hunting seasons. Firearms and archery equipment 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 must be kept in the owner’s car, trailer or camp.

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 boat mooring spaces. A boat dock is 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.

Stay the Night

Camping: modern sites, some with electric The 293 sites have picnic tables and fire rings, and accommodate either tents or trailers. 65 sites have electric hookups. Two 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 late December.

Pets are allowed in designated campsites. Explore pets in campgrounds for more information.

Explore the campground map.

Explore camping for more information.

Make a reservation

Shawnee Lodge: Centrally located on an island in the middle of the park, this three-story house offers year-round accommodations with panoramic views of Shawnee Lake and the surrounding countryside. The lodge is ADA accessible and has a modern eat-in-kitchen, one bathroom, living room, sitting room, four bedrooms that sleep eight, porch and yard with firering and picnic table. Make a reservation

Organized Group Tenting: An 80-person capacity rustic tenting area with composting toilets and a hand-pumped well is available April through December for organized youth and adult groups. Advance reservations are required.

Explore organized group tenting for more information.

Winter Activities

Explore the Winter Report for current snow and ice depths.

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 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 regular summer program of nature walks and evening campfires with informative discussions, movies and slides.

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 Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks:
888-PA-PARKS (voice)
888-537-7294 (TTY)
711 (AT&T Relay Services)

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 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.

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.

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.

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