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Tuscarora Lake

Rush · Ryan, Pennsylvania — Schuylkill County.

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97Surface acres
1Public access sites
3.5 miShoreline trails

Surface area: The USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline (NHD Permanent ID 25968138).

Location & fast facts

Where Tuscarora Lake is in Pennsylvania

The red circle marks Tuscarora Lake.

Fast facts

About Tuscarora Lake

  • County: Schuylkill
  • Shore towns: Rush, Ryan
  • Mapped as: Lake or pond (USGS National Hydrography Dataset)
  • Distance: about 58 mi from Harrisburg and 210 mi from Pittsburgh, straight-line (not driving distance)

Towns and counties: U.S. Census Bureau boundaries overlaid on the USGS lake outline.

Fishing in Pennsylvania

Official PFBC pages. Rules and fees change; check before you go.

Good for & watch for

Good for

  • Boating. 1 public trailer launch listed (see access)
  • Fishing. Walleye, Muskellunge, Largemouth bass and Smallmouth bass
  • Walking. 3.5 mi of trail near the shore (trails)
  • Camping. 14 campgrounds within 15 mi (list)

Watch for

  • Non-native/invasive species. Curly-leaf pondweed recorded. Clean, drain and dry your boat and gear.
  • Boat traffic. A public trailer launch means motorboats share the water; expect more traffic on summer weekends.
  • Cold water. Water stays cold well into late spring and turns cold again in fall. Wear a life jacket when paddling in the shoulder seasons.

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.

Official fishing data (PA Fish and Boat Commission)

96Acres (state figure)

Fish species listed by PFBC biologists as warmwater/coolwater fishing opportunities: Black crappie, Bluegill, Chain pickerel, Muskellunge, Largemouth bass, Channel catfish, Pumpkinseed, Smallmouth bass, Tiger muskellunge, Walleye, Yellow perch.

Trout: PFBC stocked trout water, open to fishing year-round

Source: Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) warmwater/coolwater fisheries lakes and stocked trout waterbodies (via PASDA), record for Tuscarora Lake, Schuylkill County. See PFBC fishing for regulations and stocking schedules. Acreage here can differ slightly from our mapped outline.

Lake map

Tuscarora Lake shoreline, boat launches & beaches

Tuscarora Lake Boat Launch (Boat launch)1½ mileN

Numbers on the map match the list at rightbelow.

Boat launchShoreline trail
  1. 1Tuscarora Lake Boat Launch
    Boat launch · Rush

Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 25968138), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: PFBC fishing and boating access points. Dashed trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.

Shoreline trails

3.5 miTrail within 100 m of shore
About 90%Of the shoreline
NoLoops the whole lake
East and west shoresWhere

OpenStreetMap shows about 3.5 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 100 m (330 ft) of the Tuscarora Lake shoreline, mostly along the east and west shores. They follow about 90% of the shore, so you can walk most of the way around but not a full loop.

Trails along the shore

Getting to the trails

No trailhead is mapped for these trails. The closest public access site is Tuscarora Lake Boat Launch, 200 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.

Campgrounds near Tuscarora Lake

We found 14 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Tuscarora Lake, 1 of them within 5 miles. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.

8 more within 15 miles

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.

Conditions right now

Air temperature & conditions (nearest NWS station)Loading…
Fetching the latest National Weather Service observation…

Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (40.8029, -76.0242). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Tuscarora Lake. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.

Sun, moon & best fishing times

Sun & moon at Tuscarora Lake

Best fishing times

Major periodMinor periodDaylight

    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.

    Boat launches & access sites

    1 public access site listed, 1 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.

    SiteTownOwnerTypeParkingFeeUsesMap
    Tuscarora Lake Boat LaunchRushBureau of State ParksBoat ramp · Yes ramp—No feeBoating40.8066, -76.0155

    PFBC fishing and boating access points

    Fees, hours and rules change; confirm with the site owner before you go.

    Non-native/invasive species

    Reported on or near Tuscarora Lake

    Clean, Drain, Dry. Remove plants and mud, drain all water, and dry your boat, trailer and gear before moving to another water.

    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.

    Contact & official info

    Questions about Tuscarora Lake

    How big is Tuscarora Lake?

    Tuscarora Lake covers about 97 acres in Rush and Ryan, Pennsylvania (Schuylkill County).

    What fish are in Tuscarora Lake?

    Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission lists Walleye, Muskellunge, Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass, Black crappie, Bluegill, Yellow perch, Channel catfish, Pumpkinseed and Chain pickerel and 1 more.

    Is there a public boat launch on Tuscarora Lake?

    Yes. 1 public trailer launch is listed: Tuscarora Lake Boat Launch. Check posted fees and parking rules.

    Are there campgrounds near Tuscarora Lake?

    Yes. We list 14 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles, 1 of them within 5 miles.

    What towns are on Tuscarora Lake?

    Tuscarora Lake touches Rush and Ryan in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.

    Share a tip or fishing report

    Know Tuscarora 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).

    Lakes & ponds nearby

    Straight-line distance between lake centers. All Pennsylvania lakes & ponds · All waters in Rush