The County's Big Water
Lake Nockamixon & Nockamixon State Park
Seven miles of lake, 5,000 acres of park — Upper Bucks' answer to a shore weekend, ten minutes from Quakertown.
Nockamixon State Park is Bucks County's biggest outdoor destination: more than 5,000 acres of woods and shoreline wrapped around Lake Nockamixon, a roughly 1,400-acre reservoir stretching some seven miles through the Tohickon valley east of Quakertown. It is the county's serious water — sailboats and pontoons working the main lake, kayaks threading the coves, and one of southeastern Pennsylvania's best warm-water fisheries underneath.
The park around it earns the acreage: a full marina and boat rentals, launch ramps, miles of shoreline hiking and equestrian trails, a mountain-bike trail system, picnic groves, and modern cabins that let families do a lake week without leaving the county. Haycock Mountain — the county's second-highest point — rises straight off the north shore.
Official website ↗Parks & Nature
On the lake
Lake Nockamixon's scale changes what is possible in Bucks County: enough open water for real sailing, enough shoreline — coves, points, drowned timber — for kayakers and anglers to disappear into for a full day. The marina rents boats seasonally, and launch ramps ring the lake for trailer traffic.
The fishing reputation is earned: walleye, muskellunge, largemouth and smallmouth bass, stripers-hybrids, crappie, and channel catfish all swim here, and the lake is a regular stop on regional tournament calendars. Ice fishing shows up in the cold winters that allow it.
Parks & Nature
Around the shoreline
On land, the park runs deep: hiking and equestrian trails along the south shore, a dedicated mountain-bike network, sledding when snow cooperates, and picnic areas that absorb summer crowds without strain. The modern cabins book far ahead for summer weeks — a local-secret vacation that costs less than a night at the shore.
Adjacent Haycock Mountain and State Game Lands add thousands more wild acres for hikers, and the Tohickon Creek below the dam feeds toward the famous whitewater releases at Ralph Stover downstream. This corner of the county is one connected outdoor system.
Questions People Ask
Lake Nockamixon & Nockamixon State Park — frequently asked questions
How big is Lake Nockamixon?
Lake Nockamixon covers roughly 1,400 acres and stretches about seven miles through the Tohickon valley in Upper Bucks County, PA, making it the largest lake in the county. The surrounding Nockamixon State Park spans more than 5,000 acres.
What can you do at Nockamixon State Park?
Boating, sailing, and kayaking on the lake — with a marina and seasonal rentals — plus fishing for walleye, muskellunge, and bass; hiking, equestrian, and mountain-bike trails; picnicking; and modern rental cabins for overnight stays.
Are powerboats allowed on Lake Nockamixon?
Boats are permitted with horsepower restrictions that keep the lake oriented to sailing, paddling, pontoons, and fishing rather than high-speed powerboating. Current regulations are posted by the Pennsylvania DCNR.
Where is Nockamixon State Park?
The park lies along Route 563 off Route 313, about ten minutes east of Quakertown and 25 minutes north of Doylestown, in the Haycock and Nockamixon township area of Upper Bucks County.
Want Lake Nockamixon & Nockamixon State Park in your daily life?
I help buyers land in Quakertown and the neighborhoods around it — and I know which streets put places like this in your weekly routine.
