Beltzville Lake

About Beltzville Lake

Beltzville Lake is the centerpiece of a 3,002-acre state park a short drive east of Lehighton, and one of the more full-service lakes in the region — a guarded sand beach, multiple boat launches, and a marina with rental options make it an easy destination to show up to without much advance planning. With 19.8 miles of shoreline, there's plenty of room for boaters and anglers to spread out even on a busy summer weekend, while 15 miles of surrounding trails give non-water activities a real presence too. It sits a short drive from Jim Thorpe and pairs easily with a Mauch Chunk Lake stay — spend the morning on the beach or the water, then head into town for dinner or a stop at one of Jim Thorpe's breweries or antique shops on the way back to the residence.

Best Season

Late Spring – Early Fall

Shoreline

19.8 Miles

Popular For

Guarded Beach & Boating

Nearest Town

Lehighton, PA

Lake Origin

Man-Made Reservoir (1972)

How It Came to Be

Beltzville Lake exists because of a flood-control dam, not a natural formation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction on the Pohopoco Creek project in 1970, completing the dam in 1972 — a process that required the farming village of Big Creek Valley, settled by early European farmers, to be vacated in 1966.

What emerged from the project is the 949-acre lake and surrounding 3,002-acre state park that opened to the public later in 1972, now one of the more developed and accessible lakes in the Poconos precisely because it was built with recreation as part of its original flood-control design.