The Yough Lake is 2 minutes from our house. Turn left at the end of our road and make your next left. It’s a nice view crossing the top of the earthen dam that you won’t want to miss. The lake has a sandy beach for swimming (no lifeguards) and there is a dock for launching boats. Please obey Coast Guard rules. The fishing is great and there are folks waterskiing and jetskiing. The water is warm and clean. Picnic tables and grills are available. The marina is located on the other access point where route 40 crosses the lake. Yough Lake Marina rents boats.

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In the heart of the Laurel Highlands and spanning the Mason-Dixon Line between Pennsylvania and Maryland lays Youghiogheny River Lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers invites you to experience the clean waters, mountains and steep-sided valleys which encompass the project and provide an unsurpassed setting for outdoor recreation opportunities.

A popular location for recreation, Youghiogheny River Lake attracts numerous visitors each year.  Boating, hunting, camping and many other outdoor activities are enjoyed by visitors with outstanding facilities provided for the public’s convenience.

Boaters consider Youghiogheny River Lake, with all of its 16-mile length and channels up to one-half mile wide, the best power boating and water-skiing lake in southwestern Pennsylvania.

For the angler, there are numerous coves and backwater areas along the lake which provide excellent fishing. The lake is inhabited by a large variety of game and panfish and is especially known as a hotspot for walleye and smallmouth bass. A license has been granted to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for fish management purposes in the Pennsylvania portion of the lake. The Fish and Boat Commission has also developed and maintains the Jockey Hollow Boat Launching Area. The tail waters of the dam are very popular for trout fishing. Youghiogheny River Lake’s outflow area is one of the few areas in Pennsylvania open for trout fishing year round (except for the two weeks immediately preceding Opening Day) and is stocked by the Fish and Boat Commission on a regular basis throughout the spring and summer.

For those who prefer to propel their boats with a paddle, the Youghiogheny River has plenty to offer. From the outflow area of the dam and extending for approximately 20 miles downstream is one of the most popular rafting and canoeing rivers in the eastern United States. The boulder strewn stretch of river below Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, is renowned for its whitewater and is often the scene of national kayaking competitions.