Owl Creek Reservoir Recreation Area

I found this recreation area about a year ago. I was just driving down a road I had never been on before and the large owl on the sign above caught my attention. Stopped for a photo and was surprised when I read the sign. Owl Creek Reservoir Recreation Area, I live close by and I had never heard of its existence before. So I went and parked my car in a pull off just past the sign and started down the trail and it turned out to be an interesting place.

This park is located in Schulkill County and is owned by the city of Tamaqua. It is not far from Mauch Chunk Lake Park on W White Bear Dr (Lentz Tr. turns into this). If you aren't looking for it though, you would probably pass right by it. Because of this, I don't think many people know about this area and I have never seen more than two other people there on a single trip. Most of my times there I have not run into another person at all.

The walk in to the first reservoir is not far at all and the massive pines that line the access road in make you feel like you are stepping back in time. Well at least for me, you might just see large trees.

On my first walk in the first reservoir was just being filled. This photo is from last month and it still is not filled completely. It is holding a lot more water than it was when I first set eyes on it though.

The view from the middle of the dam.

The dock is all ready to go and just waiting for the water. Artificial fish habitats have also been placed throughout the reservoir, the water has risen enough to cover all of them.

The trailheads here are not always easy to spot, this bench helped me find one where the entrance had become a little overgrown.

The trails themselves seem to be well maintained. If you are looking for a really easy hike though stick to the access roads. Some of the side trails can be soggy and slippery.

This is the second reservoir. It has filled completely, but is smaller than the first. Fishing is allowed in this area, but I was told by one of the few people I ran into there that it was just stocked last year and a catch and release policy is in effect. Which makes sense. Walking the shores I have only seen smaller panfish and catfish.

The view from the middle of this dam.

If you are looking for something different, this park has a fire tower for educational purposes. The sign posted on it gives information about the local fire towers and when they were in use.

I have never come across information for public programs here. So, for the first time, just now, I checked online. There is a facebook page entitled Owl Creek Reservoir Happenings, which does post events that are held here.

All of the facilities are newer and they seem to be kept up. None of which seem to get much use though.

I have to say this place does have character, the owl sign at the entrance, the fire tower and this stump full of fake bones. It is something a little bit different.