Greenwood Furnace State Park

🏊Swimming at Greenwood Furnace State Park

Swimming takes place at a roped/buoyed designated area of Greenwood Lake extending to about 5 feet of depth, off a sand beach reported to run roughly 100 yards (officially described as a '300-foot sand beach'). First-hand accounts describe clear water with a visible sandy bottom, suiting families and casual swimmers; a lakeside ADA-accessible ramp aids entry.

📍How to get to this swimming hole

From Belleville, PA, take PA Route 305 west about 5 miles to the park entrance at 15795 Greenwood Road, Huntingdon, PA 16652; the beach and parking are in the park's central developed area near the visitor center/office.

Parking: Parking lots are clustered in the park's central area near the office and beach, according to first-hand descriptions; no dedicated swim-beach parking fee was found.

🥾The walk in

No real hike here. The water is a short walk from where you park. The beach is directly accessible from the central parking area near the park office -- no trail or hike is needed to reach the water. A separate quarter-mile Lakeside Trail runs along the lake's undeveloped shore for those who want to walk further, but it is not required for swimming access.

💬What regulars say

One recent visitor describes the swim area's water as clear enough to see the sandy bottom and one's own feet, comfortably cool on hot days, with a pleasant non-rocky lake floor; the same visitor and an official park notice flag that crowd levels and lifeguard staffing can vary, so this should be read as one visitor's account rather than broad community sentiment.

📜Backstory

Greenwood Furnace operated as an iron-making complex from 1834 to 1904; the park's historic district preserves parts of the furnace town, tramway, historic roads, and charcoal hearths. The lake's dam impounds the East Branch of Standing Stone Creek and originally powered a gristmill supporting the furnace operation.