Best Glamping near Artemas, PA

This campground is huge, and very crowded. We were there in the days leading up to 4th of July, and there was not a single empty site. Our section had mostly pop-ups and mid-size travel trailers, so the sites were all grass and gravel. However, the area with pull-through sites for big rigs was just a huge RV parking lot. All roads were very narrow and winding. We did fine with the pup, but can’t imagine trying to navigate a large motorhome through there. Crowding/space issues aside, this is a really nice (albeit expensive) campground. Almost everything, from the grounds, to rec halls, to pool and laundry, was sparkling clean and beautifully maintained. Bathrooms were reasonably clean as well, although they could certainly use some TLC and updating (most MD state park bathhouses are nicer).Staff was very friendly, as well. Tons of stuff to do here, especially for families: arts & crafts, indoor movie theatre, games, civil war reenactments, wine tastings, etc. We were certainly never bored, and the kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. Our site was extremely close to our neighbor's site, but still surprisingly roomy and decently shaded. We were right next to the pancake hut (free daily pancake breakfast included during the on-season) and playground, and very close to other activities. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is just a stone's throw away, with great hiking, sight-seeing, and cute little shops.

Overall, this is a really nice place, but much more of a resort than a campground in my opinion. The kids loved it, but I’ll always prefer the wooded seclusion of a state or national park. However, if I was looking for a more action-packed, activities-filled “glamping” experience, I wouldn’t hesitate to return.

This is a nice and large campground by Maryland State Park Standards. Sites are nice and not stacked right on top of one another. Some sites have electric, but the bathhouses are clean and decently well kept. The real draw here is the very large lake stocked with fish, and the casino. Botha are just a short walk from the campground. It is incredibly convenient from I68 but you do t get any highway noise. There are even yurts to rent.

Nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania, this gem of a campground.
There is a beautiful lake across the road from camping area, which consists of; a very nice hiking trail the whole way around, boating, fishing,swimming & in season concession stand. Also, many hiking trails.

I had made plans to stay at SSP-PA as my first stopover spot, post leaving my beach friends on the East Coast. 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. Shawnee is a lovely state park and I was really pleased with my brief stay. 'Though we were only sleeping the one night, I found the staff to be pleasant and the site spacious. It might have helped that the doggo and I were about the only ones in our campground loop, aside from the campground hosts but the area felt well-maintained and well-proportioned. We had a good night's rest, after enjoying a post-dinner campfire and getting to breathe in the fresh, woodsy air. While sitting fireside, I got to enjoy the local wildlife, from birds to young deer, around the edges of my campsite. The campground restroom was clean and a fair size. I would definitely recommend it and I will certainly look into another reservation, the next time I roadtrip through Pennsylvania.

General: Large campground in four loops with a variety of sites ranging from tent-only, 30-amp electric, 50-amp electric, and 30/50-amp electric, along with eight camper cabins. 

Site Quality: All sites are gravel; most appeared level, but some did not. All sites are wooded but some have more separation than others. Our site backed up to the creek but surprisingly, there was not a lot of water flowing in the spring, 

Bath/Shower house: Basic and dated, but reasonably clean. Did not use the shower.

Activities/Amenities: Many include fishing, swimming, boating, bicycling, hiking, geocaching, and hunting. The lake is separate from the campground, but it is less than a mile away and a reasonable distance walk. There is also a playground, volleyball, shuffleboard, and a large picnic area at the end of one of the loops. Bike and boat rentals are available in the summer season; the season was set to open the day after we left so aside from hiking, we could not avail ourselves of any of the activities (and my husband had a foot injury so even hiking was out for us). There are also laundry facilities, but I did not check these out. 

We were surprised that just a few days before Memorial Day, only a handful of sites were occupied. We’ve been very impressed by the pristine conditions of many Pennsylvania state parks, but this one had a more rustic feel and had not been modernized. Fleeting cell at best on Verizon.

Friendship Village Campground in Bedford, Pa.

Overall, I give the campground 4.5 out of five stars. The campground is nestled on the outskirts of Bedford Pennsylvania and is a very easy location to travel to regardless of your rig size. Check in was extremely easy particularly if you pay for your stay upfront. In that case all you need to do is walk into the office and they will have your packet ready for you and you’re headed to your site within a minute.

The office staff was extremely friendly and you can tell that this is a family owned and religious-based campground. The campground is quite spread out through the property with sites ranging from primitive campsites to full hook up big rig sites.

