shawnee state park

This was our first visit to Shawnee State Park. The weather was rainy and cool but even that did not distract from the beauty of this park. We had a family reunion in pavilion number 2 which had a nice view of the lake. The park wasn't crowded at all. I was told by family members that even on a busy summer day the park remains quite tranquil it seems that most folks would rather frequent the nearby Raystown lake. For me however, I much prefer the quiet of Shawnee. The beach was empty except for a few stragglers and the bathhouses were very clean.

The pet sites (section G) will only hold a tent or pop-up camper. If you have a larger camper you will have a lot of trouble maneuvering around the trees. They did add a few sites over in another section which are better: decently level and gravel but the walk to the restroom is rather far. You would have to go back towards the G section to walk your dog as the sites are across from non-pet sites and walking will be uphill any direction you walk. There are a lot of nice sites for non-pet owners. The lake is not close and you have to drive to fish or swim. Restroom is adequate but not great.

Our family stayed in the lakeside lodge for a week and it was such a good time. The park has a very large lake (400+ acres) with a beach for swimming and boat rentals. There are some really nice trails around the lake and one (the field trail) that provides are really great look over the park.The lakeside lodge is a really great place for a family to stay. It is situated on an island in the center of the lake. It has three floors with four bedrooms and one full bath. The kitchen has everything you need to cook and serve meals (minus the food, of course). There is a really nice living room for relaxing with a book, a puzzle or playing a family game. Our kids enjoyed playing out front with Frisbees, kites, or just watching the chipmunks and birds outside.The lodge has a great view of the lake. With three air conditioners it was plenty comfortable inside in the middle of summer. Since it sleeps up to 8, if would have been nice if it at least had a half bathroom in addition to the full bath. The first floor bedroom is a bit spartan, but the other three are much nicer. One other thing that concerned us was the amount of speeding we observed on the road in front of the lodge. The speed limit on the park road is 25 mph but even some of the DCNR vehicles seems to be having trouble following this speed limit. Fortunately the lakeside lodge is set back off the road a little bit.

My grandchildren never went camping before and were very excited!! My husband and I were thrilled that their first camping experience was memorable. About a week before we camped there we drove up to see what our spot (#4) looked like and basically to see what just what type of drive our camper would have to endure. We saw that we were not that far from a water source and that we would need a longer electrical cord. We got to enjoy the fireworks and my husband took them swimming. I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the entire park.

Shawnee State Park is a very nice park located off of the Lincoln Highway. (camping / cabins / yurts / lakehouse can be reserved online) The campground is not at all near the lake. You either drive or bicycle to it. Keep in mind if you bike, the ride back to the campground is uphill. But the bike trail around the lake (3 miles) is easy and quite scenic. The restrooms are clean and are being upgraded. The campsites are spaced for some privacy- not total privacy. We have camped here many times (usually the F Loop) and there is always something that we find that is new to us- whether it be a new trail, never seen animals. You may even see a bald eagle! Fishing is good- shore fishing and electric motorboats. Swimming at the lake is a designated beach area, with an updated concession/bathhouse/first aid station. Kayaking (even though I do not do it) is very popular there. A rule of camping- you find and make your own adventure. We will definitely camp there for years to come!

We go here every Fourth of July. We camp in an camper and the sites are so nice. The showers and bathrooms could use a remodel. The lake beach area is very nice and the fishing on the lake is amazing. The walk from the campground to the edge of the lake is roughly a half mile. The trail around the hole lake is about 3.5 miles. Bring your bikes!