Shawnee State Park
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Shawnee State Park is a unit of the Pennsylvania state park system located in the western section Bedford County, Pennsylvania, USA. The park's northern boundary is located one mile south of the route 31 intersection in Schellsburg, and about 10 miles west of the county seat of Bedford.
Shawnee Lake, a small manmade reservoir, is at the center of the park as its main attraction. There are two sand beaches, as well a boat rentals, playgrounds, and bathrooms with showers and changing areas. Nature trails ring the lake and provide views of the surrounding countryside as well as access to remote parts of the lake's shoreline. A colorful tale circulated by local children is that the lake is inhabited by an aquatic monster named "Shawn". The monster is said to be responsible for several drownings in the late 1970s.
Shawnee's current size is 3,983 acres, with about 391 acres being covered by water and the remainder of the park consisting mostly of dense mixed-deciduous forest.
Other local points of interest include the abandoned Story Land amusement park, Gravity Hill, and the ruins of the Ship Hotel high on Allegheny Ridge.
