A look at Tuscarora State Park
If you don't have enough money for a "destination" vacation, don't despair. Our area state parks have plenty of activities for summer fun on a shoestring. Or boot lace. Let's roll to the second park in the series, Tuscarora.
You'd be hard-pressed to choose which park - Locust Lake or Tuscarora - is more kid-friendly. Locust Lake has its paved path around the lake, where strollers and little kids on little bikes abound. Tuscarora has 8 miles of trails, including a number of short (less than a half mile), very easy paths that are OK for the whole family.The Indian Tribe that lent its name to the lake wasn't native to this area. The Tuscarora lived along the rivers of coastal North Carolina. The tribe was defeated by settlers during a war from 1711 to 1713. For the next 90 years, bands of Tuscarora migrated from North Carolina to southern New York. All along their 500-mile route, many mountains, streams, valleys and towns got the Tuscarora name.The state purchased the park in the early 1960s and the U.S. Soil Conservation Service in cooperation with Pennsylvania constructed the dam for flood control and recreation. The 1,618-acre Tuscarora State Park officially opened in 1971.Although it is stocked with trout, the 96-acre lake is a warm-water fishery. During the summer months, anglers target bass, yellow perch, pickerel, catfish, sunfish and even muskellunge. Personally I like to fish the far side shallows for bass from a kayak, using mostly rapala or similar lures. The waters are electric-motor only; there are 125 season boat mooring spaces plus 20 canoe racks available April 1 through October 31.Even if you only nab a couple sunfish, it's better to be out on the water than to be in on the couch."Oh yeah, it's better than TV," agreed Joe Ogrodnick, McAdoo, who fished the lake recently with his brother Jim. "In the spring and fall we fish for trout, but in the summer we go for bass."Joe proudly showed several images of a bald eagle, captured on his camera during the last week of June."I've been trying for years to get a picture of the eagle," he said. "Made my day."If memories of family camping disasters due to storms lurk in your mind, consider booking one of Tuscarora's two options, camping cottages and yurts. The six cottages each sleep five people, and have a porch, picnic table, fire ring and electric heat, lights and outlets. The four yurts (round, canvas and wood-walled tents, also sleep five and include a refrigerator, electric range, wood floors, large deck, picnic table and electricity. The cottages and yurts are available by reservation from the opening day of trout season until mid-October.If you can't stay the night, you can surely stay for a few hours, taking a short hike, swimming from the sand beach, and relaxing by one of the park's 250 picnic tables.The park is located at 687 Tuscarora Park Road, Barnesville 18214. Reservations for camping can be make via