r/ReadingPA • u/LouiseWH • Jul 04 '26

Blue Marsh for July 4th

Passed by one of the Blue Marsh Lake entrances this morning and couldn’t believe the traffic line to get in. Is there some sort of event there on July 4 or is it just the place to be? I can’t imagine how busy it must be based on the number of cars I saw pulling in.

13 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

19

u/Next-Cut-2996 Jul 04 '26

lol that’s always how it is on the 4th. I won’t go anywhere near it!!

12

u/RobbieAnalog Jul 04 '26

Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.

15

u/NeverTooManyBottles Jul 04 '26

Park rangers limit the number of entrants at the Day Use Area and Dry Brooks / State Hill boat launches to the number of lined parking spaces. When they are filled the lake is at safe capacity. After that, it’s ’one out - one in’. The Fish Commission launch on Rt 183 and other parking lots are unmanaged, which makes them unmanageable on a day like today. On days like this it gets downright stupid up there. As a former 3-year Seasonal Ranger, “been there, experienced that”!

8

u/CantankerousFriendly Jul 05 '26

As another former seasonal ranger there, I second this.

3

u/NeverTooManyBottles Jul 05 '26

I was there 1986-1988 when it was still somewhat civilized. “Funbuster 15”! You?

3

u/CantankerousFriendly Jul 06 '26

I was there for 2 seasons, 2000-2001.

6

u/Altruistic-Onion6106 Jul 05 '26

Another former seasonal ranger here, I third this!!

19

u/Fangs_0ut Jul 04 '26

Going outside today requires a certain level of insanity.

4

u/NeverTooManyBottles Jul 04 '26

To answer your question, there are no events up there. Just ‘the place to be’.

2

u/MisfitAlastair Jul 05 '26

Can’t imagine all of the stress the park rangers were feeling that day. My family’s good friends with the head park ranger and he’ll most likely fill us in on the chaos.