Raystown Lake

Stretching roughly 30 river miles through steep, wooded mountain valleys, Raystown Lake features approximately 118 miles of largely undeveloped shoreline. The basin is defined by the flooded main river channel and numerous inundated tributary arms, creating a landscape of deep open water, protected coves, and rocky points. The lake reaches nearly 200 feet in depth near the dam, with depths exceeding 100 feet common throughout much of the reservoir, producing a wide range of aquatic habitats and one of the deepest, clearest reservoir environments in the region.

Raystown Lake is widely known for its recreational boating and its trophy striped bass fishery, and it also supports lake trout, smallmouth and largemouth bass, walleye, muskellunge, catfish, and panfish. Fishing and boating regulations are administered by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, while the Corps manages the surrounding public lands and recreation program. Public boat ramps, a full-service marina, campgrounds, beaches, and trail networks draw more than a million visitors annually from across Pennsylvania and neighboring states.

Water levels on Raystown Lake are managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers around a stable normal conservation pool of about 786 feet NGVD, held within a narrow operating range of roughly one foot. Unlike reservoirs with an annual winter drawdown, Raystown is lowered only occasionally — generally a few feet up to about eight feet — for shoreline maintenance and facility work. During major runoff the lake rises into its flood-control storage, reaching a full flood pool near 812 feet NGVD. Rainfall, flood-control operations, and hydropower generation all influence elevations, so monitoring current lake levels is important for boating safety, fishing success, dock and ramp access, and shoreline activities throughout the year.