There are multiple ponds on the property however only one of them can be fished in. No license is required for fishing here. There are also two pools at each end of the campground and they are very well-maintained and have lifeguard supervision. The pool hours or a little later than most campgrounds as they open at 11 through the week and 12 on Sunday. The campground does maintain a policy of having to wear a shirt or a cover-up when not in the pool vicinity but that was not really a big issue. The lower pool is right beside the main office which also includes an arcade and a very nice miniature golf course. The upper pool is larger and also well maintained.

Neither pool has provided seating so you will need to bring your own camp chairs or towels to sit on. They also do not provide umbrellas but allow you to bring your own as long as they are 5 feet wide or less.

There are many playgrounds spread out across the property as well as a jumping pillow and a very well-built gaga ball pit. We stayed at site number 41 for the weekend and have no complaints at all. It’s a little more of a tight packed area versus the rest of the campground but it was in good vicinity to everything.

For tent campers I recommend staying in the area of sites 5-25 as there is a very nice bathhouse very close by. For big rig campers, you need to stay at the upper portion of the campground at sites 200-500. In my opinion, the best sites to stay at if you have kids are sites 145–171 as those are right beside the jumping pillow, playground and gaga ball pit.

The property had a movie showing in their barn on Saturday night (Despicable Me) and they also seem to schedule a lot of live entertainment, mostly Bluegrass. The staff on the property is virtually nonexistent minus trash pickup, lifeguards, and office staff...which I think is not a bad thing. I imagine if we would have needed anything, it would have been easy to find a staff member. If you have any issues with your camping rig, there is a full-service RV dealership basically at the entrance to the campground where you can buy virtually anything that you may require.

I only give this campground 4.5 out of five stars primarily due to its location. There is really nothing to do in Bedford Pennsylvania. You are limited to the activities within the campground unless you travel to another township to find something to do. There are no hiking trails in the campground however it was quite nice to walk through the campground at 5 o’clock every morning. I would absolutely return here again, the rates were very reasonable for the value to get out of it. Even though our campsite was close to the fishing pond, it was a little tighter than the other larger sites and I think I would attempt to stay in those next time.

All in all, this is a great family (non-commercialized) campground and I would recommend staying here.

Campground Review: Cowans Gap State Park was pretty awesome. Off the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Fort Littleton, through Burnt Cabin on Rt522, signage the entire way. A drive through the PA mountain-scape, excellent scenery to be seen.

The dog section is 1-30 and a few cabins are offered for them also. No restrictions for dogs on the trails but they are restricted from the rest of the campground.

Several trails to enjoy with easy to very strenuous climbs. Part of the Allegheny trail passes through the Buchanan State Forest, near the campground. Would be a good place to practice your backpacking craft.

New showerhouse facilities which are energy efficient lighting and heating. The water in the shower never gets very warm but they are very clean and well maintained.

There is plenty of water sports at the lake, watercraft, swimming and fishing.

Product Review: As a Dyrt Ranger I have the opportunity to review some pretty awesome outdoor gear. I received Mishmi Takin hiking boots after winning one of the monthly contests.

I love the color, I’m all about burnt orange. I have large feet and was happy to see that the company offers footwear up to 13.5 in. I ordered an 11, was surprised when they arrived and were a little big on my feet. So you may want to order a 1/2 size down. On the flip side though I put on my thick hiking socks, synched the laces down and they fit fine.

I wore the boots multiple times during our 8 state trip on several different trail types. I was impressed by grip, no slippage on multiple surfaces.

I hate to say it but I have sweaty feet! And wearing thick hiking socks in boots often leaves me with raisinie toes and damp socks/boots at the end of a long hike. I did not experience that problem while wearing the Mishmi Boots though. My feet stayed comfortable and were dry when I pulled the boots off back at camp. I am liking these boots!

Lots of weekend events and bingo at the camp store, friendly helpful staff! Great sites!

Enjoyed our 3 night stay , would prefer a little more privacy but everyone was friendly . Overall a very pleasant experience

Nice little campground for families. Tent area is okay, good for large groups. We got really lucky to book the site we did because it was just a little more private than the rest, which were along the tree line and not very big (I suggest either sites T1 or T3 for more privacy!) We had no phone service which we were okay with but it’s something we wish we had known before hand. Bath houses were kept clean but there was no hooks in the showers. Staff was nice, wood wasn’t badly priced and the camp store had a huge selection of things you may need!

