Knoebels Campground

We love Knoebels and for anyone who has never been it is an amusement park in Elysburg, PA. It is in the mountains and fun for all ages. The best part is parking is free, park admission is free, tickets are reusable and never expire. So you can walk around and only pay for the rides you want to go on or buy an all day ride pass. We go the same weekend every year and usually stay at the campground. It is nice because you are right at the park but it is electric only hookups. They have water filling stations and a dump station but for the price it would be nice for more. There is also only one small playground at the very bottom of the grounds. I understand we are at an amusement park however this time of year they have modified hours. The sites were very close together as well. We had a friend stay directly behind us. We were all but on top of each other. The bath houses are in need of some updating but the were pretty clean so that was fine with me. I was just glad for a flushing toilet. We still had a fantastic time riding on the rides and eating awesome food. Can't wait u til next year.

Campground Review: Knoebels campground is very expansive and has sites named after various states and countries. For this trip we stayed at Bermuda site#6. The sites are very clean and come with a power hookup, picnic table, and fire ring. In addition to the campsites you have access to the campsite bathrooms which also have showers. They’re nothing special but they get the job done and are cleaned daily by staff. The campsites themselves are also honestly nothing special, they’re a little packed but surprisingly all of the campers are respectful and adhere to written quiet hours. What makes this place shine is its location. It’s nestled in the mountainside and just steps away from the main attraction, Knoebels Amusement Resort. This place is a throwback and hits all of the right notes. On the weekends you pay per ride, they have wooden roller coasters which consistently rank as the top in the country. There’s also a carousel that dates back 100 years, on the carousel if you ride on the outside they have brass rings that you can retrieve with the goal of collecting as many as you can. The food at the park is awesome and ranges from pizza to pierogis and everything in between. In addition to the rides they have a stream fed pool with water slides which was a great way to cool off on the hot days that we were there. The park itself is a 10/10 and a great place to make memories with your family. After a full day at the park it was great to get back to the campsite, make a fire, and crack a beer. I’ll be coming here with family for years to come.

Product Review: As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. On this particular trip I tested the Home Free Hat by Banner& Oak. Banner & Oak is very much a brand committed to being environmentally conscious, celebrates the outdoors, and puts out stellar products.  Full disclosure: I have a monster collection of hats and this hat rates near the top in terms of construction and aesthetic. The Home Free gets a 5/5 in my books and will be a mainstay in my rotation. 

For more information and to purchase one for yourself check out the hat at their website: https://bannerandoak.com/collections/hats/products/home-free-navy

The first time we decided to visit Knoebels resort, we decided to camp at the nearby Lake Glory Campground/Knoebels Campground. We rented a cabin and a family we were traveling with, also rented a cabin.

The cabins were clean, as was the bathhouse, but the cabins were right on top of each other, with NO division at all. It was more like a neighborhood on a quiet street. In some ways, it was nice that all of the children in the area where able to play together and all of the adults could watch them- but there was just NO privacy or feelings of seperation at all.

The fire rings seemed old, and you could hear every single cough, laugh, etc from your neighbor. It was also a fairly decent walk to the bathhouse- though the bathhouses were large and well kept.

While we didn't stay in the tent or RV sites, it looked like a fairly similar sense of privacy in those sites. It basically looked like tents were just randomly placed in open spaces of grass.

Firewood was for sale at the entrance, and it was "fill a bucket for $5". So basically, whatever you could fit and carry on of their metal pails, cost you $5. If you take your time, you can get a good amount of wood for that.

The insides of the cabins had a large queen size bed and then a loft bunk. There was a nice built in shelf with electric and even a good amount of hooks and cubbies for storage. Of the camping cabins we have stayed in, this was the largest and most functional. That said, there was a ceiling fan for air circulation at the top and it was LOUD. I had to sleep up top, since my sensory-senstive child couldn't handle it- just a head's up, in case you have a similar issue.

Overall, if you're looking for a dirt cheap way to stay near the local amusement park, this will do. Personally, when we returned this year, we just rented a hotel. We didn't enjoy the "camping" experience here at all.

The site was plenty spacious for our pup and TV, but was not level at all. In fact, none of the surrounding sites looked very level. We were right next to the bath house, which was great for being able to send our 6 year-old by herself, but pretty obnoxious as far as foot traffic was concerned.

This campground was huge, and very crowded on the weekends. We arrived on a Thursday night, and pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. We were out and about during the day on Friday, and when we came back in the evening, it was packed. The place pretty much empties out during the day, as almost everyone walks over to the amusement park.Lots of families with small kids (makes sense with the amusement park), and everyone was very friendly and considerate. Only problem we had was people walking right through our campsite to get to the bathroom, as mentioned above. There is a pool, camp store and small playground on-site. Sites are well-shaded by tall pines, but very close together and not private at all. Roads are very narrow. Bath house was clean, but old. Toilets are very low to the ground. There were additional sinks with mirrors outside the bath house for hand washing/teeth brushing, as well as a nice deep dish washing sink.

Obviously, the main draw for this campground is the amusement park on site, which boasts free admission and parking (you pay for rides with tickets). We loved it! It was very clean, beautifully maintained, with friendly staff and great food options. Was surprisingly inexpensive, too (I’m used to paying an arm and a leg at Six Flags). Since the park was closed on our first full day there, we drove around and ended up in nearby Bloomsburg. Took the kids to the children’s museum (which was awesome), then the Bloomsburg Fair. It’s supposedly the largest fair on the East Coast, and boy, was it huge. The amount of vendors, rides, games and food options is simply dizzying. We were there on Preview Day, so many of the “main attractions” weren’t open yet, but there was still plenty to see and do. We even got a little custom-carved family sign for our campsite, cut in the shape of a pop-up camper :) Highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the area.

Overall, this is a great place for families, and the convenience of the amusement park can’t be beat. If you’re looking for a quiet getaway in the woods, you may want to look elsewhere.