Raystown Lake

Raystown Lake is a reservoir in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is the largest lake that is entirely within Pennsylvania.

The original lake was built by the Simpson family of Huntingdon as a hydroelectric project. The current 8,300-acre (34 km2) Raystown Lake was completed in 1973 by the Army Corps of Engineers. Raystown is around 200 feet (61 m) deep in the deepest area near the dam. The lake was created primarily to control floods, provide electricity, and support recreational activities. Allegheny Electric Cooperative operates the Raystown Hydroelectric Project and William F. Matson Generating Station at the Raystown Dam, a 21 MW, two-unit hydroelectric project.

Raystown Lake has many recreational activities. Some of the most popular activities are boating, swimming, mountain biking, scuba diving, fishing, and camping. Raystown Lake offers several boat launches as well as two larger marinas that have restaurants and often hold special events. There is also an abundance of campsites surrounding the lake. The lake also offers disk golf, a waterpark, fishing guides, and hiking trails.

Raystown offers many fish species including stripers, muskies, lake trout, large and small-mouth bass, channel cats, walleyes, brown trout, white and yellow perch, crappies, carp, bluegills…