Mauch Chunk Lake Park

We only live about 10 minutes from the lake and we come here quite often in the summertime. The lake is always so clean and calm! I’ve never been camping at the lake since I live so close, so I can’t say anything about its campsites. But the beach itself is very soothing and fun. Yes, they do have a lot of rules but rules have to be enforced so it remains safe for all who come and visit. I really enjoy the snack bar too, but keep in mind it is all cash only. The only complaint I have are some of the lifeguards attitudes. The rangers are very polite, but the lifeguards have such an attitude and they constantly complain about working there. That can put a damper on the experience a little, but I don’t let it bother me. All in all, Great Lake!

I would not recommend this place to anyone accept maybe scouting groups. Our first site had 4 cement slabs and 3 picnic tables?! No room for our two tents. Luckily the rangers were some of the nicest people around. I can’t say the same for the teenagers working there, is it so hard to be friendly?!
The rangers let us pick a new site. However, you’d be hard pressed to find one that is remotely flat or without a million jagged rocks, which by the way are covered with a lot of leaves that should have been raked. This caused our toddler to skin his knees numerous times as he couldn’t orchestrate the rocks with all the leaves. ‘t do a lot of camping. I’ve been camping for 30 years. I don’t find it difficult to clean a site up, especially since you’re paying for it. If I was randomly throwing a tent in the woods, I’d expect all this inconvenience. There is also poison ivy on a lot of sites, sadly they spray chemicals to kill it.
My husband and I slept on a slant and continues to coast down hill all night, we had no option. The campsites are not level or cleared. We decided to buy some firewood from the store as we didn’t have room to pack it. It was $ 1 per log for wet firewood with poison ivy vines on it! Since they sell it in a box, we didn’t realize till after. Buy firewood on the main road, plenty of people have signs out.
Other things that would cause me not to go back are the rules, rules, and more rules. There is so many rules being enforced yet the bathrooms are filthy. Who forgot the rule about cleaning bathrooms? The toilet seats are actually pealing. Our first night the people behind us were so loud it kept waking us. No ranger came to follow the rules for that one. There is even a rule warning about ticks, I assume they have to do this because they don’t clean up the leaves, which is where ticks lay there nests. You’d think the crow infestation that wakes you up at 5am would eat them up, but I guess not.
The roads inside the campground are long and one way, causing a lot of traffic to most sites as well as speeding because you’d like the actually get out! Oh and to get back in you, you have to go out to the main road. Seriously this was the biggest pain in the butt.
Lastly, we did have a good time, we always do camping as a family. The lake is quite lovely and the concession stand has lots of yummy choices, and a million more rules, lol
I’ll go back to camping at Jim Thorpe Campground and paying for Mauch Chunk lake access.

This only gets one star because the staff, and Rangers were so nice and helpful. The beach is very pleasant, but the lake has a murky, Friday the 13^th feel about it. Speaking of disgusting, slaughterhouses have cleaner bathrooms. I’m sure the last time they were updated, the North had just won the Civil War. Pass on this campground and just rent yourself a scary movie.

The lake is beautiful clear water and has large bass in it. The kayak, canoe, row boat, paddle boat, paddle board rental is under new mgmt and the prices doubled from a year ago sadly. There is also the switch back trail that runs from the lake down into Jim Thorpe up to mount Pisgah (beautiful view of the area from up there) then on to summit hill and back down to the lake. Well traveled trails by hikers trail runners and mountain bikers. Well worth a day trip to enjoy the trails, camping, swimming and fishing.

Our family came here to enjoy the lake for a day. It was very nice. The only problem we experienced was the food station at the park right at the lake. Husband had to wait 30 min for food because only one person was working behind the counter. They were out of pizza so he got me chicken fingers. To my horror I bit into the chicken finger and it was completely raw inside!!! So glad I didn’t hand my toddler a chicken finger first and she would of swallowed raw chicken! The girl at the counter was like I don’t know what’s wrong and why this is happening. There was another guy who had raw chicken as well. I will go back but next time I am only getting fries lol!!!

