Pennsylvania's popular Raystown Lake campgrounds to close due to federal hiring freeze

Raystown Lake, the popular outdoors recreation destination in Huntingdon County, will be closing its campgrounds until further notice, according to a statement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The agency announced March 13 that the closures are the result of staffing shortages that prevent the safe operation of their facilities.

An executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January prevents federal agencies from hiring additional employees, including the seasonal employees who manage the Raystown Lake campgrounds.

The three affected campgrounds are Nancy's Boat-to-Shore, which operates year round, and the Seven Points and Susquehannock campgrounds, which were to open on April 4 and Memorial Day weekend, respectively.

Raystown Lake Visitor Center, as well as day-use facilities such as beaches, overlooks, picnic pavilions, walking trails, boat launches, disc golf courses and the mountain bike skills park will remain open.

The 8,300-acre lake — the largest contained entirely in Pennsylvania — and surrounding 21,000 acres of forest land sees over a million visitors annually and generates an estimated $19 million in related sales, according to the Corps.

Lancaster Magazine estimated over Lancaster county 24,000 residents visit the lake in 2023.

"I'm disappointed but not surprised," said the Rev. Amanda Knouse, a former resident of Huntingdon County and a pastor at St. John's Episcopal Church in Lancaster.

Knouse said she and her family visit the lake twice each year and she has appreciated the lake both as a local and as a visitor.

"It's everything," Knouse said about the importance of Raystown Lake to the region. "Especially in the summer months, it provides a lot of work for the community."

With the current hiring freeze, Knouse worries federal workers at public parks and forests across the country won't be able to maintain the land.

"If you don't have the staff to take care of them, I can't imagine what happens after a year," Knouse said.

In limbo: Matt Price, executive director of the Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau, said there are more than a dozen seasonal positions that need to be filled for the lake to operate during the recreation season, including 11 rangers, three maintenance staff and an environmental specialist.

While the only campsite immediately affected by the announcement is Nancy's Boat-to-Shore, the other campsites won't be able to open for the season if the hiring freeze is not lifted by mid-April, Price said.

In a typical year, Price said, the job postings for seasonal positions would be put out within the next week. Once hired, seasonal employees are required to take 43 hours of federally required training.

"Each day hiring gets pushed back, it makes it less likely the positions will be filled in time for the season," Price said.

While there are around 3,500 campsites in Huntingdon County, Price says the majority are rentals for an entire season. The campsites at Raystown Lake make up 40% of the county's transient campsites where visitors can stay for a night or a weekend.

"It's going to have a huge impact. I don't think there's enough private sites to make up for it," Price said.

Price said it's important for public officials to know the impact the hiring freeze is having on places like Huntingdon County.

"Reach out to your members of Congress, reach out to Sen. Fetterman and McCormick," Price said. "Even if it's not a complete end to the overall hiring freeze, allowing the hiring of seasonal employees would help."