Since the announcement in March of closures of the US Army Corps of Engineers managed campgrounds at Raystown Lake, the Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau has fielded many questions about the ongoing situation. Some of these questions are resulting from misunderstandings of information provided to the public, and some are from incorrect speculation from some members of the public, but most are from a place of genuine concern and a desire to understand what’s happening.

Here is what we, at the Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau, can verify:

• The US Army Corps of Engineers remains subject to a federal hiring freeze which is preventing both the replacement of full-time staff vacancies, and the hiring of seasonal temporary employees at the Raystown Lake Project, who are needed to maintain facilities, as well as to protect and serve the public during the increased usage of recreational facilities during the late spring, summer and early fall months. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/hiring-freeze/

• Since the announcement in March, The National Recreation Reservation Service at recreation.gov has stopped taking new reservations at Nancy’s Boat to Shore Campground, Seven Points Campground and Susquehannock Campground.

• Nancy’s Boat to Shore Campground and Seven Points Campground are currently affected by the closure. The US Army Corps of Engineers is cancelling reservations on a rolling basis, one week at a time. As of April 14, 2025, all camping reservations at Nancy’s Boat to Shore and Seven Points Campgrounds have been cancelled through May 1, 2025. When a reservation falls within a window of campground closure, the reservation holder will receive an email from recreation.gov explaining their options, which include: 

  1. Modifying the dates of the reservation to future “open” dates.

  2. Cancelling the reservation and requesting a refund.

  3. Doing nothing and hoping the closure is reversed. The reservation will be automatically cancelled and refunded 24 hours prior to the arrival date if the closure remains in effect.

• Privatization of the management of the federal campgrounds is not possible at this time. The January 20, 2025, Executive Order establishing the hiring freeze states “Contracting outside the Federal Government to circumvent the intent of this memorandum is prohibited.” https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/hiring-freeze/

• All day use areas at Raystown Lake remain open. This includes picnic shelters, trails, boat launch facilities, public restrooms, overlooks, disc golf courses, volleyball courts, playgrounds and more. Furthermore, beach areas at Seven Points and Tatman Run will open as originally planned in late May.

For updates regarding campground closures, you can reach the Raystown Lake Army Corps of Engineers staff at 814-658-3405. If your camping reservation at Seven Points Campground has been impacted, or if you would like to have a back-up plan, you can find our recommended list of campgrounds at raystown.org/places-to-stay/campgrounds, or call our staff at 814-658-0060.