6+ Raystown Lake Scenic Overlooks and Vistas

There are lots of great places to take in scenic views at Raystown Lake. Specifically at Raystown Dam you get views of the Juniata River valley to get a sense of what the valley looked like before it was filled in with the lake, and in the other direction towards the lake you get a view of the giant lake itself. On the river side, you can even get views of eagles and an eagles nest. 

Coordinates to Recreation Area at Dam:

40.431419, -78.006977

If you continue up the road to the dam, you also get a look at the start of the lake from this cool amphitheater area that is built like a pagoda, giving a great place to both reflect and take in views of the lake.

Hawn Overlook at Sunset

Up at the Hawn and Ridenour Overlooks you get sweeping high level vistas of the lake. 

Parking Area Coordinates:

40.431635, -78.016826

Ridenour Overlook. On this particular visit we watched an eagle glide around for like 20 minutes.

Ridenour gives a view of the dam and lake and is especially great for bird watching and it within feet of a parking area. 

Hawn's Overlook is just a few hundred feet walk down a trail from the parking area that give sweeping views of the lake. It is especially cool at sunset and approaching dusk. You can see the boats go by and their lights from all the way up at this vantage point and they look so small. 

The Seven Points Recreation Area has lots of places to take in scenic views of the lake and the valley in which it is located, and multiple places to take a dip in the water, fish, canoe, kayak, boat, camp, walk or bike along the shoreline. 

The Coffee Run Overlook is roadside on a pull off from Route 994. It gives a great view of the lake, across the lake from the area of the Lake Raystown Resort. 

Coordinates:

40.316226, -78.179576

Raystown Lake is a beautiful place for sightseeing and relaxing and it is well within weekend trip distance of most people within the state. For all of the articles we have written on Raystown Lake Destinations, check out this link. 

Former Colerain State Park Overlooks: Spruce Creek, Indian Lookout, Canoe Mountain Overlook & Colerain Road Overlook

There are four tremendous scenic overlooks in the areas surrounding the Colerain Picnic Area in Rothrock State Forest.

Huntingdon County's Colerain Picnic Area in Rothrock State Forest was once known as Colerain State Park. It is home to some breathtaking views of Central PA's dramatic and breathtaking topography. On this particular visit for us, the weather could not seem to make up its mind and within view of most of the overlooks, you had glimpses of sunny weather, cloudy weather, and rainy weather, all within view at one time. It is easy to see why this place was given state park designation and it is still worth a visit, even after its "de-parking." It is home to an aggressive hike up a mountain with aggressive elevation change, another ice mine, small in scale like nearby Trough Creek State Park's, and numerous amazing scenic overlooks. The state forest road that goes through this spot, and deeper into Rothrock State Park, goes up and across a beautiful ridge. Stunning scenic overlooks and vistas can be seen in numerous spots, with only one requiring a short hike 1/10th of a mile hike from the upper end of the Yellow Arrow Trail (or a 1.1 mile hike if starting at the bottom of the mountain)

After heading up the mountain road, filled with giant trees and lots of hemlocks, through the old Colerain State Park, you reach a curve. This curve has the first visible scenic overlook, the Spruce Creek Overlook, which looks South/Southeast at the aggressive mountains and gaps, where you see how the old Pennsylvania Railroad ingeniously was able to get through the rugged central PA landscape through the Juniata River Valley.

Note the rain visible out in the distance in the Juniata Valley. There were hawks flying through the air in this spot, though as soon as I grabbed my telephoto lens, they were gone. 

One of my favorite things about scenic overlooks in most of Central PA is the views you get over multiple mountain ridges. This topography fascinates and mesmerizes me so much, from here, up through the Finger Lakes Region of New York, where this finger-like geology ended up with the region getting a series of giant lakes.

Back to ascending the ridgetop

Our next stop takes us to the top of the Yellow Arrow Trail to Indian Lookout. You can't miss this pull off and trail intersection. An easy tenth of a mile hike from the intersection takes you to Indian Lookout, which is quite beautiful. 

The view from the overlook shows the agrarian nature of the region and the rugged nature of the topography. The elevation of the overlook is roughly 1624 feet, according to topographic maps, and the valley below is around 900 feet, give or take, so there is roughly 700 feet in elevation change from here to the valley floor. 

The history of this spot is troubled though. In recent times, several people have slipped and fallen to their deaths in this location. The name of the lookout, Indian Lookout, was not given in that it was used by the native peoples in the region, but rather as a lookout and stalking point by colonizing settlers to surveil the native peoples that were defending their land.

