June on the Juniata River ~PA

Author: Lisa C.
Date of Trip: June 2011

Wondering where to go to escape the heat of Virginia Beach, VA, my husband and I thought maybe camping in Pennsylvania would be a cool option, so I went online and researched campgrounds in PA, specifically seeking one that was somewhat ‘in between’ our house and his brother’s house in upstate NY, and even more specifically, one that provided for endless catching of bass (that would be separate from ‘fishing’ for bass…..catching and fishing are 2 entirely different things according to my husband!)

Of course there were many family campgrounds offering all sorts of FUN IN PA…with pools, slides, mega-tentsites, RV’s-a-GO-GO, you know the types.. but OUR families are both DONE WITH KIDS,,i.e. we don’t want to SEE or HEAR any,,,we like to say we need ‘space’….So the proto-type ‘family campground’ would likely NOT be the one for us…

All together I perused over 11 different campgrounds along or near the Juniata….which my husband had heard to be the best river for bass fishing in that area. Finally I located a website for what seemed the PERFECT getaway spot – http://bedfordcounty.net/woybridge/ Voila – WOY BRIDGE CAMPGROUND – Kinda off the beaten track, with what I like to call ‘fisherman’s cottages’ available for $48 per nite (i.e. barren of luxuries, wood-framed lumber-bunked (actual) sheds generously called cottages), and lo-and-behold there were two cabins side-by-side directly facing the good-old, bass-laden lazy Juniata…..

We called said brother, Brian, and had him meet us in Breezewood, PA, which is what one might call an ‘exit town’ – It’s also known as the “Gateway to the South” for you northerners upwards from there – & it’s truly amazing that only 4 mi. from that mega-busy & humongous exit (exit 12 off of I-81) there is a small town called Everett, PA, and that in this area of Bedford County, which is famous for it’s 14 covered bridges, it’s also a fisherman’s ‘secret’ spot for super easy smallmouth bass fishing along the Juniata River, a small tributary of the grand Susquehana, stretching 90 miles through central Pennsylvania. And who knew we would find PEACE, QUIET and SERENITY in copious quantities at such a small price? Who Knew??

This place was meant for our ‘family’ as although there were some RV campers way upriver from the fishing cottages,,,we never saw a soul except for a couple of ladies in the showerhouse; We had the entire river, 21 canoes, 15 kayaks and 11 yellow water tubes all to ourselves for two swell days!! The place has a wonderful ‘forgotten about’ ambiance and the river was at a summer-low, only 2 feet deep in some places, but we were able to canoe, tube and swim in some of the deeper holes. The Woy Bridge, a lovely new iron bridge, is only about 1.5 miles upriver and a fully stocked campstore is only a few moments ride up SR1010 over to Rt. 30.

We’ve decided to make it a yearly event as June on the Juniata can be habit-forming! Hope to see you there! You’ll be sure to be ‘catching’ not fishing!