Beltzville State Park
Encyclopedia
Beltzville State Park is a 2972.39 acres (1,202.9 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Franklin
and Towamensing townships, Carbon County
, Pennsylvania
in the United States. The park was developed around the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
flood control project, Beltzville Dam on Pohopoco Creek
. Beltzville Lake is a 951.5 acres (385.1 ha) with 19.8 miles (31.9 km) of shoreline. Beltzville State Park park is 5 miles (8 km) east of Lehighton
just off U.S. Route 209
. The park is at an elevation of 633 feet (192.9 m).
Beltzville Lake is a popular fishing destination. Anglers can fish for striped bass
, largemouth
and smallmouth bass
, trout
, walleye
, perch
, and muskellunge
. Pohopoco Creek is stocked
with trout by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
Hunting is permitted at Beltzville State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission
. The common game species are Ruffed Grouse
, squirrels
, pheasant
, waterfowl
, White-tailed deer
, and rabbits
. The hunting of Groundhog
s is prohibited.
The swimming beach is open from late May until the middle of September along 525 feet (160 m) of sand beach. There is a bathhouse with showers, a food stand, and first-aid building at the beach. Recreational scuba diving
is prohibited at Beltzville State Park.
Beltzville State Park has four picnic pavilions and several large picnic areas. Playgrounds and playfields are in the area of the picnic tables. Visitors also have the use of modern restrooms and drinking water. A large parking lot and a boat dock are also close by the picnic areas.
There are 15 miles (24.1 km) of hiking trails at Beltzville State Park. The trails follow old roads, paths in the woods and follow the banks of small streams. Saw Mill Trail starts just west of Beltzville Dam is a path through the history of the park. Hikers will pass the remains of a gristmill
, small ponds, an abandoned slate
quarry and a wetland.
Beltzville Lake is popular with recreational boaters. The maximum boating speed permitted is 45 mi/h. Boats with inboard engines with out-of-the-transom or straight stack type exhausts are prohibited. Camping overnight on boats is also prohibited. Canoe
s and other small boats are often seen in the shelter coves of Beltzville Lake.
Water skiing
is permitted only in the south end of the lake in the marked water skiing area. Boats are required to travel in a counterclockwise direction. Boats not towing water skiers or tubers are not permitted to enter the waters of the skiing area.
Beltzville State Park does not close for the winter months, when Beltzville Lake is busy with ice fishing
and ice boat
ing. The trails of the park are open for cross-country skiing
.
Franklin Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania
Franklin Township is a township in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,243 at the 2000 census. A portion of Beltzville State Park, a Pennsylvania state park, is in Franklin Township.-Geography:...
and Towamensing townships, Carbon County
Carbon County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 58,802 people, 23,701 households, and 16,424 families residing in the county. The population density was 154 people per square mile . There were 30,492 housing units at an average density of 80 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States. The park was developed around the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
flood control project, Beltzville Dam on Pohopoco Creek
Pohopoco Creek
Pohopoco Creek is a tributary of the Lehigh River in Monroe and Carbon Counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The creek is long and its watershed is in area.-External links:*...
. Beltzville Lake is a 951.5 acres (385.1 ha) with 19.8 miles (31.9 km) of shoreline. Beltzville State Park park is 5 miles (8 km) east of Lehighton
Lehighton, Pennsylvania
Lehighton is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, north by west of Philadelphia. In the past, it developed early industries because of water power from the Lehigh River. With the location of a repair facility here and its regional operations, the Lehigh Valley Railroad became for years a...
just off U.S. Route 209
U.S. Route 209
U.S. Route 209 is a long U.S. highway in the states of Pennsylvania and New York. Although the route is a spur of U.S. Route 9, US 209 never intersects US 9, making the connection via U.S. Route 9W instead. The southern terminus of the route is at Pennsylvania...
. The park is at an elevation of 633 feet (192.9 m).
Beltzville Lake is a popular fishing destination. Anglers can fish for striped bass
Striped bass
The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...
, largemouth
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
and smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
, trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
, perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
, and muskellunge
Muskellunge
A muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, milliganong, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon freshwater fish of North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae...
. Pohopoco Creek is stocked
Fish stocking
Fish stocking is the practice of raising fish in a hatchery and releasing them into a river, lake, or the ocean to supplement existing populations, or to create a population where none exists...
with trout by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
Hunting is permitted at Beltzville State Park. Hunters are expected to follow the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Game Commission
Pennsylvania Game Commission
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is the state agency responsible for wildlife conservation and management in Pennsylvania in the United States...
. The common game species are Ruffed Grouse
Ruffed Grouse
The Ruffed Grouse is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is non-migratory.The Ruffed Grouse is frequently referred to as a "partridge"...
, squirrels
Eastern Gray Squirrel
The eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada...
, pheasant
Common Pheasant
The Common Pheasant , is a bird in the pheasant family . It is native to Georgia and has been widely introduced elsewhere as a game bird. In parts of its range, namely in places where none of its relatives occur such as in Europe , it is simply known as the "pheasant"...
, waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
, White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, and rabbits
Eastern Cottontail
The eastern cottontail is a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae. It is one of the most common rabbit species in North America.-Distribution:...
. The hunting of Groundhog
Groundhog
The groundhog , also known as a woodchuck, whistle-pig, or in some areas as a land-beaver, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other marmots, such as the yellow-bellied and hoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but...
s is prohibited.
