Elk State Park — Attraction in Jones Township

Stopped here for a picnic lunch while driving from the Finger Lakes to Pittsburgh. Very confusing set up as the dam, campground, and some of the facilities around the lake are controlled by the Army Corp of Engineers while the rest of the lake and coastline is controlled by the state. Signage is poor and confusing which is problematic since there is no internet anywhere near the park. From what I gathered, there are two main areas in the park you can go to - one up north and one towards the south end near the dam. We went to the south end and there was a nice picnic area with a small playground next to the campground and perched on a bluff looking down on the lake. The setting makes for a beautiful place for a lunch, but the only problem is the area is super buggy - gnats everywhere making it so you can even sit and stay still without being molested. Finally, there is no beach at the park which doesn't make sense to me. Why have a large beautiful lake but not allow swimming? Again, beautiful but imperferct lunch stop but not enough here for most taxpayers to justify the...

It's easy to confuse Elk State Park with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers facilities off E. Br. Dam Lane. The campground and boat launch here are on Corps property. People do like the picturesque nature of this section of the lake. The Elk State Park section is really just a nice boat launch area off Instanter Road. There are a few picnic tables and a restroom to enjoy the woods and reservoir views. Most of the park land is a protection buffer around the Clarion Reservoir and not readily accessible. For more information: pa...

Seems it has nothing to offer except a boat launch into a dammed lake that was extremely low. GPS says there is another entrance off Dam Rd but that took us to a Corp of Engineer camp ground with an electronic sign telling us to go online to reserve. Only problem was we were there looking for a place to camp and had no service to get online...