Outflow Camping
- Right now
- Closedrecreation.gov lists every site closed this weekend, read 16:15 UTC
- A night
- $25–$48When it reopens, per site
- Sites
- 94In the agency’s record
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 12 notices
In the agency’s own words
The Outflow Camping Area is located on Youghiogheny River Lake in the heart of the Laurel Highlands. The lake spans the Mason-Dixon Line between Pennsylvania and Maryland. Clean waters, forested mountains and steep-sided valleys provide an unsurpassed setting for recreational opportunities. Keep reading
Recreation
Camping, fishing, boating, water skiing, hiking, biking, picnicking and sightseeing are the area's most popular activities. Boaters consider Youghiogheny River Lake, with its 16-mile length and channels up to one-half mile wide, the best powerboating and water skiing lake in southwestern Pennsylvania. Youghiogheny Lake's outflow area is renowned for its excellent trout fishing and is stocked from April to September each year. A fishing pier is located in the campground.
Facilities
The campground contains a variety of sites, including walk-to group sites, RV sites and tent-only sites. Electric hookups are available in many sites. Flush toilets, showers, drinking water and a dump station are provided. The park also offers an amphitheater and children's playground. Hammock Stations have been added to the Bike and Hike and Group Camping sites.
Natural Features
The country surrounding the lake is made up of narrow valleys and high rounded hills with steep slopes. Much of the land is covered with northern hardwoods including Beech, Sugar Maple, White Ash, Yellow Poplar and Basswood. A variety of wildlife makes its home around Youghiogheny River Lake, including deer, bear, turkey, grouse, rabbit and squirrel.
Nearby Attractions
Some of Pennsylvania and Maryland's finest state parks surround Youghiogheny Lake. Ohiopyle State Park is known for some of the best whitewater in the East and is often the location of national kayaking competitions. Cyclists enjoy the many miles of bike trails in the area. For the history buff, the area boasts many historical sites and parks. For sheer natural beauty, Youghiogheny Lake can't be beat.
What the agency tells you
Reservations must be made for the entire holiday weekend, Friday through Sunday.
Early checkout will not be refunded on holiday weekend reservations, Friday through Sunday.
All reservations and changes will need to be made through www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777
Everything else this campground posts · 9
Reservations must be made online or by calling the 1-877-444-6777
This is the Outflow Campground at Youghiogheny Lake, not the Tionesta Rec Area Campground at the Outflow at Tionesta Lake
Alcohol is prohibited
The release warning siren from hydropower plant will be heard in the campground
All sites are 100% reservable
Maximum of two tents or one tent and one trailer allowed per site
Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.
Phone number for Resource Managers Office (814) 395-3242
Camping at one or more campsites at any one water resource project for a period longer than 14 days during any 30-consecutive-day period is prohibited without the written permission of the District Commander.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 94 · 10 tent-only, 33 walk-in, 2 group
- Hookups
- 36 electric, 5 water, 4 sewer
- Longest rig
- 64 ft
- Accessible sites
- 2
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets
- FLUSH TOILETS on 1 of 66 campsite records
- Drinking water
- Yes
- ACCESSIBLE DRINKING WATER on 1 of 66 campsite records
- Dump station
- Yes
- recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
- Playground
- Yes
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River
- Biking
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Water access
- Night sky · 32nd darkest of 48 in PA
- Bortle 4
- Fall color · reported 2 days ago, in Fayette County
- Peak color
Nothing to book until it reopensread 16:15 UTC
recreation.gov lists every site closed this weekend
Every one of the next thirty nights is in recreation.gov’s record and not one site is being offered on any of them. That’s a campground closed or not yet released for booking, not a sold-out one.
Tell me when it reopens
Watch for it to come back
One email when the agency reopens it, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check the agency’s own record once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time it stops saying closed.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Every line of the receipt · 14
What you actually pay
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 4
Why this page can’t say why
recreation.gov lists every site at Outflow Camping closed this Friday and Saturday night. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has published no closure notice we hold, so this page can’t say why, and it won’t fill the gap with a guess. A closed night isn’t a sold-out one: the reservations its record still carries were taken before the sites were closed.
There’s no notice to quote and no reason to argue with, so this page offers you the watch and the list below, and no letter.
Open within 60 miles · 4
The agency’s own word that these are open, not our reading of a season.
- Evitts Creek Hiker-Biker CampsiteChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park · 36 mi · walk-up · 1 site
- Irons Mountain Hiker-Biker CampsiteChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park · 37 mi · walk-up
- Pigmans Ferry Hiker-Biker CampsiteChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park · 42 mi · walk-up
- Potomac Forks Hiker-Biker CampsiteChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park · 46 mi · walk-up
recreation.gov availability, read 16:15 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
96 records · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 76 mapped sites11 sites share one published coordinate and are left out of the rankings.