No summer is complete without going camping! We try to pick a different campground every year, and this year with the main goal of white water rafting in mind, we decided on Mauch Chunk Lake Park.
The location was easy to find and accurate on my gps. I also appreciated that there is a separate night entrance that can be used in case you check-​in after the office is closed. While the campsite sizes were pretty standard, we chose sites that were right on the lakefront which provided a really pretty view as soon as I crawled out of my tent in the morning.
On the down side, the campgrounds could have been better maintained. For example, the campsites were full of rocks, so finding any clear area to set up a tent was difficult. We booked 3 campsites, but because of the amount of uneven ground on 1 of them… only 2 were usable. The bathrooms could have also been cleaner. Yes, I know this is camping… but there is only 1 cleaning time (5am to 6am*), and things got pretty grimy by the afternoon.
Other than that, the area is great for activities. Rafting access points on the Lehigh River were about 10 minutes away, and there were also many things to do if you chose to stay on the lake or campgrounds.
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*I know this because I woke up at 5:08am one morning with the sickest need to pee. I reluctantly left my cozy sleeping bag to stumble to the bathroom only to find it locked for cleaning! No worries. I relieved myself in the woods like a pro camper.

Small lake just drove by it. The water is sparking due to the rAin. It looks like a great place to go boating. Mostly TV and cabin park.

The bomb. I’ve tented and cabined here and both experiences were a ton of fun. There are lots of people here during summer, not so many in the fall, but everybody is cool and everybody is quiet… ish. You should make it a point to be that way too.
Alcohol is prohibited, but without saying I partook, lots of people partake on the down low. Again, cool and quiet is the name of the game.
Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring with grill attachment. The campgrounds are clean, facilities are above average, park staff friendly and also very chill. Reservations are a breeze.
In summer, you can swim in the very (visually) clean lake. I think there are boat rentals and I think a bear or coyote was walking around our tent last time so keep your food and trash secure.
When you’re here be sure to check out the nearby Glen Onoko Trail.

Great camping spot right by Jim Thorpe! My boyfriend and spent 2 nights camping here, while taking a weekend whitewater kayaking clinic on the Lehigh. While not technically a state park, Mauch Chunk has the look and feel of other PA state campgrounds in the Poconos.
The campsites are fairly well spread out and wooded, that you don’t feel like you’re out in a field or on top of your neighbors (but can still see them). The sites by the lake are definitely the prime place to be — much larger and spread out, with short paths leading right up to the lake. It’s not surprising that these book up first. However, our site along the outside corner (#35) was quite nice and felt sufficiently secluded, especially at night.
I didn’t find any problems with the bathrooms that others encountered — they were clean and tidy. My evening shower in the «comfort house», i.e., bathrooms with better facilities, had enough hot water. The only slightly annoying thing was having to constantly pull down on a string tied to the shower head to get any water to come out — making it difficult to keep the water on while shampooing, rinsing and shaving. But hey, this is camping, not a luxury spa.
The camp store wasn’t open Friday evening when we arrived, but we got firewood about a mile down the road for $ 5 a box, which made for a toasty Friday night campfire.
We were here over their annual Heritage Fest which I suspect is more crowded than other weekends this time of year… but there were still a few empty sites and it didn’t feel crowded or busy. I heard a few people still enjoying themselves after quiet hours (10pm), but they certainly weren’t noisy or disruptive.
One thing about camping near a lake that I didn’t think about beforehand — it gets more humid and damp overnight with the extra moisture from the lake, so be prepared to wake up a little extra damp and sweaty/​chilly than normal.
Overall we had a great PA car camping weekend at Mauch Chunk, and I wouldn’t hesitate to return for another trip!

THIS LAKE IS BEAUTIFUL!
I’m not quite sure how large it is, but I feel like it’s kinda small. But regardless, it’s CRYSTAL CLEAR.
I stayed here with 3 other people in a cabin. It was pretty painless to reserve. The cabins are pretty basic, with 1 double bed and 4 tiny bunk beds. The evening we decided to stay at Mauch Chunk happened to not be any warmer than 60 degrees. It was a chilly night, but cabins kept the wind out.
Everyone is so nice. Maybe I’ve been in NYC too long, but everyone in Jim Thorpe was suuper nice. The check-​in guy was really helpful, and got us set really efficiently.
There’s a camp store on the grounds, but it was really sad. There were only a few items, but mostly necessities and s’mores kits. We had everything we needed so it was fine. We bought boxes of firewood, which was definitely a first for our group. There’s a live bait vending machine right outside the store, so if you have early fishing needs or late night fishing needs, you won’t be locked out.
The only down side (well, one of the down sides) to the camp store is that it’s a) subcontracted, so they open at will. And b) things are definitely marked up. But the gas it would take us to roam to walmart, and then seeing the selection at walmart and buying everything, would cost much more.
There’s strict no pet and alcohol rules, luckily, we were drinking juice out of a box in red solo cups.
The next morning, we woke up at 8 and I went to see the lake, and was a crazy mist on the lake. The water was really warm, and the sun was glistening… One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. I wish I had more time at the park to explore and enjoy the fishing.
I saw the park ranger/​parks and rec dept drive by and they didn’t bother me or anything. So it’s nice to know that they patrol and keep us safe.

