US lakes & pondsUS lakes & pondsLower Heidelberg · Bern · Penn · North Heidelberg · Jefferson, Pennsylvania — Berks County.
Surface area: The USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline (NHD Permanent ID 120022809).
The red circle marks Blue Marsh Lake.
Towns and counties: U.S. Census Bureau boundaries overlaid on the USGS lake outline.
Official PFBC pages. Rules and fees change; check before you go.
Built only from the data on this page: official access lists, OpenStreetMap beaches and trails, campground listings, state and USGS invasive-species records. We don't rate crowds or water quality.
Fish species listed by PFBC biologists as warmwater/coolwater fishing opportunities: Black crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth bass, Channel catfish, Smallmouth bass, Hybrid striped bass, Tiger muskellunge, Walleye, White crappie, Yellow perch.
Source: Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) warmwater/coolwater fisheries lakes and stocked trout waterbodies (via PASDA), record for Blue Marsh Lake, Berk County. See PFBC fishing for regulations and stocking schedules. Acreage here can differ slightly from our mapped outline.
Numbers on the map match the list at rightbelow.
Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 120022809), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: PFBC fishing and boating access points and OpenStreetMap boat ramps (ODbL). Dashed trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.
OpenStreetMap shows about 24.9 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 100 m (330 ft) of the Blue Marsh Lake shoreline, mostly along the east and west shores. They follow about 65% of the shore, so you can walk most of the way around but not a full loop.
No trailhead is mapped for these trails. The closest public access site is Kayak Launch, 50 ft from a shoreline trail (PA Fish & Boat Commission access data).
The dashed brown line on the lake map shows these trails. We include paths, footways and marked trails that OpenStreetMap doesn't mark as private, and leave out roads, sidewalks and snowmobile corridors. Mapped trails can still cross private land or close for the season, and not every trail is mapped, so follow posted signs.
Trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map data as of Oct 9, 2026. Trail lengths count only the parts within about 100 m of the USGS NHD lake outline.
We found 35 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Blue Marsh Lake. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.
Electric hookups · RVs welcome · Tent sites · Cabins or yurts
Electric hookups · RVs welcome · Cabins or yurts · Showers
Electric hookups · RVs welcome · Tent sites · Cabins or yurts
Electric hookups · RVs welcome · Tent sites · Showers
All campgrounds & RV parks in Pennsylvania
Green tent icons on the lake map mark campgrounds near the shore, and the interactive map shows the closest 12. Amenities are listed only where a source records them; call or check the campground's website before you go, since seasons and rates change every year.
Campground data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Pulled Oct 12, 2026.
Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (40.4006, -76.0758). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Blue Marsh Lake. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.
Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in ET (America/New_York), and accurate to within a few minutes.
4 public access sites listed, 4 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.
| Site | Town | Owner | Type | Parking | Fee | Uses | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Brooks Boat Launch | Lower Heidelberg | COE | Boat ramp · Yes ramp | — | Fee | Boating | 40.3849, -76.0325 |
| Kayak Launch | Penn | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 40.4195, -76.1053 |
| Sheidy Road | Lower Heidelberg | PFBC | Boat ramp · Yes ramp | — | No fee | Boating | 40.4124, -76.0868 |
| State Hill Boat Launch | Lower Heidelberg | COE | Boat ramp · Yes ramp | — | Fee | Boating | 40.3690, -76.0439 |
PFBC fishing and boating access points and OpenStreetMap boat ramps (ODbL)
Fees, hours and rules change; confirm with the site owner before you go.
Reported on or near Blue Marsh Lake
USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database
USGS records matched to this water by location (within about 150 m of the outline) or by the place name in the record. A record shows a sighting was reported; it doesn't prove the species is still there. As of Oct 10, 2026.
Blue Marsh Lake covers about 1,178 acres in Lower Heidelberg, Bern, Penn and North Heidelberg, Pennsylvania (Berks County).
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission lists Walleye, Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass, Hybrid striped bass, Black crappie, White crappie, Bluegill, Yellow perch, Channel catfish and Tiger muskellunge.
Yes. 4 public trailer launches are listed: Sheidy Road, Dry Brooks Boat Launch and State Hill Boat Launch. Check posted fees and parking rules.
Yes. We list 35 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles.
Blue Marsh Lake touches Lower Heidelberg, Bern, Penn, North Heidelberg and Jefferson in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Know Blue Marsh Lake? Tell us about the launch, parking, where they're biting or anything a first-time visitor should know. Tips go privately to the LakeRipple editor; nothing is posted automatically. Helpful tips may be featured on this page (we'll use your first name only if you give one).
Straight-line distance between lake centers. All Pennsylvania lakes & ponds · All waters in Lower Heidelberg