Blue Marsh Nat'l Recreation Area — Attraction in Bern Township

Built on top of an old village, Blue Marsh Lake is one of my favorite (and in my opinion, one of the best) lakes in PA. It is a public recreation place run by the Army Corps of Engineers, so it is very well maintained and very beautiful. A great lake for all sorts of boating, many tranquil inlets for canoeing and kayaking, as well as open water for power boating. There are plenty of pleasant beaches for the dog-walkers, geologists, and sand-castle builders of PA, as well as winding trails around the lake. Great Blue Herons, Kingfishers, and Egrets frequent many of the inlets on the port-most side of the lake, and on the starboard-most side (facing north, that is, for both), there are inlets where one can skip stones and relax (as well as picnic at the adjacent picnic grounds). In the center of the lake, there is a rather large island. Around the coast of this island, one can see remnants of the town of Blue Marsh, including a flight of stairs protruding from the water (you can ascend and descend these with ease), concrete foundations, and the pieces of a road. The lake is very nice to look at from land, but is much better in the water, so I would strongly recommend bringing boats and enjoying the lake...

We really enjoy visiting this great place, is really nice, certainly there are areas where you cannot bring your dog to, but there is a place where you are able to, I have seen people bring their dogs where there aren't pets allowed, I have also brought mine (a chihuahua) when there aren't many people around early season and I've seen them (the dogs) enjoyed themselves very much in the water.

It's to bad that the area where you CAN bring your furry friend isn't as nice as where there is a little sandy area where children can play, it'd be very nice if it wasn't rocky...

Its a very nice place to go. You have alot of options with or without your family. Plenty of trails to walk or hike. During season you can swim there but be careful not to long ago they had some kind of bacteria in the water. Plenty of grills to cook on and there are alot of sides to this place. So i always go to the boat ramps its very quiet and plenty of places to just sit and think or read or drink your coffee. So use Google Maps when you go so you can get an ariel view and look at all...