Season memberships are now available for anyone wishing to use Mauch Chunk Lake this summer.

Applications for the 2023 season are accepted at the park office, located at 625 Lentz Trail, Jim Thorpe.

Carbon County residents can purchase family or individual season passes.

The cost before May 25 for county residents is $40 for a family of four, which includes parents and children up to 12th grade; or $20 for an individual. Additional family members added to the family pass are $4 each. Children 3 and under are free.

Checks should be made payable to the parks and recreation fund and a list of names and ages should be included with the payment. Membership tags must then be picked up at the park office on or after opening day.

Non-county residents can also purchase season passes for $125 for a family of four or $75 for an individual.

As of March, there were 477 memberships to Mauch Chunk Lake Park and of those, 65 are non-county residents.

The county has been looking at increasing season passes and took action last month to prioritize county residents on one major holiday.

The Fourth of July holiday will provide county and Coaldale residents attending Panther Valley, as well as season pass holders, campers and pavilion renters with priority to get into the park and enjoy the lake. This will be in effect July 1-4.

The board of commissioners voted to prioritize county residents on this holiday as a trial to see how it goes.

At the time, Commissioner Chris Lukasevich, who has been in favor or utilizing the beach area for county residents, cast a no vote simply because he wanted the action taken on Memorial Day and Labor Day as well.

This action was taken on the recommendation of the parks and recreation commission.

The county began looking at the possibility of changing the admission policy to ensure the lake remains a jewel for the county following the pandemic, when the beach was shut down to only county residents.