tuscarora state park

Very nice state park. Well kept. Has a nice swimming beach. Easily accessible boat launch. Can rent canoes or paddle boat - a bit pricey but not terrible. Hiking trails are beautiful. Plenty of parking and picnic tablesl

This state park is a very pleasant and relaxing place to spend an hour or so, or a full day if you are so inclined. The park is free admission and clean. It has picnic tables, a boat launch, a swimming beach, and plenty of place to just sit down and have a picnic under the shade trees. The water is very clean and clear and it is just a very pretty place to unwind. I recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors and likes to be near a pretty lake.

Several State Parks are installing Yurts, which are.....Already erected tents with a wooden rib interior to maintain its shape. Comes complete with a kitchen with a 4 burner stove(no water or sink), a 5 ft. fridge, lots of cabinet space, bunk space to sleep 5, a sturdy table and 4 solid wood chairs. It has hardwood floors, a skylight that opens up about 6 inches, 4 electric heaters in case it gets cold, 2 windows, and a solid wood door that locks with a key.Besides all of this, it has a deck that is about 34' x 34', 2 outdoor tables, and lots of greenery.All you need to do is make the reservation, pick up the key at the information center, drive to the front of the yurt that you rented, drop off your gear and family, and go back to the first parking to the left and park your vehicle. (Note - At the end of that parking lot is a large playground for the kids).This was the perfect getaway to just stop your life for a while, and enjoy all of what the park has to offer. Reservations were made in late February, 2014, for $114 for the 2 day weekend. Our camping dates were for May 30th and 31st, and this was the last day of spring that they allowed the weekend only bookings. Check their website for booking Yurts, and Cabins during the summer, or off season.We had Yurt #1, and it appears that we picked the right one for us. It has good tree shade much of the day, with the sun on the yurt for about 3.5 hours. Keep in mind, you need to bring your own pots and pans, utensils, and linens. To beat the heat, bring along a 10’ by 10’ canopy/gazebo (light tan, silver or white color) to give you an outdoor shelter, away from the heat. In talking to barb, she agreed that maybe 2 – 10’ x 10’ shelters would be best.Keep in mind that the Yurt is about 20 feet across, and that the deck is about 34 feet. Bring along a box fan that can be tilted, and has 3 speeds. With everyone under the shelter, it will help you cool off.Look for our attached photos.#1 Yurt – sun from about 11 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Trees on 3 sides, with yurt #2 up on the right side.#2 Yurt - mostly sun all day, and it get a bit hot. Trees on back side, and other yurts down to the left and up to the right.#3 Yurt - some shade during the day, morning to the early afternoon. Trees to the rear, and a yurt to the left and to the right.#4 Yurt - gets mostly all day shade. There is a water pumping station nearby, that makes a slight humming noise. Basically a forest on 3 sides, and a Yurt to the left. For us, the hum would not be a problem. We would take along a tilting box fan for inside the yurt at night, or outside as we sit in our chairs. (a smaller wall fan is already mounted in the Yurts.)For all of our camping trips, one of these fans are essential for better sleep, cooling hot afternoons, filtering out evening noise, or let the kids use it as a super bubble machine. Just have them hold the wand in front of the outgoing fan air, and watch their eyes get big. For all 4 yurts, the bathrooms are just 30 to 50 feet away. The outside bathroom doors are very quiet. There are no changing bench in the showers. In the bathroom, it is hard to press the wall button, to flush the toilets. I can barely do it, my wife can’t do it, and neither can kids.As for getting potable water? On the outside of the bathroom, you will find a double wash station, for cleaning your dishes. That cold water faucet provided us with some of the finest, purest, clear cold water that we’ve ever seen.Walking past Yurt #4, you can make a right turn, and follow the wide dirt path that takes you to the swimming area, the concession stand, and boat rentals for the lake. Along that dirt road, you will see smaller paths leading down to the lake’s edge. Over several years, I caught and released many fish in those early morning hours.As for Latino families? Living in Allentown, PA, we have put up with some of the worst that they have to offer. They were the reason we left center city, and moved to the outskirts. But, I must say this……..there was a group of Latino’s staying in Yurts 2 and 3 for Friday night. 7 kids total, and 5 adults, and they were the most respectful group that we have ever encountered. Music was played softly, no yelling back and forth, nothing destructive, no car alarms, and the children behaved like children. The only issue we had was on Friday evening, and that was because the smells from their grilled ribs, chicken, burgers and hot dogs were driving us crazy. And because of this, we gave that family group a 5 star rating.Store and Food places in town and nearby. Walmart, the Beacon Restaurant, Rita’s, and McDonalds are all near the same location just north of Tamaqua, on Rt. 309. I was also told that in Tamaqua, PA, near the 5 points intersection, is a really good Italian restaurant.Read the rules about going out at night, and coming back late. The gates are closed at night, and you might have to park a little further away.Also, a golf course is less than a half mile away.And for the final tip? If you are interested in a cabin? Numbers 1, 2, and 3, (which are just on the other side of the bathrooms) have their front porches facing the lake. Take the time to go to Tuscarora State Park, and look at the locations of the Yurts/Cabins that meets your needs.We hope that we have been of some help.Jerryandbarb8