Discover Lakeside Views & Mountain Trails at Locust Lake State Park
Locust Lake State Park in Barnesville, PA, is a peaceful retreat where lake views and mountain trails come together. The 52-acre Locust Lake is the heart of the park, offering calm, electric-motor-only waters ideal for paddling, fishing and lakeside picnics. The park’s scenery and long list of recreational activities make it a favorite among families and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Visitors can spend warm days swimming at the sandy beach and fishing or renting kayaks from the seasonal boat rental. The park features nearly seven miles of quiet hiking trails through forests and along Locust Creek. Whether you’re looking for adventure or a laid-back day outdoors, the park’s scenic landscape invites you to explore at your own pace. You can even stay the night. The park’s campground offers 282 wooded sites for tents, trailers and RVs.
Spanning over 1,770 acres, Locust Lake State Park provides plenty of room to roam. Grab a park map and explore these highlights.
At 52 acres, Locust Lake is the tranquil, scenic heart of the park. Visitors can rent kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, pedal boats, and rowboats seasonally. Anglers can enjoy fishing for stocked brown and brook trout throughout the year. In summer, the sandy beach becomes a family favorite for swimming, relaxing and picnics.
This paved 1.3-mile loop circles the lake, offering the park’s only designated biking route. The flat, ADA-accessible trail passes key amenities including the beach, playground, and amphitheater. The trail even crosses the dam for great lake views. It’s ideal for families and strollers, though a short section along campground roads requires watching for traffic.
The 2.2-mile Oak Loop Trail offers a more challenging hike, taking you from the lake into the wooded interior of the park. Starting clockwise, it follows scenic Locust Creek before climbing steeply to a forested mountain ridge. Hikers can shorten the route using connector trails like Ridge Trail or Hemlock Trail.
Year-Round Fun at Locust Lake State Park
Locust Lake State Park offers year-round outdoor fun, from swimming and boating on Locust Lake in the summer to fishing for trout, bass, and panfish in every season. In the fall, enjoy easy, scenic hikes, gorgeous foliage and abundant wildlife. The park comes alive in spring with plenty of trout fishing on the stocked lake and lots of opportunities to see wildlife and wildflowers. And in the winter, the park becomes a dreamlike landscape covered in snow and ice with just as much activity as the warmer months like snowshoeing and ice fishing.
Locust Lake is a well-stocked cold-water fishery offering brown and brook trout along with pickerel, bass and panfish. It even supports ice fishing and features an ADA-accessible fishing pier. About 1,728 acres of the park are also open for hunting, trapping, and dog training. Common game species include deer, turkey, squirrel, pheasant and grouse.
The sandy beach on Locust Lake is open from late May to mid-September offering swimming areas and snacks at the nearby Camp Store. The 52-acre lake is electric-motor-only and ideal for quiet boating. You can also hit the water in kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, rowboats, and pedal boats. A boat launch and seasonal rental stand make it easy for visitors to get out on the water.
Summer at Locust Lake State Park offers plenty of outdoor fun, from swimming at the sandy beach to boating and fishing on the calm lake. Visitors can enjoy easy walks on the paved Bicycle Trail or hike forested trails like the Oak Loop. With camping, picnicking and family-friendly amenities, it’s an ideal spot for a classic summer escape.
Long autumn hikes are ideal at Locust Lake State Park. With plenty of trails through the dense forests and along the scenic lake, wetlands and mountain ridges, peeping fall foliage couldn’t be any easier. Visit the park during late September and October to catch the trees in all their red, gold and orange glory.
Locust Lake State Park offers excellent wildlife-watching opportunities, with more than 100 bird species recorded. Screech owls and great-horned owls are commonly spotted and the park’s mix of forests, wetlands and stream side habitats supports a wide variety of animals. There are also 16 birds of prey that regularly migrate through the area.
The park offers 282 wooded campsites, with tent-only camping on the north side of the lake and both tent and trailer sites on the southside. Each campsite includes a parking pad, picnic table, fire ring and a cleared area. Pet-friendly sites are available for an additional fee. You’ll also find modern restrooms, shower houses, a dump station, recycling areas and three playgrounds.
Learn More
Locust Lake State Park stays open year-round, offering classic winter activities when conditions allow, including ice fishing, ice skating and snowshoeing along the park’s trails. Visitors are responsible for checking ice safety as thickness is not officially monitored. With its quiet winter scenery and open-access trails, the park provides a peaceful cold-weather getaway.
Make it a day trip
Conservation Tip
By following these responsible outdoor ethics from our friends at DCNR, we can help keep Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests top-tier outdoor recreation destinations for generations to come.
Leave No Trace
- Plan Ahead and Prepare: Know regulations, prepare for weather and emergencies, travel in small groups, minimize waste, and use a map and compass instead of marking trails.
- Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces: Stay on established trails, camp at least 200 feet from water, and avoid damaging pristine areas.
- Dispose of Waste Properly: Pack out all trash, use catholes for human waste, and wash dishes 200 feet from water sources with biodegradable soap.
- Leave What You Find: Preserve historical sites, avoid disturbing nature, and prevent the spread of invasive species.
- Minimize Campfire Impacts: Use stoves when possible, keep fires small, burn wood to ash, and fully extinguish campfires.
- Respect Wildlife: Observe from a distance, don’t feed animals, store food properly, and control pets to avoid disturbing wildlife.
- Be Considerate of Other Visitors: Respect others by keeping noise low, yielding on trails, and camping away from high-traffic areas.
Article updated from its original version published on 3/19/24.
Locust Lake State Park
