Gifford Pinchot State Park Campground

Decently spaced out campsites for the most part, good service connection (Verizon), and pretty solid bathrooms make it a great spot for families or newer campers. Wish there were some more hikes/things to do at the state park itself, especially with the lake having toxic algae in it right now.

The campground had a good feel to it. We had a nice view of the lake. We booked a non electric site for our tent camping. The bath houses need updated though. The only negative I can say is that our site did not have a great spot for the tent except by the parking spot and not down by the fire ring.

We camped in a tent. It was nice and quiet. Lots of birds singing, and owls at night. The bathroom is older, but ok.

We love this park….it's one of our favorites!  We have a small camper and there are some great sites on the lake side to park it where you can get AMAZING sunset views.  The restrooms at this park, while they are older, they are clean and pretty much in good order.  The lake is very nice and it's a very family park!  There are some neat places around and markets are close by.  Forry's drive in is great for an evening ice cream!

This was our second trip to Gifford Pinchot. This time we stayed in full hook up. Our site was long and narrow but backed up to a field. It’s a quiet campground. The bathhouse was fairly close and clean. Though it was rainy and chilly, we had fun hanging out at our site and our relatives site next to us. There is privacy at the sites because you sit at the back of a long campsite away from the road. Sites were gravel and some weren’t level front to back so adjustments needed to be made to level camper.

So we went with friends of ours and we all have kids. We had to write in large letter with chalk on the road for people to slow down. Everyone was driving way over posted speed limits and the kids could hardly play.

Sites were close together, some more level than others. Swimming/beach area was very nice to have but water was a bit stagnant.

Went camping here for a the first time with a group of friends and was very impressed with the cleanliness of the campground, privacy from other campers and the amenities they offered. Beautiful scenery as well! Would highly recommend!

Well maintained. A great weekend gateway to camp.

I liked our site but I didn’t liked the bathrooms ( outdated and not very clean). We had phone signal & internet connection ( Tmobil-2or3bars) The campground beach is small with cloudy water and a lot of aquatic plants. Crowded in weekends. The trails are not very well maintained. We tried to access the beach on the other side using Lakeside trail , but we gave up. The part that starts close to entrance/park office, was inaccessible with overgrown shrubs and very tall plants. During the week was a lot better,nice and quiet. I’ve seen a lot of bunnies in this campground 🐰

Noisy. Listed as wifi, not available. Only one dumpster for trash. Couple got into an aggressive verbal altercation screaming obscenities, leaving, coming back, slamming car doors. Noise ordinance clearly not enforced because the rangers, who literally circulated like every 15 min, did nothing about it.

The campground was okay, but I wouldn't go out of my way to stay again. The sites were packed too closely together to get any feeling of seclusion or privacy, which to me as a tent or hammock camper is really important. 

On one side, my neighboring campers were shielded by some vegetation. Thankfully the site on the other side was not occupied, or it would have been seriously awkward. Our picnic tables were maybe 6 feet apart, with absolutely no vegetation between us.

I got a site right on the water, so the view was nice and at least I had one direction where I could look out and see nobody except some quiet boaters. My favorite thing was being able to put my kayak in the water without having to leave my site. I paddled for hours there, and saw several herons (green and great blue), lots of redwing blackbirds, plus about 100 ducklings.

I don't know what the "quiet hours" are supposed to be, but I was woken at 6 AM not by birds but rather by 5 kids having a grand ol' time chasing each other around and yelling at the tops of their lungs.

In the women's restroom, at least 2 stalls had no toilet paper. I didn't try the showers.

Lots to do, nice wooded sites. A lot to do within walking distance of your site. When we went the swimming beach was kind of gross but they’ve done some repairs over the past year. Lots of fishing spots. Our friends stayed at a modern cabin and they were really nice too. Enjoyed the outdoor church service that they offer Memorial Day thru Labor Day. And for any homeschoolers there’s a great used bookstore a couple miles away (pa curriculum exchange)

We have been to GP state park many times.  It's one of our favorites as it's nearer home and has lots to do.  

We usually stay in the B loop at non electric sites.  Most recently site 161 which was great.  Large and private.

There are several play grounds, a beach and hiking trails.  It's a great campground for kids.

We stayed in July on site 235. When we arrived, our first thought was “Wow, these sites are narrow!” Fortunately, backing in was fairly easy. Some sites would’ve been more difficult. Site pads are 25’-55’. Most sites had room for just one vehicle. Overflow parking was in the front of the campground. We had an electric site. The entire campground has non-electric, electric, and full hookup mixed throughout the campground. There are ADA sites in B loop that were a bit close to neighbors and directly across from bathhouse but in direct sunshine. There are designated dog sites in B loop/area. Some sites do have a lake view and possible access, it was hard to tell. The non electric sites had a parking pad and then for many you walked into the woods to the tent and fire pit area. There were cabins and yurts available too. The dump station had 2 dumps and was wide open when we left on a Sunday at 12:00. Surprisingly! Check out time is 3:00pm. Bathhouses had 3-4 shower stalls and 2-3 stalls. Good water pressure and temperature and clean. There are several spread around the loops. There was a Sunday service that was packed full. Check in was easy, there was none. Just drive to your site. Swimming was prohibited due to low water level but kayaks and canoes were allowed. No fishing also due to low water level in the lake. The beach area was very nice with a concession building and large bathhouse. It wasn’t open due to no swimming right now. There was another beach area at a boat launch in one of the loops. There are a lot of boat launches around the lake, which is large. There are several hiking trails; Lakeside, Oak, and Old Farm Trails go through the camp area. They are multi-use (ski, hike, & bike). There is a playground and volleyball pit area. You can also find group camping areas. This campground is open mid-April to late October. We had a great short trip here but are planning to return in the fall months.

