Keystone State Park (Pennsylvania)
Keystone State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Derry Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Located off U.S. Route 22 near New Alexandria, the park opened in 1945. Its main attraction is the man-made Keystone Lake. The park also has extensive picnic areas and several miles of hiking trails.
History
In 1909, Keystone Coal and Coke Company purchased land at the meeting of McCune and Davis runs and constructed a dam to create Keystone Lake. Water was used to wash coal extracted from the nearby Salem #1 Mine and quench coke from the coke ovens. A second mine, a drift mine called Salem #2, opened in 1938.Even before it was a state park, Keystone Lake was used for recreation. Company executives used the lake for fishing, swimming, and boating. The company built a stone lodge for business meetings, hunting, and executives' family vacations. The lodge is now the James A. Kell Visitor Center.
In 1945, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania acquired the lake, lodge, and surrounding land from the Keystone Coal and Coke Company to create Keystone State Park. The Salem #2 Mine operated until 1953 and its surrounding land was later acquired by the park.
Abandoned mine tunnels lie beneath Hillside Campground and the cabin area. A mine entrance, now sealed, is located east of Pavilion #2 and north of the cabin entrance road.
Recreation
Camping
Keystone State Park is open to camping from the first Friday in April to the third Sunday of October. There are two campgrounds. Lakeside Campground is on the shores of Keystone Lake. It has 40 campsites for tents or campers. Hillside Campground is in a more remote part of the park. It has 60 campsites, also for tents or campers. Each campground has some sites with an electric hook-up, a modern bathhouse and a sanitary dump station.Lodging
There are several overnight lodging options at Keystone State Park. Eleven modern cabins are located near the dam and between the campgrounds. Each cabin can sleep up to six guests in two bedrooms. The cabins are equipped with a modern bathroom, a kitchen with a stove, microwave and refrigerator. The yard areas have picnic tables, grills and fire rings.There are three camping cottages located in Lakeside Campground, which sleep five guests in bunk beds. One cottage is ADA accessible. The cottages have a porch, electricity, a fire ring, and a picnic table, but no indoor kitchen or plumbing.
There are two yurts made located in Lakeside Campground, which sleep five guests in bunk beds. One yurt is ADA accessible. The yurts are round structures made of canvas and wood-walled tents and feature a wooden deck. The yurts have electricity, a cooking stove, microwave oven, refrigerator, fire ring, and picnic table. There is no indoor plumbing but both yurts are adjacent to a water pump.