Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Altoona, PA is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Altoona campgrounds just for you. Find the best campgrounds near Altoona, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
$20 - $57 / night
"We could sit and eat breakfast and watch the deers. Very relaxing place. Clean bath houses and friendly staff. The lake was beautiful. Very nice park to relax."
"Almost every campsite was decorated for Halloween and there was plenty of Trick or treaters. If you are into Halloween then this is the place to go. Overall the park was clean and well taken care of."
$28 - $200 / night
"Easy access to the lake from your site. Bath house is up at the top of the hill. Be prepared for that walk.
Get water at the dump station on the way in!!!"
"This campground is located on the east side of Pennsylvania and offers a beautiful view of Lake Raystown. The campground has over 200 sites to choose from, and many of them are right on the water."
"Both RV sites and lots to rent to pitch your own tent, fishing, huge lake with beach, lots of activities for the kids throughout the summer, one of the nicest parks we have camped at!"
"Nice waterfront at the lower edge of the resort. The cabins were set up above and kind of overlooked down to Raystown lake."
$25 - $32 / night
"This primitive campground is located a few miles from Seven Points Recreation area, but far enough away to enjoy a real camping experience without electricity and running water."
"We ended up with spot 3, which was on a cliff’s edge. So, it looked like it may be near the water, but there was no way down, and the forest obscured any view that may have been there."
$23 - $25 / night
"it has a nice hike up above a creek with a huge rock that appears ready to fall over the cliff with a simple touch. very neat"
"We wanted to be close to Raystown Lake. Trough is quiet and small. It's really great if you're looking for a spot to "rough" it (not really, but closer than most!) with the kids. Awesome sites."
"Perfect views of the lake and very spaced out."
$20 - $87 / night
"The section we were in was “no pets allowed”. My kids loved the beach, swimming was not deep. Beach was big with adjacent playground. Lots of pavilions all over."
"General: 73-site campground; most have electric hookups, and some are FHU. Pets are only permitted at selected sites. There are also 20 (13 rustic and 6 modern) cabins."
$20 - $110 / night
"Shawnee State Park is a very large campground (319 campsites with mixed electric and non-electric, some pet friendly, some not) about 10 minutes off highway 76 and 20 minutes from the Flight 93 National"
"The morning drive started early, had several stops and starts, and I was once again glad that my big dog was along for the ride."
"The campground is nestled on the outskirts of Bedford Pennsylvania and is a very easy location to travel to regardless of your rig size."
"Tucked into the mountains of PA, in a the town of Bedford, is this hopping campground.
Lots of fun for kids, live music on the weekend, this campground was full of activity."
GuideNice clean and quiet campground. The address online took us to the ranger station. Turn left BEFORE bridge. Couldn’t see sign from the road. The section we were in was “no pets allowed”. My kids loved the beach, swimming was not deep. Beach was big with adjacent playground. Lots of pavilions all over. The area was a little crowded for my liking.
LegendThis state park is at the top of the mountain and has a smaller lake perfect for a short kayak trip or fishing. Lovely views from the lake and very nice secluded sites. Our site was up a hill a little but we were good. We were right aside of flushing bathrooms and the dump station. We didn't like you had to go all the way out and around to dump and then out and around again to leave. Other than that very nice park with hiking trails, lots of beautiful pavilions, picnic areas, building that had food for sale, peddle boat and kayak rentals, fishing, beach area for swimming, multiple boat launches. Definitely need a bicycle to get to day use area as the loop is very long. Also, watch for no pets allowed signs as it is just the first part of the sites in Area A.
GuideIf you are used to primitive/secluded camping this is not the campground for you. We arrived and there was a ton of trash in our site. Someone left their air fresheners, handbag tags from marshalls, and a ton of other junk. This campground is also very noisy. There are supposed to be quiet hours but people were playing loud music from their cars, from speakers, and whatever else until at least 11pm. Our site had no privacy either, we were right next to several other sites (closer than other state parks we've been to). Physical distancing and mask wearing was not enforced/required. People in the close quarters of the restroom were not wearing masks and didn't seem to mind getting within 6 feet of other people. The woman at the front office who we checked in with even took her mask off because it was fogging up her glasses. Oh, and the wood that we purchased from the camp host was wet, so the fire was a dud until a friendly neighbor gave us some of his wood.
The only positive thing about this campground was the hiking. The first day we hiked up the mountain to the west of the campground, and the second day we hiked up the Tuscarora Trail to the east of the campground. No other campers were hiking these, so we got to appreciate nature by having the trails mostly to ourselves.
TravelerLove staying at Seven Points CG. This Corps part got a spruce up in 2022. The roads on the point loop were upgraded.
Tough to get waterfront spot during main season, but fall is beautiful here.
Chipmunks are fun to watch. Point loop is my favorite. Sites 128, 126 126a, 154 are perfect. Easy access to the lake from your site. Bath house is up at the top of the hill. Be prepared for that walk.
Get water at the dump station on the way in!!! Easier than trying to attach to the spigots on the loop.
Trough State Park nearby is a great place to hike!!
GuideOur trip to Cowan's Gap was great--and the weather was amazing as well!
The pros:
The cons:
TravelerThis primitive campground is located a few miles from Seven Points Recreation area, but far enough away to enjoy a real camping experience without electricity and running water. Not to worry, the showers are located at Seven Points. There aren't many waterfront sites, so book early. Some sites not listed as waterfront can be used for boats (with a permit from the campground office).
