Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Panama, NY

Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Panama, NY

430 Reviews of 81 Panama Campgrounds

• S

  Sheila P.

  Traveler

  Aug. 1, 2020

  Red Bridge Recreation Area - Allegheny National Forest

  Love this place!

  This is my favorite campground so far in PA.

  For the most part, there isn’t a bad site (although we didn’t see any of the walk up sites, and I recommend not booking a site immediately next to the bathrooms since the ones without showers are more like “outhouse” toilets and can stink). The sites are private, flat, surrounded by trees, and have plenty of space. The ground is quite rocky though, so bring plenty of heavy duty tent steaks.

  Highlights include: the reservoir (beautiful and clean! You can swim with your dog from the access points at the campground), quiet, friendly staff (a kind older gentleman helped us jump my car and refused to take any money as a thank you), updated/very clean showers, not buggy, reception is great (we have Verizon), plenty of room to social distance, and 2 trading posts about 1 mile away with milk, eggs, basic supplies, etc.

  Cons: the bathrooms without showers aren’t flush toilets, and there is no campground office so you must see the hosts for any issues.

  Things to do nearby (last 5 pictures): the Kinzua Skywalk Bridge free- an old train bridge that was partially destroyed by a tornado in the early 2000’s. The bridge is handicap/stroller accessible, pets are allowed. There is a small indoor museum & gift shop, and a hiking trail along the wreckage. If you hike, wear good sneakers, the path is rocky and VERY steep. The hiking path is not recommended for small children). Bathrooms on site.

  The Kinzua Dam free - beautiful. Handicap/stroller accessible, pets permitted. Bathrooms were closed due to social distancing.

  Rimmrock overlook free- just a small distance from the parking lot. NOT stroller/handicap accessible, and there are rock steps, however we saw numerous families with small children go through the path with no issues. Pets permitted. Bathrooms on site.

  Nearby towns of Kane and Ridgway looked cute, but we didn’t spend time there due to our efforts to social distance.

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• M

  Monique C.

  Guide

  Jul. 22, 2023

  Westfield-Lake Erie KOA

  1st stop across country

  This campground is very clean on the smaller side but very nice. There is highway noise but in your camper you really can’t here it. Beautiful temp and lots of things for the kids to do. Pool, playground, game room. They do have a dog park if you bring your pups. Overall very nice. I would come back.

• 

  Greg D.

  Ranger

  Aug. 27, 2025

  Westfield-Lake Erie KOA

  Overnighter

  We only stayed for an overnighter on a long trip west. The restrooms and showers are some of the best we’ve seen during our trip. Very well maintained facilities and grounds and the staff are friendly and helpful. We were able to change our site for one that was more level without a problem. The only thing that might bother some people is the road noise. However we were able to sleep well despite it. There is also a dog “park”/fenced area.

• 

  angie S.

  Guide

  Jun. 23, 2018

  Quaker Area — Allegany State Park State Park

  awesome park

  great New York state park. stayed here for 2 nights and I will be back. the park is so big I only got to do some of the hiking. very nice.

• 

  Jen W.

  Scout

  Jul. 9, 2022

  Buckaloons

  Roomy and wooded

  We come here at least once per summer. It is very family friendly, pet friendly and just beautiful. If you kayak, you can drop in up in Warren and come in right at the campground. Ice and wood available on site. Dollar general close by just in case.

• 

  Esther B.

  Traveler

  Apr. 29, 2019

  Bettum's Idlewood Family Campground

  Family Campground

  We are a small family campground located in the Allegheny Forest, 6 miles from the Kinzua Sky Walk. Fishing & boating is located off route 59. Call ahead for reservations we have 8 open sites for visitors and they full fast. See our website for the list of planned actives. We are pet friendly.

• 

  Bill G.

