HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced Tuesday that it is opening campsites at an additional 16 state parks to accommodate anglers who want to stay overnight on April 2 for the statewide opening of trout season on April 3.
A total of 34 parks across the state will provide camping for the opening of trout season, DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said in a press release.
“We know how trout fishing and state park camping often go hand in hand and we are doing our best to facilitate these traditional recreational pursuits,” Dunn said. “This is a one-time extension reflecting pandemic-related changes to trout season’s opening day set forth by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.”
Dunn said anglers will have more than 2,300 campsites to choose from.
For the 2021 trout season, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will operate under a consolidated statewide schedule for all counties. Under this revised plan, a single Statewide Mentored Youth Trout Day will occur Saturday, March 27, and a single Statewide Opening Day of trout season will take place Saturday, April 3.
Campgrounds open for the first day of trout season include:
- Caledonia, Franklin County
- Chapman*, Warren County
- Clear Creek*, Jefferson County
- Colonel Denning, Cumberland County
- Cowans Gap*, Fulton County
- Fowlers Hollow*, Perry County
- Frances Slocum, Luzerne County
- French Creek, Berks County
- Greenwood Furnace*, Huntingdon County
- Hickory Run*, Carbon County
- Hyner Run, Clinton County
- Kettle Creek, Clinton County
- Keystone, Westmoreland County
- Kooser, Somerset County
- Lackawanna*, Lackawanna County
- Laurel Hill, Somerset County
- Little Buffalo, Perry County
- Little Pine, Lycoming County
- Locust Lake, Schuylkill County
- Lyman Run*, Potter County
- Ohiopyle*, Fayette County
- Ole Bull, Potter County
- Parker Dam*, Clearfield County
- Penn Roosevelt, Centre County
- Pine Grove Furnace, Cumberland County
- Promised Land*, Pike County
- Raccoon Creek; Beaver County
- R.B. Winter*, Union County
- Reeds Gap*, Mifflin County
- Ryerson Station, Greene County
- Sinnemahoning,Cameron and Potter counties
- Sizerville*, Potter County
- Trough Creek*, Huntingdon County
- Worlds End*, Sullivan County
(additional parks are denoted with an asterisk)
DCNR’s Bureau of State Parks is offering a one-time waiver of the transfer or cancellation fees so customers can move reservations to the new statewide trout opening weekend. The waiver is being offered to customers who have a campsite reservation at the 17 campgrounds that are opening early and are scheduled to arrive on April 16 or 17 for the previously scheduled trout opener Saturday, April 17.
If customers are unable to change arrival dates to the new first day, they can either keep their existing reservations or cancel with no fee, the DCNR said. Affected customers will have through Tuesday, March 30, to utilize this waiver.
Sites will be available for transfers on a first-come, first-served basis by calling the call center toll-free: 888-PA-PARKS.
As a courtesy, the reservation call center will be contacting guests with reservations at the 17 campgrounds opening early that have arrival dates of April 16 and April 17.
Instructions on processing their requests will be offered.
