Overview

Willow Bay is located within the Allegheny National Recreation Area, about 16 miles from Bradford, in northwestern Pennsylvania. It is primarily an accessible family campground that also offers rustic cabins available by reservation year-round. The facility offers modern amenities, including flush toilets and showers, but also provides access to great outdoor recreation opportunities.

The campground and cabins can be accessed by vehicle. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.

Natural Features:

Built in the 1960s by the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the campground has an open appearance unlike other Forest Service facilities in the area. The campground was recently renovated and cabins were erected at the site between 2003 and 2011, offering a different kind of experience for visitors to the area.

The campground and cabins are situated on the shore of Willow Bay, off the Allegheny Reservoir, which is also called Kinzua Reservoir. The facility is in forested hills, at an elevation of 1,400 feet. Campsites vary from being on grass with no shade, to being nestled in small stands of mature Hemlock trees (location within the campground is mentioned on the site list). Cabins are nestled in the surrounding forest.

Recreation:

Visitors enjoy water sports, including boating, water skiing, swimming and sailing on the lake that is more than 24 miles long, as well as in the adjacent 12,080-acre, man-made Allegheny Reservoir. Anglers can find walleye, bass and musky.

A courtesy dock is provided at the boat launch for easier loading and unloading during the summer season. Pontoon, fishing and pleasure boat rentals are also available by calling the Allegheny Site Management.

The North Country Trail is part of the Appalachian Trail system and can be accessed from the campground and cabin area. It is open to hikers, horseback riders and bikers, but closed to motorized travel. The historic trail stretches across seven states and 12 national forests, wandering 4,600 miles through America’s rugged northern heartlands. The area offers excellent wildlife viewing, as well as birding and photography opportunities.

Facilities:

The campground offers dozens of campsites available for tent or RV camping. It is comprised of four loops, some of which have walk-to tent campsites and others have back-in RV sites with electric hookups. Each site offers a table and a campfire ring with grill. Accessible flush and vault toilets, as well as showers and drinking water are provided. Some sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Each one-room, 10-by-12 cabin contains a double bed and a set of bunks, with mattresses, to sleep up to four or six guests. The cabins have electricity and heat, but there is no running water and no kitchen or bathroom inside. Guests can use the campground facilities.

Cabins also have access to an outdoor table, campfire ring and pedestal grill. Each cabin has a covered front porch with a porch swing.

Guests staying at the cabin will need to bring their own bedding, including blankets, pillows and/or sleeping bags, as well as their own cooking and eating supplies, food and other camping equipment. Firewood and ice are available for purchase on-site.

Nearby Attractions:

The Seneca-Iroquois Indian Museum and the Salamanca Rail Museum are popular historic sites that are located just over the stateline, in Salamanca, New York. It is about a half-hour drive from the campground and cabin area.

The Riverview-Corydon Cemetery, which was created in the early 1800s and is a historic Indian gravesite, is less than three miles northwest of Willow Bay.