We got there and it was amazing the location is great the only downside of our experience was that it rained the entire weekend. But everything else was great!

Excellent place to kayak Nice sites

The campground and park are ok. Nothing to write home about. A lake for kayaking and a beach in the summer.

We loved staying here. The campgrounds were very nice and clean. All camp workers were extremely friendly! We had just a slight problem with our lot. A huge rock was at the front of our lot that when we opened the door, it was in our way and we couldn’t put our carpet there. But we had a great time anyway! To avoid the rock, don’t choose loop B, lot 218. If not for the huge rock, I would’ve given 5 stars. The lake was also extremely low because apparently there was a problem with the dam, but that didn’t stop us from finding great fishing spots. I wish they would’ve let us know about the lake being so low before we actually stayed there. A quick email would’ve been appreciated, but…The groundskeeper said it would be up to normal levels on our next visit! We loved it so much that we already have reservations for the same time next year!

this is a great park. the lake is great for swimming, boating, and fishing. bathhouse are ok.

sites carry. this one was a little smaller than most at the park, but it still worked fine there are full hookups available as well.

Nice sized spots,wooded,paved roads beautiful lake. Not a garbage can to be found park wide! Dumpster at either end that's it. Camp sink says to not leave food in sink, where exactly are you supposed to throw it away?!?!

Campground was clean!! Bathrooms were decent and was quiet.

This campground is always a great place to stay. I've been coming almost annually for years and I always recommend it to anyone local. They offer reasonable prices for cabins and campground spots, and the local town of Dillsburg is perfect for getting late supplies or going to a drive in movie!

My friends and I booked a spot at this campground after visiting Harrisburg, PA. When we arrived, our expectations were let down by the quality of the campsite simply because of its proximity to its neighbors, the site setup and the limited space for our tents. I give it 4 stars because I am sure all of the problems we experienced would not been a huge deal if we were in an RV. Seemed like a great spot for kids/families especially because it had access to a swimming spot.

This place is best if you're into fishing but it has the basics covered. Good bathrooms, a beach, and some hiking around the lake. It's also pretty convenient to Harrisburg, Gettysburg, and Hershey if you want things to do. It also has some nice birding.

Definitely not as spread out as we had originally thought BUT it’s a really nice site if you’re looking to get your kids into camping there’s plenty for them to do and see. Now if you’re looking for more of a private place to camp this probably isn’t the place for you as the sites are pretty much on top of each other! That being said definitely worth the money especially if you’re really only there for a night

We spend a few weekends a year here. Nice campground, great Halloween weekend. We stay in A loop

I came for a hike and quick one night tent escape. I had never been and reserved a tent site online. When I arrived, someone was in my spot. After working it out and came back I noticed just how crowded it was. Lots literally right on top of each other. Felt like everyone there was in the same group but we obviously weren’t. Went to front gate and got a much more isolated tent spot (front gate said they were ALL the same size and privacy and I can tell you he was very wrong). After we pitched in the new spot, all was good. Then I left and woke up with a serious case of chigger bites. Not the best experience to say the least

Highly utilized state park - only detractor though, just a lot of people! Cleared out Monday though. Very nicely kept. Friendly staff and hosts. Boats for rent and plenty of launches for your own. Clean bathhouses and plentiful.

We love this campground!! The area is absolutely beautiful. The lake is large and gorgeous. There are a lot of lake side campsites which are amazing. The hosts are all very friendly. We had a problem with our site and our weekend was saved thanks to the wonderful rangers. We are so thankful. My one and only reason for 4 out of 5 stars are the bathhouses. I wish they would update like Cowan's Gap. I have health issues and am always afraid I'll fall because the floors are so wet. Otherwise, they are kept cleaned up. Honestly, one of my favorite places to visit and we camp at as lot of parks. I hope they'll add more cottages too! There are lots of nice basic (non-electric) sites that are wooded, well shaded and private. There are nice, shaded electric sites. However, if you request electric and water you automatically get sewer too. This raises the price per site, per night by$13 and gives you a site with very little shade. We will return but we will choose an electric only site and fill our A-frame's water tank in order to get a wooded site. This campground is 100% reservable which means that you must select a site when you make your reservation. If you do not live in the area, that is difficult

We had a wonderful stay at Gifford Pinchot State Park! 

The camping area at GP is separated into A loop and B loops with approximately 300 sites. All sites had a paved pad, varying in size depending on the location, with tent site being smaller. Most sites have electric and there are 22 full hookup sites in the camping area. Both loops are peninsulas into the lake, which is convenient to launching boats directly from many sites. Loop A is closer to the designated swimming area with a sandy beach and playground. B loop is closer to many of the hiking trails and also several boat launch areas. It is nice that the camping area and amenities are separated from the public day use area. At the entrance to the camping area there are three dump stations. 

During our stay we were at a full hookup site which was very spacious and often hard to find in PA State Parks. Our site was#299 and for some reason the entire site was paved/blacktop, which was different than all the other sites where the pad was paved and the picnic table area was gravel/grass. While this site made it easy to level our camper, it became quite hot in the afternoon/evening after the sun had baked it all day.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed GP and couldn’t believe we hadn’t visited before because it is a great state park. Wood is available for purchase at the campground hosts’ sites and ice at the park office. As with most PA state parks, quiet hours are at 9:00PM, which is a bit early, and there is no alcohol allowed in the park. We look forward to returning to GP in the future.