All 96 records
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 76 of the 96 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 57 of the 96 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites | hike to | 136 ft | 263 ft | |||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 1 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 10 | hike to | 136 ft | 263 ft | |||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 11 | hike to | 136 ft | 263 ft | |||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 12 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 13 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 14 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 15 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 16 | hike to | 138 ft | 200 ftHen Run | 16 ft | ||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 17 | hike to | 136 ft | 263 ft | |||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 18 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 19 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 2 | hike to | 136 ft | 263 ft | |||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 20 | hike to | 136 ft | 263 ft | |||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 21 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 22 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 23 | hike to | 136 ft | 263 ft | |||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 24 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 25 | hike to | 136 ft | 263 ft | |||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 26 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 27 | hike to | 136 ft | 263 ft | |||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 28 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 29 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 3 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 30 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 4 | hike to | 136 ft | 263 ft | |||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 5 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 6 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 7 | hike to | 136 ft | 263 ft | |||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 8 | hike to | |||||||
| Hike and Bike | Hike and Bike Sites - 9 | hike to | |||||||
| LOCU | 022 | standard electric | 39 ft | 50 amp | 43 ft | 199 ft | 261 ft | $35–$48 | |
| LOCU | 023 | standard electric | 43 ft | 30 amp | 59 ft | 244 ft | 317 ft | $35–$48 | |
| LOCU | 024 | standard electric | 51 ft | 30 amp | 43 ft | 240 ft | 246 ft | $35–$48 | |
| LOCU | 025 | standard electric | 44 ft | 30 amp | 48 ft | 305 ft | 270 ft | $35–$48 | |
| LOCU | 026 | standard electric | 48 ft | 30 amp | 48 ft | 297 ft | 237 ft | $35–$48 | |
| LOCU | 027 | standard electric | 46 ft | 30 amp | 44 ft | 334 ft | 240 ft | $35–$48 | |
| LOCU | 028 | standard electric | 52 ft | 30 amp | 48 ft | 344 ft | 246 ft | $35–$48 | |
| LOCU | 029 | tent only nonelectric | 44 ft | 362 ft | 218 ft | $25 | |||
| LOCU | 030 | tent only nonelectric | 47 ft | 411 ft | 271 ft | $25 | |||
| LOCU | 031 | tent only nonelectric | 47 ft | 456 ft | 266 ft | $25 | |||
| LOCU | 032 | tent only nonelectric | 39 ft | 436 ft | 219 ft | $25 | |||
| LOCU | 033 | tent only nonelectric | 39 ft | 397 ft | 199 ft | $25 | |||
| LOCU | 034 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 57 ft | 318 ft | 172 ft | $35–$48 | |
| LOCU | 035 | tent only nonelectric | 89 ft | 367 ft | 88 ft | $25 | |||
| LOCU | 036 | rv electric | 56 ft | 50 amp | 38 ft | 293 ft | 115 ft | ||
| LOCU | 037 | standard electric | 50 ft | 50 amp | 59 ft | 245 ft | 266 ft | $35–$48 | |
| LOCU | 038 | standard electric | 52 ft | 50 amp | 76 ft | 194 ft | 218 ft | $35–$48 | |
| LOCU | 039 | standard electric | 60 ft | 30 amp | 39 ft | 246 ft | 142 ft | $35–$48 | |
| LOCU | 041 | standard electric | 64 ft | 30 amp | 31 ft | 253 ft | 104 ft | $35–$48 | |
| LOCU | 042 | rv electric | 49 ft | 50 amp | 31 ft | 281 ft | 81 ft | ||
| MAPL | 001 | rv electric | 61 ft | 30 amp | 56 ft | 115 ft | 148 ft | ||
| MAPL | 002 | standard electric | 48 ft | 50 amp | 33 ft | 148 ft | 79 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 003 | standard electric | 51 ft | 30 amp | 48 ft | 170 ft | 120 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 004 | standard electric | 50 ft | 50 amp | 33 ft | 177 ft | 54 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 005 | standard electric | 39 ft | 30 amp | 48 ft | 218 ft | 101 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 006 | standard electric | 47 ft | 30 amp | 42 ft | 269 ft | 112 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 007 | standard electric | 46 ft | 30 amp | 22 ft | 311 ft | 132 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 008 | standard electric | 38 ft | 30 amp | 22 ft | 328 ft | 133 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 009 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 34 ft | 328 ft | 115 