After DOGE cuts shutter federal campgrounds in Pennsylvania, state parks see surge in reservations
Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has seen a 30 percent jump in campsite reservations.
Just weeks after Elon Musk’s federal cutbacks trickled down and shuttered hundreds of campsites on Pennsylvania’s largest lake, reservations at state campgrounds have surged.
Last month, about 425 campsites operated by the Army Corps of Engineers, including the Seven Points, Susquehannock, and Nancy’s Boat-to-Shore Campgrounds along Raystown Lake, and Tompkins Campground on Tioga-Hammond and Cowanesque Lakes, were closed indefinitely due to “executive-order driven staffing shortages.”
Reservations, the Army Corps announced, would be refunded.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources operates 124 state parks and a little over 7,000 campsites across the commonwealth, and the agency quickly adopted a savvy “Still Open. Still Awesome.” campaign in response.
Since the DOGE cuts, DCNR says it’s seen a 30% overall increase in campground reservations compared to last year. Leading the way is Trough Creek State Park, with a whopping 189% increase in camping reservations. The state park is just a few miles from Raystown Lake.
“With increased demand for camping, we encourage everyone to plan ahead and take advantage of the many beautiful sites still available,” DCNR secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said in a statement.
Along with Trough Creek, DCNR says reservations have surged at Prince Gallitzin, Bald Eagle, and Greenwood Furnace state parks, which all offer fishing and some boating opportunities. DCNR breaks the state into four regions, and campsite reservations have surged the highest in Region 3, where Raystown Lake is.
Raystown Lake, in Huntingdon County, is the largest lake entirely within Pennsylvania. The 8,300-acre lake is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and, according to a news release from the agency’s Baltimore office, staffing shortages will require staff to focus on “dam operations for flood protection and emergency response readiness” ahead of the 2025 season.
In Northwestern Pennsylvania, the U.S. Forest Service operates approximately 1,000 campsites on the Allegheny Reservoir. A spokesperson for the USFS said the agency intended to “maintain access to recreation opportunities to the greatest degree possible.”
DCNR says thousands of campsites, cabins, and yurts remain available for reservations this summer. Campsites can be reserved online at visitPAparks.com or by calling 888-PA-PARKS (888-727-2757), Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.