This memorial was created for Kevin "Rocky" Burkhardt, one of two people who have perished in falls at the overlook. Stay behind the safety fence, for the rocks are both slick and unforgiving. A ten foot fall can be fatal, let alone a fall down hundreds of feet of rock face. 

Canoe Mountain Overlook (West/Southwest Overlook of Colerain Road). Roughly a mile further up the road, you reach a clearing that gives the most commanding view of the landscape seen at the Spruce Creek and Indian Lookouts. The other two overlooks work like puzzle pieces leading up to the grand overlook up here on Colerain Road. 

Sunny skies, cloudy skies, and rain were all visible in this classic day of moody Pennsylvania weather. The views from the overlook are seemingly endless, showcasing multiple mountains, gaps, and valleys.

A stark and dramatic exhibition of moody Pennsylvania weather.

Multiple sets of mountains rippling across the land, looking like giant waves heading towards the shore. This photo definitely brings about daydreams of boarding on some Pacific waves.

Windmills out on the furthest ridge

What an incredible landscape.

Colerain Road Scenic Overlook East is about a mile further up Colerain Road and gives a stunning view to the East, as opposed to the largely southwest, west and northwestern views given at the three other scenic overlooks in Rothrock State Forest near the Colerain Picnic Area. As far as views go, Colerain Road is fantastic. It is one of the most scenic short drives on a state forest road that there is. 

The only coordinates you need are to the road entrance to the former Colerain State Park Area: 

40.626878, -78.113405

All three of the four listed scenic overlooks are right along the road and you can't miss them within a 3 mile ride up the road. Indian Overlook is easy to find at the trail crossing of the Yellow Arrow Hiking Trail, and a one tenth of a mile hike down the trail to the overlook. It is very easy to access this place from the Raystown Lake/Huntingdon area, Altoona, and State College. 

 

Exploring Raystown Lake: Cruising on the Proud Mary Showboat

Part one of our series on this trip to Raystown Lake can be found here. 

One of the best things to do in the summer is to spend an afternoon at the Marina at Lake Raystown Resort. On this trip, we first headed to the Marina Cafe for a delicious lunch. They make all sorts of high quality sandwiches, from crab cake and salmon sandwiches, high end burgers, club sandwiches and more. The sandwiches are hearty and excellent. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, but we opted to sit outside on their patio to see views of the lake and marina. We hung out for a little bit prior to our afternoon sightseeing cruise on the Proud Mary Showboat. 

The view of Raystown Lake and Marina at the Lake Raystown Resort's Marina Cafe

The Patio area at the Marina Cafe is such a beautiful place to kick back and relax.

Now we head out for a ride on the Proud Mary Showboat. The boat runs daily on Afternoon Sightseeing Cruises that are as low as $9.95 a person. They also run special dinner and party events on certain days that cost a little more, but are still pretty affordable. In autumn they run Fall Foliage Cruises on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays that showcase the beautiful landscapes of the lake. 

Brit and Dave's family enjoying the cruise.

The tour runs from the marina, which is around mile marker 20 on the lake, and runs south on the lake through between mile markers 26 and 27. Throughout the course you will be sure to see beautiful forest, scenic coves, neat rock outcroppings, and more.

You also get to see some of the other water activities that occur on the lake, including kayaking, houseboating, speedboating, jet skiing, tubing, pontooning, and more. 

Raystown Lake is such an awesome summer playground.

Looking out across the bow of the Proud Mary Showboat

Rock outcroppings abound along the shores of the lake. The Juniata River Valley is abrupt and filled with these erosional remnants that you can only get views of while you are cruising along the lake.

You will also be sure to see lots of birds and waterfowl throughout the lake.

A Blue Heron on the shore of the lake

Cruising on the lake on the Proud Mary is so much fun

Putt's Camp is a Boy Scout camp which provides primitive camping and a home to annual events for the Boy Scouts. It is in a beautiful area of the lake.

The boat's interior is home to a snack bar, buffet area for special cruises, and more. 

Headed back to the marina. The cruise lasts around an hour and a half.

The upper deck of the Proud Mary.

Heading back into the marina at the Lake Raystown Resort.

We highly recommend taking a tour of Raystown Lake on the Proud Mary Showboat.

The gift shop at the Marina sells feed for the carp that congregate around the docks. We had a blast feeding the fish.

Overall, we highly recommend taking some time and relaxing at the Lake Raystown Resort. The Marina area is home to the launching point for the Proud Mary Showboat, along with a place for docking your own boats, renting, and also having a delicious meal at the Marina Cafe. The afternoon we spent relaxing at the resort was great and we highly recommend that you check it out as well. For other information about our trip to Raystown, check out the previous installment in our series. Our next installment will take us on some hikes through the Raystown Lake Region.