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 010 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 56 ft | 268 ft | 41 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 011 | standard electric | 34 ft | 30 amp | 55 ft | 341 ft | 113 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 012 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 31 ft | 266 ft | 63 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 013 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 55 ft | 347 ft | 139 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 014 | standard electric | 41 ft | 30 amp | 48 ft | 349 ft | 174 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 015 | standard electric | 41 ft | 30 amp | 31 ft | 278 ft | 94 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 016 | standard electric | 38 ft | 30 amp | 44 ft | 314 ft | 181 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 017 | standard electric | 38 ft | 30 amp | 24 ft | 276 ft | 189 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 018 | standard electric | 39 ft | 30 amp | 43 ft | 242 ft | 130 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 019 | standard electric | 39 ft | 30 amp | 24 ft | 254 ft | 193 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 020 | standard electric | 37 ft | 30 amp | 43 ft | 199 ft | 124 ft | $35–$48 | |
| MAPL | 021 | standard electric | 47 ft | 50 amp | 69 ft | 156 ft | 98 ft | $35–$48 | |
| OCAM | 2A | group walk to | 422 ft | 226 ft | 656 ft | ||||
| Pavilion | Constitution Tree Pavilion | day use | Flush Toilets listed | ||||||
| REAR | 1A | group walk to | 30 amp | 248 ft | 261 ft | 251 ft | |||
| REAR | Jones Pavilion | day use | 30 amp | yes | 138 ft | 80 ftHen Run | 131 ft | ||
| SPRU | 040 | standard nonelectric | 46 ft | 46 ft | 176 ft | 134 ft | $25 | ||
| SPRU | 043 | standard nonelectric | 51 ft | yes | 59 ft | 204 ft | 96 ft | $25 | |
| SPRU | 044 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | yes | 72 ft | 256 ftHen Run | 65 ft | $25 | |
| SPRU | 045 | tent only nonelectric | 38 ft | 219 ftHen Run | 115 ft | $25 | |||
| SPRU | 046 | tent only nonelectric | 49 ft | 184 ftHen Run | 136 ft | $25 | |||
| SPRU | 047 | tent only nonelectric | 38 ft | 180 ftHen Run | 149 ft | $25 | |||
| SPRU | 048 | tent only nonelectric | 49 ft | 136 ftHen Run | 184 ft | $25 | |||
| SPRU | 049 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 41 ft | 141 ftHen Run | 190 ft | $25 | ||
| SPRU | 050 | standard nonelectric | 62 ft | 46 ft | 73 ftHen Run | 249 ft | $25 | ||
| SPRU | 051 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 43 ft | 70 ftHen Run | 260 ft | $25 | ||
| SPRU | 052 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 43 ft | 54 ftHen Run | 263 ft | $25 | ||
| SPRU | 053 | standard nonelectric | 47 ft | 42 ft | 135 ftHen Run | 216 ft | $25 | ||
| SPRU | 054 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 43 ft | 69 ftHen Run | 288 ft | $25 | ||
| SPRU | 055 | rv electric | 50 ft | 50 amp | 42 ft | 127 ft | 214 ft | ||
| SPRU | 056 | standard nonelectric | 43 ft | 53 ft | 126 ft | 181 ft | $25 | ||
| SPRU | 057 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 46 ft | 138 ft | 163 ft | $25 | ||
| SPRU | 058 | standard nonelectric | 49 ft | 62 ft | 157 ft | 180 ft | $25 | ||
| SYCA | 059 | standard nonelectric | 49 ft | 45 ft | 164 ft | 327 ft | $25 | ||
| SYCA | 060 | standard nonelectric | 52 ft | 45 ft | 125 ft | 304 ft | $25 | ||
| SYCA | 061 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 62 ft | 82 ft | 282 ft | $25 |
The agency files 2 more records here that aren’t sites for the night. It files them as day use. They’re in the table above, marked for what they are, and none of them is counted as a site.
25 of 96 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Youghiogheny Recreation Area0.6 mi
Somerfield North Recreation Area3.6 mi
Mill Run Recreation Area6.3 mi
Robert W Craig30 mi
Evitts Creek Hiker-Biker CampsiteChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park · 36 mi
Irons Mountain Hiker-Biker CampsiteChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park · 37 miRoute 281 South from points north: continue south through Confluence and over the Casselman & Youghiogheny Rivers. Make an immediate left into the campground.
Route 281 North from Route 40: continue north 7 miles past the Youghiogheny River Lake entrance. Make next right into the campground.
Route 523 North from Route 40: continue north 7 miles to Confluence. Turn left onto Route 281 South, over the Casselman & Youghiogheny Rivers. Make next left into the campground.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Confluence, PA
Typical weather
Typical October night 40°F, day 64°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 19°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it
Who answers for this land

Outflow Camping is in Pennsylvania’s 14th congressional district. Its representative, Guy Reschenthaler (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →