Camping season begins Friday at local state parks, just in time for the Saturday start of trout fishing.

At Tuscarora State Park in Rush Township, park manager Robert Sweeney said all six camping cottages and four yurts have been spoken for.

And more than half of the campsites opening Friday at Hickory Run State Park had been booked as of Tuesday, said park manager Stacie Hall.

While those parks will see overnight guests, no reservations are being taken at Locust Lake State Park in Barnesville, which Sweeney also manages.

“Locust Lake is not currently open for camping due to some construction projects,” Sweeney said.

Two modern shower houses are being built at Locust Lake — one at the tenting loop, and the other across the lake at loops that provide electric service.

“That’s still ongoing,” Sweeney said of the work to replace aging bathhouses.

There are also plans to resurface mixed camping areas at the far end of the park.

“That’s slated to be paved this spring,” Sweeney said. “The contractor is planning to mobilize within the next couple of weeks as the asphalt plants are opening up.”

Sweeney expects campsites at those loops will open first.

“We don’t have a firm opening date for any of it,” he said, because of circumstances that could affect the work.

Additional work includes upgrading some campsites to include water, electric and sewer.

Sweeney is hopeful that all work will be completed in the summer.

“As soon as we have a clear picture, we’ll open it up for reservations a few weeks in advance. Until then we are not taking reservations because we don’t want to take them and have to cancel them at the last minute,” he said.

As for the yurts and cottages at Tuscarora, Sweeney said they’re typically booked every weekend during the April to October camping season.

“In the shoulder seasons, there is usually availability during the middle of the week,” Sweeney said.

He noted that many of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ overnight facilities like cabins, yurts and cottages are booked well in advance.

“We are encouraging people to check out the many other wonderful campgrounds across the state,” Sweeney said.

Hall, who also manages Lehigh Gorge and Nescopeck state parks, said Hickory Run’s 67-site “C” loop will open Friday.

“We have 33 reservations,” Hall said. “We are almost half full.”

The rest of the campground near White Haven, including its camping cottages, will open April 11.

Many guests, Hall expects, will try their luck catching trout in the park’s Hickory Run and Sand Spring lakes, along with Mud, Sand Spring and Hickory runs.

“We’re thrilled to be opening back up and having visitors back to the park,” Hall said.

She noted that Hickory Run’s organized group tenting area is open year-round to nonprofit organizations. A new shower house at the C loop will likely open in the summer.