Fantastic swimming spot. Not too crowded. Gorgeous lake and green mountain views. Good ice cream at the local concession stand. We went in the late afternoon/​early evening on a Sunday and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Would recvommend for low-​key swimming and sand recreation.

LOVE this place. Our family has been here 4 times and every time was a good time!
The only reason I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is due to the bathroom situation. The showers are luke warm with limited privacy and I think they could use one more bathroom house.
Other the that the campsites are nice ad spacious and spread apart decently. The lake is gorgeous and the staff is extremely helpful. Having Jim Thorpe 5 miles down the road is a HUGE perk.
I definitely recommend this place.

This place is GORGEOUS! The grounds are kept very clean. The sites themselves are spacious. There are plenty of trees to give a private secluded feeling. If you prefer a more open less woodsy site this place may not be for you. There is a bathroom facility with running water and hot showers. They clean the restrooms daily. It’s not home, but it’s one of the cleanest public restrooms I’ve seen. My group camped on sites 14 and 15 which were right across from the bathroom facilities. That was a convenient walk, but a little too close for my liking due to the lights that come on at dusk and stay on till dawn. If I go again… which I definitely plan to, I would prefer a site farther from the restrooms. There are several hiking trails and a beautiful pristine lake. All in all this is a wonderful place to camp!

Our first time camping was in June 2011. We had a nice experience here.
No bug bites. I’m a bug magnet but for some reason I didn’t get any bug bites, nor did anyone else in the family. People were friendly. The lake was nice but no shade so bring a beach umbrella. We rented kayaks nearby and loved the experience. The shower & toilet was okay. WIshed the water was warmer. Plastic curtains could be bigger to offer privacy in the toilet area! Overall, we had a very good time getting away from the TV, computer and video games! Keeping the fire going each night was fun! Close to Jim Thorpe, PA. So we did all the touristy stuff there too. Recommend this place!

Awesome lake, great for kids, swimming and boating, gorgeous!

I almost don’t want to write this and give away a great spot. But if you’ll promise to be a quiet respectable camper, I’ll tell you a secret. Mauch Chunk Lake Park near Jim Thorpe, PA is a great tent campground.
So you need to get out of town, and all you have is a tent outfit. Well, so many campgrounds accept trailers or RVs that you are frequently out of luck. This Carbon County run park allows those pop up campers, although its challenging for them as the sites are not designed for them, but otherwise only tents rule. So you neighbor won’t have a generator and a TV. For about $ 30 a night (for non-​Carbon County folks like us) you get a place to park one car (parking for additional cars is available outside the camping area) a site big enough for two, sometimes three tents, a picnic table, and a fire ring. The campsites are wooded and separated by low growth, so they feel surprisingly private.
The facilities are cleaned daily in the morning, so they seem better than bathrooms I’ve seen in may bars, and the showers actually can have hot water (especially if you wait till afternoon after the rush). I’ve never actually waited for a shower, and usually am there by myself. Bring a 8 foot string. Huh? Well, the shower valve only remains on while being held on, so if you tie a string to to valve and stand on it, it will remain on for you. There is a basin with running water for dish or clothes washing. You can fill jugs for water, but I think I’d boil it first. I don’t know that there is a problem, but I’d rather be safe.
There is a 10 PM quiet time, which is rather strictly enforced, and a not alcohol (showing) rule which is definitely enforced. You will see rangers, but they are generally very nice. The only problem with this place which we’ve encountered, in fact, is that the rangers are off at 2AM, and once one of the sites started playing music and partying after they went off. That only happened once though. Generally, people are quiet and respectful.
If you go on a weekend, you’d better reserve in advance. It gets nearly or totally full. However the crowds leave Sunday, and last time we were there we had no neighbors Sunday and Monday nights withing 100 yards.
Oh, your fee also buys access to the «beach», which for those of us who go to the Atlantic seems quaint, but it turns out to be a nice, clean man made beach and well guarded swimming area on the very clean Mauch Chunk Lake. There is also a fishing pier, boat kayak and canoe bike rentals, and no jet skis! It is a big bass lake with pan fish, pickerel, and some big bass.
Finally, you’ll need wood for you fire. There is a nice guy in a well marked place 1 ½ miles up the street who sells crates of wood for $ 4. He is the officially sanctioned off season wood gatherer. Don’t gather your own. It is illegal and bad for the woodland anyway.
When you are here, you are just outside Jim Thorpe, PA which is really coming into it’s own as a New Hope north. Enjoy your stay! Just please, if you’re camping next to us, keep your voice down, OK?