State & Federal Recreation Sites
Take advantage of the many parks and lakes located in Indiana County. There are plenty of activities for you to get outside and enjoy the natural beauty of the County.
Yellow Creek State Park
Yellow Creek State Park spans 2,981 acres across Indiana County. The park has several amenities such as picnicking, playgrounds, a sand beach, and various and educational programs offered at the environmental learning classroom. Several trails of varying difficulty offer hikers and mountain bikers many options.
The 720-acre Yellow Creek Lake is a premier destination for boaters, fishermen, and outdoors enthusiasts alike. The lake and park are also an important rest stop for migrating birds. The park was named for Yellow and Little Yellow Creeks, which combine to create the lake. Yellow clay is spread throughout the banks and bottoms of the creeks and gives them their yellow names. The beach/day use area has parking to accommodate over 4,000 people, with picnic tables, modern restrooms and charcoal grills scattered throughout the area. Visitors are urged to provide their own grills, but open ground fires are not permitted in the park. Pets are allowed in the day use area and must be controlled and attended to at all times.
Conemaugh River Dam & Lake
Conemaugh River Lake has a lot to offer visitors in search of outdoor recreation. There are many park amenities such as a Visitor Information Center, two pavilions, a day use area, large playground facility, softball field, basketball court, horseshoe pits, and volleyball court—all in convenient proximity to each other.
Pavilions, which tend to be a popular choice for special events such as birthdays and reunions, can be reserved for a fee by contacting the Park Office or by submitting a Pavilion Reservation Request Form. The Army Corps of Engineers operates the park.
The Visitors Information Center, adjacent to the Conemaugh Dam, contains exhibits on the Corps’ mission and notable floods, a historic pictorial of the construction of the Conemaugh Dam, and educational information about the industry, transportation, and rich history of the Conemaugh Valley.
The West Penn Trail heads west from the dam towards Saltsburg and east over the Bow Ridge towards Blairsville. These rails-to-trails paths are popular with all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts. The river below the dam is a favorite spot for fishing and launching kayaks. Near the dam is Tunnelview, a unique historic site with four different tunnels that date from canal and rail days in the early history of the County.
Loyalhanna Lake
Loyalhanna Lake is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, spread throughout a landscape that is known for its beautiful natural scenery. The area provides a wide array of recreational opportunities for all types of outdoor enthusiasts.
Fishing is an extremely popular activity at Loyalhanna because of its abundance of inlets, coves, and backwater areas. Not only that, the lake is full of many diverse species of fish, enticing both the novce and experienced fisherman alike.
Boaters can launch from the three-lane boat ramp for powerboats and water-skiiers. Canoeists can also float through Loyalhanna Creek as it works its way towards the lake, providing lake goers with beautiful scenery and abundant nature to enjoy along the way. Canoes can be launched at the Sanderson Bridge on Derbytown Road or the Bush Recreation Area.
There are also 44 different campsites on the grounds that visitors can take advantage of and many different hiking and biking trails to enjoy.