The swimming beach is open from late May until the middle of September along 525 feet (160 m) of sand beach. There is a bathhouse with showers, a food stand, and first-aid building at the beach. Recreational scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
is prohibited at Beltzville State Park.
Beltzville State Park has four picnic pavilions and several large picnic areas. Playgrounds and playfields are in the area of the picnic tables. Visitors also have the use of modern restrooms and drinking water. A large parking lot and a boat dock are also close by the picnic areas.
There are 15 miles (24.1 km) of hiking trails at Beltzville State Park. The trails follow old roads, paths in the woods and follow the banks of small streams. Saw Mill Trail starts just west of Beltzville Dam is a path through the history of the park. Hikers will pass the remains of a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, small ponds, an abandoned slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
quarry and a wetland.
Beltzville Lake is popular with recreational boaters. The maximum boating speed permitted is 45 mi/h. Boats with inboard engines with out-of-the-transom or straight stack type exhausts are prohibited. Camping overnight on boats is also prohibited. Canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s and other small boats are often seen in the shelter coves of Beltzville Lake.
Water skiing
Water skiing
thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...
is permitted only in the south end of the lake in the marked water skiing area. Boats are required to travel in a counterclockwise direction. Boats not towing water skiers or tubers are not permitted to enter the waters of the skiing area.
Beltzville State Park does not close for the winter months, when Beltzville Lake is busy with ice fishing
Ice fishing
Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice anglers may sit on the stool in the open on a frozen lake, or in a heated cabin on the ice, some with bunks and amenities.-Locations:It is a popular pastime...
and ice boat
Ice boat
An ice boat is a boat or purpose-built framework similar in functional design to a sail boat but fitted with skis or runners and designed to run over ice instead of through water. Ice yachting is the sport of sailing and racing iceboats. Sailable ice is known in the sport as "hard water" versus...
ing. The trails of the park are open for cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
.
Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within 30 miles (48.3 km) of Beltzville State Park:- Big Pocono State ParkBig Pocono State ParkBig Pocono State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Jackson and Pocono townships in Monroe County, Pennsylvania in northeastern Pennsylvania in the United States...
(Monroe CountyMonroe County, Pennsylvania-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there are 176,567 people, 49,454 households, and 36,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 228 people per square mile...
) - Delaware Canal State ParkDelaware Canal State ParkDelaware Canal State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Bucks and Northampton Counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The main attraction of the park is the Delaware Canal, which at is the only canal that remains fully intact from the towpath canal-building days of the 19th century...
(Bucks CountyBucks County, Pennsylvania- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
and Northampton CountiesNorthampton County, PennsylvaniaAs of the 2010 census, the county was 86.3% White, 5.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.2% were two or more races, and 3.8% were some other race. 10.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.As of the census of...
) - Gouldsboro State ParkGouldsboro State ParkGouldsboro State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County and Lehigh Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park includes the Gouldsboro Lake. Gouldsboro State Park is located very close to Tobyhanna State Park and Pennsylvania State Game...
(Monroe and Wayne CountiesWayne County, PennsylvaniaAs of the census of 2000, there were 47,722 people, 18,350 households, and 12,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile . There were 30,593 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
) - Hickory Run State ParkHickory Run State ParkHickory Run State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Kidder and Penn Forest Townships in Carbon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is spread across the Pocono Mountains...
(Carbon County) - Jacobsburg Environmental Education CenterJacobsburg Environmental Education CenterJacobsburg Environmental Education Center is a Pennsylvania state park near Wind Gap, in Bushkill Township, Northampton County in Pennsylvania, in the United States. The Jacobsburg National Historic District is almost entirely surrounded by the park...
(Northampton County) - Lehigh Gorge State ParkLehigh Gorge State ParkLehigh Gorge State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Luzerne and Carbon Counties, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park encompasses the Lehigh Gorge, which stretches along the Lehigh River from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control dam in Luzerne County to Jim Thorpe in Carbon County...
(Carbon and Luzerne CountiesLuzerne County, Pennsylvania- Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry...
) - Locust Lake State ParkLocust Lake State ParkLocust Lake State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Ryan Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Locust Lake State Park is located approximately north of Pottsville, south of Mahanoy City, west of Tamaqua and west of Tuscarora State Park. The lake is...
(Schuylkill CountySchuylkill County, Pennsylvania-Notable people:*Boxing heavyweight great Muhammad Ali had his training camp in Deer Lake.*Charles Justin Bailey, commanding general of the 81st Division in World War I, was born in Tamaqua on June 21, 1859....
) - Nescopeck State ParkNescopeck State ParkNescopeck State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Butler and Dennison Townships, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is one of the newest state parks in Pennsylvania, with the Environmental Education Center there opening in April, 2005. The state began acquiring the...
(Luzerne County) - Tobyhanna State ParkTobyhanna State ParkTobyhanna State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on mostly in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County, with a small portion of the park in Dreher and Lehigh townships in Wayne County, all in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park includes the Tobyhanna Lake and a portion of Tobyhanna Creek...
(Monroe and Wayne Counties) - Tuscarora State ParkTuscarora State ParkTuscarora State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Rush, Ryan, Schuylkill Townships, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The most prominent features of the park are Locust Mountain and Tuscarora Lake...
(Schuylkill County)