Despite a soggy start on Saturday, Independence Day weekend was a busy one at Beltzville State Park.

Park manager Devin Buzzard said while the rain probably kept some of the boating crowd away, the beach was still full and stayed that way through late Sunday."We definitely had a higher number of boaters on Sunday if not crowds in general," Buzzard said. "Friday was also a pretty big day as the weather was really nice."While Buzzard didn't have specific visitation estimates for the weekend, he said the 2015 season as a whole has resulted in "average crowds."Around 500,000 people trek to the 3,000-acre park each year, he estimated."I would say we're right on pace for that," Buzzard said.All four of Beltzville's pavilions were rented. Reservations were made nearly a year ahead of time."We accept the reservations 11 months in advance, and for a holiday weekend they almost always go right away," Buzzard said.Anyone wanting to get the jump on a pavilion for next year can call 888-PA-PARKS in August.Javier Suarez of Piscataway, New Jersey, was enjoying the shade of one of those pavilions on Sunday morning."A bunch of us had come down a few other weekends and we just decided to do the Fourth this year," he said. "There's a lot of space here for the kids to run around and get some exercise. The grill will be fired up soon and we'll all be having a good time."The park has no true way to track where its guests are coming from, Buzzard said, but a scan of the parking lot found mostly Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York license plates."I think we mostly get people from within Pennsylvania, but it may not necessarily always be Carbon County," he said. "We get people from Allentown, Hazleton and Philadelphia as well. Beltzville's a popular destination for many people."In June, swimming was prohibited for two days because of high bacteria samples in the water, but that wasn't an issue this weekend."It gets a bad rap, especially from the multiple closures, but a lot of other lakes in the area have been closing, too," said Clayton Coates of Kunkletown. "I don't think it's specific to Beltzville. It's still a nice place to come and enjoy a weekend. I wouldn't be opposed to some kind of charge to use the park if you're from out of state, but I don't think the locals should be punished at all."At times Saturday and Sunday, vehicles were lined up waiting to enter the main parking area as well as Pine Run Boat Launch."We enjoy the calmer atmosphere," Angela Fitzsimmons of Jersey City, New Jersey, said. "New Jersey beaches tend to get really hectic, especially around holidays, and this is just a nice getaway with the family. We do a lot of boating, and this is one of our favorite places to come."Aside from boating and swimming, Beltzville also affords visitors the chance to get out and enjoy nature."We were going to come yesterday, but with the rainy weather, we decided to just make the drive today instead," said Mary Battle of Hazleton. "We've been coming here for a number of years. One of our favorite things to do is walk on the trails."Buzzard said the lake is also popular for fishing, especially Saturday, which was designated one of two free fishing days so far this year by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission."There have been two shoreline restoration projects that have been really beneficial for those who like to fish," Buzzard said. "Two sawtooth formations have been added, and they jut out into the water off the east side of the beach and also at Pine Run Boat Launch."Beltzville is working with Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation in forming a "Friends of the Park" group to help clean up the park and maintain its facilities."We had an initial meeting in June and there was some good interest so we hope to see more and more people come in the future," Buzzard said.The next meeting will take place at 7 p.m. July 22 in the EIC building at the park.Beltzville is open each day from 8 a.m. to sunset.