Pymatuning State Park, Jamestown, PA

Pymatuning State Park–Jamestown Campground, just outside of Jamestown, Pa., is a large and popular campground on the Pymatuning Reservoir. We had contemplated staying at this campground several times in the past few years but after a drive-by had ruled it out because the bathrooms did not meet Kristin’s standards. Last year the park added 16 full hook-up sites but they were all located in the no-pets-allowed portion of the campground. But this year they added 14 full hook-up sites in a pet loop, so it was finally time to check out this campground.

Campground: This large campground is located on the southwestern shore of Pymatuning Reservoir. The fairly large reservoir sits on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and has two state parks (one in Ohio and one in Pennsylvania) and three state park campgrounds (one in Ohio and two in Pennsylvania). The Jamestown campground has three separate camping areas:

• The 100s loop is the most remote and is pet friendly, but it has some road noise due to its location near a main road. This loop has its own showerhouse with laundry facilities.
• The 200s loop has some full hook-up sites and is also pet friendly. Some of the sites in the 200s loop that do not have electric service are on the lake and can have a boat pulled right up to the site. This loop also has its own showerhouse with laundry facilities.
• The 300, 400, 500, and 600 campsite loops are what make up the bulk of this campground. Among these loops there are four showerhouses as well as some full hook-up sites. These loops are not pet-friendly sites: You are not even permitted to walk your dog through this portion of the campground.

Bathrooms: As I briefly mentioned, the bathrooms did not live up to our standards, but at least we can still come and enjoy this state park by opting for a full hook-up site. The bathrooms are painted block and have been well used over the years. The shower area is also not set up to provide much privacy. We were told that each bathroom is partially maintained by the campground hosts.

Amenities: In addition to the lake, which is great for sailing, boating, and fishing (there is a 20 HP limit, so no water skiing) there is ample to do in the campground. If you are going to use the lake, the campground has its own boat launch ramp. In the campground there are also several playgrounds, a very nice beach, hiking trails, amphitheater, and a camp store.

Touring: While the main purpose of this trip was not touring, we have explored this area on previous day trips. If you have never visited the Pymatuning/Linesville Spillway you are in for an experience as you watch HUNDREDS of carp piled on top of each other, just waiting for people to throw them bread. So make sure to take along a few extra loaves of stale bread.

While you are in the spillway area consider visiting the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s Fish Hatchery and the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s education center (currently closed for renovations). The hatchery is open for tours daily and hosts an annual open house in April. The game commission’s education center had some great displays and an observation area where you could watch nesting Bald Eagles on a nearby island.

Date of visit: July 29, 2015 to Aug. 1, 2015

Price: $41.83 per night = $125.50 for three nights