ScoutThis campground is located on the east side of Pennsylvania and offers a beautiful view of Lake Raystown. The campground has over 200 sites to choose from, and many of them are right on the water. There are also plenty of activities to keep you busy, including swimming, fishing, kayaking, and canoeing and my favorite thing to do Mt Biking. Raystown lake is also a really nice boating lake. The lake is a natural beauty with so many coves and inlets for the biggest of boats to enjoy. They do have a camping resort on the other side of the lake which makes it nice for anyone looking for rustic cabins or cabin rentals.
There are 50 miles of single track mountain biking at this campground. They are some of the best flow trails on the East coast and are the# 1 trail system in Pennsylvania. This is a family friendly campground and has so much to offer. There are volleyball nets, playgrounds, kayak and paddleboard rentals. The kids took a kayak over to an island and spent the afternoon cliff jumping with a 10 ft and 25 ft cliff to launch off of. The sites here are some of the nicest we have ever seen. They are all big and private with stunning views of Raystown Lake. There are steps down from your camper to a pad with a fire pit and area for a tent. You are literally 10 feet away from the water as you enjoy a sunset while sitting around the fire. The lake is a great place to kayak, paddleboard, or just relax and enjoy the view. We love coming here and spending our weekends on the lake. All tent sites are equipped with picnic tables and most sites are electric. looking for other epic reviews check out the top ten campgrounds in PA https://www.longdaycampingco.com/post/10-best-campsites-in-pennsylvania-gorgeous-sites-to-enjoy-the-outdoors
LegendGeneral: 73-site campground; most have electric hookups, and some are FHU. Pets are only permitted at selected sites. There are also 20 (13 rustic and 6 modern) cabins. Cell service is extremely limited to non-existent (Verizon).
Site Quality: Pads are gravel and most appeared to be level. Site 70 was at the end of the loop which is why we picked it. A picnic table, fire ring, and lantern hook complete each site.
Bathhouse: As has been our experience in all PA state parks, the bathhouse was pristine, and the shower (for no additional cost) was clean with plentiful hot water and was very much appreciated.
Activities/Amenities: Coin-operated laundry. A playground is in the campground and there is an additional one at the swimming beach. The swimming beach is open from mid-May to mid-September, from 8 am– sunset. Electric motorboats are permitted on Moshannon Lake. Boat rentals are available in season. Permits are required. 24 miles of hiking trails, including two trails directly from the campground to the lake. In the summer, there is a camper store/concession stand. Hunting is allowed in season. There are 4.3 miles of mountain biking trails.
I used to think Oregon State Parks were the best, but Pennsylvania State Parks have them beat by a mile. We have yet to be disappointed by the amenities(especially the clean bathrooms) offered at the half-dozen state parks we have visited so far.
GuideWe looked at this campground in early August, but I wasn’t too sure about the elevation. I booked our site #6 in Ridge Camp. From the time we arrived and filled up the fresh water tank at the ultra-cool 4 lane dump station, I knew we were in for a great weekend. The signage was very well marked and the fresh water spigot was more like a little tank, super-solid, clean and modern. We pulled into Ridge Camp (RCAM on Recreation.gov) and drove a little bit down a hill to our site. One backup attempt into the site and (according to our LevelMatePRO app) it was perfectly level...that was definitely a first for us. We set our chocks and started our setup. The picnic table had a new seat on one side and was in great shape. Our pad was limestone and very flat and level, so setting out our rugs was easy and comfortable underneath our feet. The campfire ring was in great shape with a fully functioning adjustable grill plate....we even had a lantern pole. Looking at some of our neighbor’s sites, depending on where the camper site was located, some had their picnic table and fire ring either above or below them. Definitely worth looking at the pictures. Our site in Ridge, along with most others from #6-24 were very well shaded. One thing to note is Ridge is on an incline with a loop at the end. Perfect for turning around to head out. With the slope, however be aware of the kids and adults riding around on bicycles and skateboards. With the many bike trails in Seven Points, there were a lot of adult mountain bike riders.
We took a drive around through the other six campgrounds and decided Point was our favorite, but obviously crowded because it is right on the lake. Senoia camp was (our) tied with Ridge, but only the lower portion. Once you go up the hill to sites above #231, it gets very steep and far away from the water. Probably not too safe for kids on bikes, although the only playground appeared to be at the top of the hill..again, probably too steep for kids. We drove through Meadow Camp (MCAM) but it was too open for us with not many trees for shade. Bay camp (BCAM) was a bit nicer than Meadow with ample trees, but it wasn’t close to anything except for one portion that had access to the lake/bay below. Finally, Valley Camp (VCAM) was a single in/out with a loop around the playground, but the sites appeared too small for our 28’ TT.
We liked this campground so much that I tried booking (and cancelling our reservation at Red Bridge in Kane, PA) for our last seasonal weekend in October, but there was nothing in Ridge or Point. Later that day, I received an email from Reservation.gov that our Oct 23 booking at Red Bridge was going to be refunded because Red Bridge was under construction. I quickly opened the reservation.gov website and a site across and up the hill a few sites from where we stayed was suddenly available, so I booked it. Another item worth noting is Ridge has a laundromat at only 25¢/load. Also, the restroom at Ridge has 4 shower stalls which were very clean with hot water at a great water pressure. On our way out, we visited the dump station again and got in one of the 4 lanes with no wait. The dump station, as noted above had wide lanes and made the experience an easy and clean one. We can’t wait to go back to Ridge again next month. I took pictures of our site #6 plus several other sites in Seven Points. Each site is sequentially numbered, depending on which of the seven campgrounds - reference the map for the actual locations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Altoona, PA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Altoona, PA is Crooked Run Campground — Prince Gallitzin State Park with a 4.3-star rating from 26 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Altoona, PA?
TheDyrt.com has all 22 glamping camping locations near Altoona, PA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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