  Guide

  Sep. 26, 2020

  Willow Bay Recreation Area

  Quiet nights, Easy days

  Willow bay campground is run by the National Forest Service. The reservable lots are wide and numerous for a out of the way sight. The campground services tent sites, RV sites as well as small cabins with electricity. There is a central bathhouse near the oak loop. Closer to the boat ramp sites- most of which are tent ready, there are vault toilets. These sites are less than a mile from the North Country Trail. Other, smaller trails are here as well. The New York State lone is less than five miles away- providing access to Allegheny State Park. The closest town of note is Bradford, which is about 18 miles away. It has all you need to get your necessities. The cabins were small- one twin bed and a set of single bunks. You need to bring your own sheets. There is a small heater imbedded in the wall. It keeps things from getting too cold, as it was when I was there. Fire ring and picnic table provided. Charcoal grill as well. The only problem I had was with the wildlife. A mouse or something kep crawling in the space between the roof and ceiling. There is no cel service here, and you shouldn’t need it either. Places to visit are too numerous to mention, but I will give a shout out to the zippo case museum, absolutely a must.

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• 

  Candi G.

  Traveler

  Aug. 20, 2019

  Camp Chautauqua Camping Resort

  Great Campground

  Fun, family friendly campground. We were in a tent on a electric/water site. Sites were a little small but we made it work with three families on three sites. Lots to do, fishing, swimming pool, petting zoo, hayrides and friendly staff.

• K

  Kenpocentaur K.

  Legend

  Jul. 19, 2021

  Sara's Campground

  Great location just a bit confusing when you pull in

  We went to Sara's Campground and walked around the campsite (bayside aka away from the beach and behind the restaurant) from end to end (3 times).  I didn't see a camp host sign or office.  We never did find the main office until the 3rd time when we were driving out of the neighborhood.  They do have a big sign at the entrance but my brain didn't process that they were also across the busy road. 

  This campsite is actually on BOTH sides of the road. My passenger spotted them as we were leaving the area after we had passed the area multiple times. It almost looks like they are an extension of the water park for those of us that are out of town. The area is very busy visually so be prepared to accidently drive past it. 

  The main campground (bayside) is located behind the restaurants.  The location is awesome as it is right across the road from the beach.  You will want to note that Presque Isle State Park does not have any camping within their park boundaries.  

  Sara's charges $30.00 a night and only two adults per tent. The beach camping is first come/first serve (no reservations). No pets on the beach side which may explain why there were some tents over on the bayside (RVs) side of the campground. If you wanted to escape the wind this might be a good spot to tent camp. Also, if you wanted to be close but not too close to the water due to having young children. 

  Sara's Diner was closed but seemed to be used for storage for the main business.  We were able to get milk shakes at the eatery. You order at the outside window and then move inside to pick up your milk shake or other food items.  At the other building (Eatery), I asked two employees if they knew where to connect with the campground office but they didn't know what I was talking about.  

  We used their cross walk to walk across the main street and we immediately came to the beach.  On the left it was labeled private beach and a wall blocked the view. I didn't realize this might be part of Sara's but also looked like some private property/condos to me. Once on the beach to the right was a long beautiful shore line. It would be an easy walk and carry of beach items. I was hoping we could camp at the site and get a post card to reserve a spot for the upcoming year.  

  We did see folks camping in tents behind the restaurants with the RVs. The ground was slightly sandy and they looked comfortable. We looked on with campsite envy. Some folks may prefer this as it is back a bit from the shore so it isn't windy the whole time and less sandy. Either side had easy access to the bike trail and I would have felt safe riding my bike on their bike trail.  It was a smooth paved lane that was mostly away from traffic. 

  Presque Isle Lighthouse Open 7 days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.$7— House Tour and Tower Climb$3— House Tour FREE— Walk the grounds Taken from https://www.presqueislelighthouse.org/

  We also did the boat tour https://piboattours.com/lady-kate/  This was $16.00 and well worth it.  We were able to learn a lot about the history of the island.  It is naturally windy and out on the open water so make sure you take some layers as it can get chilly even in July. 

  We then hit the road to continue to find another campsite.  If you don't mind crowds and noise from the road, RVs, or other campers then this is the site for you.  It has a great location that cannot be beat for ease of access to the beaches.

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