Well kept lake and beach area! The grounds were also well kept…read more Tons of lifeguards on staff! Loved that you could swim out past the roped off area if you are experienced. The swing and high dive are a must if you want to try an adventurous task! Tons of shade! Overall this place is a great time! we love that you can bring your own food, you can leave and come back, and they have a place where you can wash your feet off before exiting! Two cons in my opinion: The snack bar is lackluster and expensive. 4.50 for a hot dog....the slush puppy was good! Approximately $30 dollars for admission, a little steep. Think about it, family of 4 is 120 dollars....

IGNORANT RUDE STAFF. Singled my 9.5 son out and would not let him go past ropes b/c "his stroke…read morewasn't strong enough" EVEN THOUGH he swam back just fine unassisted with no struggle AND we were here over a year ago when he was only 8yrs old and jumped off the same platform 10+ times with 0 issues and not a problem from any of the dozen life guards (I have multiple videos to prove this). Also, there were many small kids out there and they did not require any of other kids to take the test. Our son was the only child SINGLED OUT. When he literally did the same swim/jump when he was 1 year younger here safely many times AND as parents we were watching and more than ok with him doing it, there is no reason for them to ruin his day and keep him from hanging out with his brothers and cousin. The staff here are INCOMPETENT and IGNORANT, including the snarky manager Julia!!! Just BE WARNED that they can single a child out arbitrarily and pass/fail them on a whim from teenage staff even after you pay and ruin your child's day! Since your response was spin and avoided all FACTS!!! Here are some questions that you IGNORED... Mt. Gretna Lake and Beach why was my son "safe" to multiple lifeguards a year prior who allowed him to go past the rope many times and do the jump? (I have video evidence) Were they not doing their job??? Why was my son the only child targets by the lifeguards and made to do the test? There were many children that day his size or smaller. That included a boy who was terrified to jump and paced the dive for nearly 10min holding on for dear life. More importantly, the boy could not swim at all and his parents had to bring him a tube to drag him back. My son swam unassisted last year and on Sunday. Not a single lifeguard whistled or said a thing to the terrified boy and his parents and they even allowed him to go past the rope after that whole incident. I also have video footage of this. What do you have to say about this incident that went on for 10min and was obvious to anyone there that day? Your staff is incompetent, unprofessional, and unreasonable. You targeted my family and let other major safety concerns slide. I was/am furious and will spread her word. Good thing everything on here in FACT and I can prove with videos unlike your biased spin! I'd love your answers to the above publicly!!!!

REVIEW FOR CABINS: Decided to rent out some of the cabins with friends during THE YEAR OF THE…read morePANDEMIC. We were really happy with the cabins - we stayed in the Chestnut cabin. Here are the pluses: Price - under $50 a night. Bargain! Inside cabin: Electricity - bring a long extension cord with multi plugs. Heat - Such a plus since we were in the fall. Fan - Very useful for the summer. Two bunkbeds with bottom bunks that are either a full or queen. Long table with seating Plenty of lighting Cleaning materials - they provide a broom to keep the floor clean. Outside cabin: Outdoor plug for electricity Two picnic tables - one under shelter (so so nice!) / also next to fire ring Overhang is excellent for keeping things dry and sheltered Fire ring Due to COVID, check in is not until 5 PM. Ugh, what a drag. They did let us get in finally at 4:00 PM - after all, it was a Sunday and hardly anyone was around. Check out is 9 AM. Stay for at least 2 nights. Firewood is $7 for a small bundle. Drive around - you might find better deals from locals. Bathrooms were toasty warm and cleaned daily. We didn't use showers, but other people said the hot water was plentiful and it was cleaned well. Utility sinks are behind the bathrooms and extremely useful for dishes and other cleaning.

