Indian Lake, PA

Indian Lake is a Somerset County borough built around a five-mile horseshoe lake with roughly 500 acres of water and more than 20 miles of shoreline. The lake is the organizing fact: homes, docks, roads, the marina, and the borough’s recreation calendar all face toward the water. Indian Lake is also one of Pennsylvania’s higher communities, with homes and roads climbing above the surrounding Laurel Highlands. Shanksville is nearby, while Somerset and the Pennsylvania Turnpike provide the larger service connections.

Golf and lake access give the borough its working rhythm. Indian Lake Golf Club opened in 1974 as the first course designed by Arnold Palmer, and Northwinds Golf Course, Indian Lake Resort, and the marina add different pieces to the same seasonal economy. The James W. McIntyre Hiking and Biking Trail gives residents another way around the shoreline, while the Shanksville-Stonycreek School District serves local students. Indian Lake is part residential borough and part recreation community, with the lake determining where people gather, work, launch boats, and spend a summer afternoon.