Best Tent Camping near Salamanca, NY

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.

Did you know this is NY's largest state campground? We stopped here on a rainy night, but what we saw convinced me we need to return. I know this campground is a vacation destination for families in western NY.

Cain Hollow is in the Quaker Run area which includes Quaker Lake. There is another campground in the Red House Area, and there are also lots of cabins. This is definitely a 4 seasons park - hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, snowmobiling, cross country skiing....

I was able to take photos of a few sites the next morning. You can see that sites are private and you're definitely in the woods. There are food storage boxes at all campsites because you're in bear country.

This campground is within Allegheny National Forest near the town of Warren and Tidouette. The sites are few but spacious. Good for car camping, though I’m sure a smaller RVcould get by. Each site has a fire ring. Two sites have Adirondack type shelters. The night sky is promising but light pollution from Warren inhibits a truly awesome night sky. There is a vault toilet. No showers. No water either. Bring what you need! The closest town is about 30 minutes away. Lots of critter life. My dogs loved it here. We spent all days exploring the nearby trails and creeks. Price was cheap. No frills but a quiet respite for sure.

This equestrian campground also has 2 non-equestrian sites, one which is reservable. There is no potable water but there is a river and a non-potable pump. There is a permanent toilet usually stocked with TP. Carry out all garbage. No electrical hookups.

Traditional camp sites have space for multiple tents and 2 cars. Each has a picnic table and a fire pit with moveable cooking surface. We’ve never had an issue with bears or other wildlife where food and trash are concerned but we store in the cars at night to be safe. The area is usually damp so don’t count in being able to find much dry wood - we stop before driving in for wood.

Trails galore! Mushrooms everywhere! Quiet and no cellular to distract.

Campsite layouts are non traditional with large driveways and often times the tables and fire rings are below the driveway.  With this layout you get more privacy with very few sites having and overlapping with other sites. Pitching a tent was easy on the driveway and fairly level. Some sites had large high sided fire rings which take away from the fireside relaxation of a shorter camp chair. 

Bathrooms and shower house was below the standards of many of PA State Parks which we regard as the benchmark for campgrounds at reasonable prices. 

Boating and biking all accessible from the grounds. No need to drive to the trails at Jakes Rocks.

Established campground on north side has six sites with picnic tables and fire rings and costs $12/night. You can park and camp for free across the street but I’m not sure you’d want to sleep in your car/camper in the parking lot. There are a number of sites on the side of the road within 2-3 miles in either direction if you want to sleep in your van etc. I parked on the free side and set up a tent about 100 yards in. Lots of beautiful sites on the creek. I walked to the paid side for water and vault toilet. Arrived on a Friday in August and had no trouble grabbing a prime site.

Absolutely no cell signal. Drive about 7-10 miles in either direction to pick up a signal. Or hike to the Outlook for a very faint signal. Warren, PA is a really nice little town about 30 minutes drive and I went there for a meal and a brewery visit