We visited for the "Experience Codorus Outdoors" event. We camped at the nearby campground which…read morewas super convenient to the park. I'll rate the various parts accordingly. Main park 9/10 In a word, breathtaking. You have several amazing views of Lake Marburg, which is unfortunately not a swimming lake. We visited during the experience Corodus outdoor event, so they allowed kids and adults to put their feet in. You might be able to go to one of the less populated areas and get away with swimming, but would probably be kicked out eventually. We saw a few people in the water at random spots outside of the main park. The kayak launch looks nothing short of amazing. It was closed due to the event, but I scoped it out while we walked around. It looked super easy and shallow. Campgrounds Right across from the marina. There are 4 loops, 3 mainly for tent camping and smaller RVs, and giant sites for the HUGE RVs. You do have to make your way through loop C (tents) to reach loop D, which can be pretty tight especially when people stupidly park their car(s) in the road. The sites were spacious and quiet. We were at loop C right next to the bathhouse. I would stay at the site again except the doors swing shut HARD. Nothing like waking up from a dead sleep when someone exits the bathroom and the door slams shut. There are utility sinks near the bathrooms which was a nice touch for those of us using reusable dishes. There's a small playground for young kids. It was perfect for my 5 year old, but my 12 year old would have been bored quickly. They also offer church services on Sundays which was a nice touch. They have a private launch that is VERY remote. Good because other boats aren't flying through. Bad because if something happens and you need help, there likely won't be any. We launched a double inflatable kayak without issue, but realized we were pretty much on our own if anything went wrong. Marina 2/5 Lots of spaces to park and plenty of paved trails to walk around. We were looking for a place to launch our inflatable kayak. This didn't seem like a great option with the rental house open. If it was closed, it might be better. Unless you own a boat or want to walk, there's not much to do here (to be fair it is a marina). Visitor Center- 2/5 Sad. They had a bird watching widows but guess what? All of the bird and squirrel feeders were empty. There were a couple displays with taxidermy animals, but not much else sadly. Other than a bathroom break, there really wasn't much to do here. Experience codorus outdoors- 3/5 There were lots of activities for kids and families. A rock climbing wall, pontoon ride, splash in the water, slip and slide, food trucks, obstacle course, kayaks, and SOOO many other things. It was a great event and we had a blast. There were a few things that could be improved (I plan to send this to the codorus outdoor committee as well) - Offer double kayaks. Some of the kids who went solo didn't look old enough to navigate a kayak alone. They offered to allow my 5 year old to go, but that seemed dangerous to me. Why they didn't offer any double kayaks is beyond me. It seemed like lots of families with smaller kids were turned away. - The water fountains weren't working. For an event that has probably the highest number of people at the park, they should have offered some water for people to drink besides paying at food trucks. Oversight on the part of the committee. -Our pontoon boat driver was a grump. I innocently asked why people were not allowed to swim in the lake. Instead of informing an out of towner who was curious, he responded with a super condescending tone like "Duh, how did you not know that!?" We will definitely be back when the place is less crowded and access to the kayak launch site is available.

Pretty to hike but *Do Not swim Here!** locals know that, my dad always told me that as a kid also…read moreand he's pretty lenient and a nature guy so if that tells u anything. I've hiked here a bunch though.

I love this park! Love the trails, the lake, the picnic areas, and boat rentals…read more Wish the park would keep the beach swimming area clean. There's always loads of geese/dog poop. The sand should be combed daily no matter if it's closed. Twice I've gone there and swimming is closed due to contamination or algae.

I like this park. It is peaceful and there is plenty of parking. There is a monster hill. So beware…read moreif you are not in shape. My only issue with this park is that it prohibits dogs. It isn't just dogs not on leashes. I was so sad to read the signs for no dogs at all. I also read that there have been some geese that are very territorial at this park. That is a more recent situation.

This place is a hidden gem. Birding, Hiking and Fishing is great here…read more Have nothing negative to say.

Best Place on the River! Good people who provide a great service & will ho the extra mile to help…read moreyou out. Been going here for years. Highly Recommend!

Perfect place to rent pontoons in the summer! They are very professional. I would highly recommend…read morethis place to everyone in the area! We rented one of the their pontoons for 8 hour on a Saturday. Check in and out was very easy. $300 for 8 hr was such an awesome price! Thank you for such a great day! We will be back soon!

Great selection of paddleboards and excellent service. Also have kayaks, leasing, lessons, and…read moretrips. Store is cute and personnel wonderful and informative.

I rent kayaks from here. The current price for a single-person kayak is $26 for 2 hours (which…read moreincludes kayak, paddle & life-jacket), then $8 for every hour after that. The kayaks are already lined up at the launch point until the day is over. Go play, then after you return your rental gear, go pay. The Susquehanna River is a gentle river...the water is more like that of a bay or a lake. There are beaches and islands to explore. There are marinas and and docks so there is some traffic areas with boaters and jet-skiers, but it isn't daunting...just stick to the river bank until you're comfortable...you will be paddling in the middle of the river, soaking up the view like a pro before you even realize it! The staff is really, really nice, friendly and helpful. I highly recommend spending the day on the Susquehanna and Shank's Mare. note: the launch point is directly across the shop where there is public parking, picnic tables, docks, fishing, duck feeding, etc.

Afternoon vibes during my walk at Italian Lake: not many strollers, walkers, or dog walkers, but…read morethe birds and turtles are enjoying their home. I saw two turtles sunbathing and the birds getting some shade under a Tulip Poplar tree. It looks like they know how to take advantage of the peaceful park.

4/30/26 Beautiful views all around--gorgeous lake w/fountain sculpture on 1 side & spray fountains…read moreon the other. Azaleas & flowering princess trees in bloom. Docile Canada Geese feeding lakeside. Picturesque neighborhood of lake-facing homes 1 street over w/many English style cottages w/stone or brick facades & shaker shingle roofs. Covered concert stage & uncovered bench seating is ready for summer concert season. Center bridge could use new paint on rails. Picnic tables would be nice addition, but then it might require more maintenance to keep area trash-free. Street parking is available on either side of lake.

Nice little park access area. You can park and walk right up to the boardwalk in seconds. The…read moreboardwalk gives a nice view of the water and there are a large variety of birds to be seen. Ducks, geese and song birds etc you can also spot snakes and frogs. There is a trail which leads thru the woods to another parking area about 1/2 mile away.