Moving up the lake I am going to start where the last post did, except when you turn into the main driveway I am taking you right instead of left. The roads to the left lead to the campgrounds and day use areas. To access this part of the park there is a fee. For the day use areas the current fees are as follows:
Adults: $3.00 (resident of Carbon County) $5 (non-resident)
Children: $2.00 (resident) $3.00 (non-resident)
Children under 3, the disabled and adults over 65 receive free admission.
The camping rates vary dependent upon site. To check pricing or make reservations you can call the park office between 8:30 and 4:30 Mon-Fri at (570) 325-366.
If you live in the area you can also stop by the office to make reservations for camping.
The day use area has one of the largest beaches in the area.
There are also nice picnicking spots between the beach and the campgrounds. Today was a weekday after a rain and no one was out enjoying a cookout by the water. You may want to keep that in mind. Weekends are usually much busier so if you can get out on a weekday you don't have to be around as many people.
There are cottages available and the campsites are pretty much the same as other locations. There are some waterfront sites. I took some friends here for a weekend last year. The overall experience was pretty good. It was on a weekend so there were a lot of people. A group near had a few drinks and got into an argument with other campers. Alcohol is not permitted anywhere within Mauch Chunk Lake Park. The local police did come in after the park rangers warned the group to settle down and they did not. If you do enough camping though, you learn that this happens just about anywhere on busy weekends. My friends had a good time so, even a little commotion doesn't ruin a camping trip.
There are trails that lead out of the campground towards the top of the lake. They can be accessed from parking lots other than the campgrounds and are free to walk and no pass is needed. If you take them be prepared for an adventure. Portions of the trail are not maintained and you may have to do some climbing over trees or deciding which path is the right one to take. The trails are not clearly labeled, but are supposed to go around the entirety of the lake.
These trees have been down for years. On the other side is a boardwalk again with a tree overtop. The trails are still fun to hike, but maybe aren't for the beginner or those who don't like working around obstacles.
A second boat launch is located at the upper portion of the lake. There are mooring sites here which can be rented out for the year and this is usually the place I go to launch my boat or do some fishing from shore.
Around the lake there are a lot of little surprises if you are willing to look for them. This is a newly emerged Calico Pennant Dragonfly. Its wings are not yet hardened, it does not have its full coloration yet and you can see its larval exoskeleton still clinging to the grass blade.
A calm day on the lake with spectacular views.
If you are lucky you may even run into a Bald Eagle like I did today. I heard it from the opposite shore and paddled across the lake to get some shots.
There will be one more part to the Mauch Chunk Lake Park posts and I have saved one of the best things found in the park for last. Well, that is, if you like birds. I will try to have the next part up early next week. In the meantime I am going to try to add some plant and animal posts to show you some of the more common creatures we have around Eastern PA.
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