Nice bathrooms in the rv portion of the campground, reasonably priced wood and a great well-stocked camp store. Field tent spaces have little cover, but have all the essentials as well as porta potties nearby. On busy weekends there can be the traffic road noise in the field tenting area.Plenty of activities nearby, potomac for watersports, C&O for hiking and biking and greenridge state forest is just up the road.

We had a nice, spacious site with inconsiderate neighbors. The website says quiet hours are enforced but sadly there was no one to enforce them. There was one bathhouse that was fairly clean. They offer many seasonal sites and cabins. The best part was the convenience to the Western MD Rail Trail and the C&O Canal.

Nice campground for families with bathrooms, pool, pond, and general store. If you are looking for somewhere peaceful and secluded, this probably isn’t it. BUT there are some positives- it’s extremely close to 15 mile creek, the Potomac, and Bill’s bar. A lot of the sites are rented all year for RVs.

Campground is pretty big. The RV sites and tent sites are separated by a drive down the road. The RV side has all the cool stuff; store, pavilion, basketball courts, playground, etc. The tent camping side is just an open field with a pit and picnic table. I tent camped this time around and it's was pretty well spaced out. There weren't many of us in the field so it was pretty nice. The RV side has a ton of seasonal residences. The most half RV/half homes I've ever scene! (A few in the pictures) it's wild. Those sites have a pretty decent amount of space too. The pond has a bunch of ducks that are VERY well fed. One in particular might have been too well fed and maybe sick? Not sure.

I’ve only been camping here in a tent. We couldn’t find anywhere to go with such short notice but they took us in and treated us as there own. We ran out of firewood after the store had shut down but we called them anyway and they still delivered it right to our campsite. Awesome experience and a very pretty women running the front desk:)

We closed out the season with a trip here. It was absolutely serene and beautiful as the leaves were changing, fall vastly approaching. The sites are close together but there is still privacy as most sites are surrounded by trees. Bathhouses are in fair shape. Staff was super friendly. Would definitely go here again.

It is a monday so I imagine this place would be much busier on the weekend but it's nice and quiet. Sites are very close together with a couple trees in between, overall lots of trees. There was only one other active camper in our section maybe 3 or 4 sites down so it was a very peaceful stay and felt like we mostly had the section to ourselves. Our site P1 is a full hook up pull through but it's really unlevel. We ran out of blocks trying to level on this site and were still off a bit. If we were staying more than a night we may have asked for a different site. Sites and roads are gravel, nice newer fire pit and picnic table at each. There is a pool, basketball hoops, and a fully stocked camp store with campground merch, blankets, snacks, toiletries, a lot of rv parts, refrigerated food necessities, pantry items, alcohol, cigarettes, games, fishing gear....really a lot of stuff! Really cute duck/goose pond you can even fish in (catch and release) and a nice gazebo to relax in. Really a nice campground with great hosts. Only complaint is the closeness of other sites, luckily no one else was around.

Really nice stay.  Great campground and staff.  Really enjoyed our visit.

Lots of options for tent, small and large rvs. Lots to do, friendly staff and easy access to c.o. canal

review 3 days ago NEW Vacation| Family In October 2023 we rented a site by the pond… all was good for the 4 days that we were there! So the day before we had to leave my brother and I went to the store to see if we could stay for a week… as the lady checked the site and replied…we would have to move because it is rented.(that was understandable…we could do that) and she would look for another. Proceeds to say I’m sorry we don’t have anything open… so my brother looks at me and says what do you want to do? when I said I guess we’ll call another campground. She then looks again, and finds another site for us… so we booked it for 7 more days. I think it was in a seasonal site… as we were told by others. We pack everything up and get to the spot unpack everything and was good for the first 2 days. A camper came in with nice people… then a Father and son in-law came to seasonal spot nice people my brother shared his home made chili with them. The next day the seasonal people came in next to us around 10AM So around 11:30AM/12:30PM my brother was listening to music and a couple beers, the guy next to us came over and ask him to turn it down so his son and wife could take a nap. My brother responded no problem! and they talked for a little bit about the man being in the Marines and my brothers son, being in the Marines, and even thanked him for his service! So later on when that man and his family left, My brother turn the music up, as it’s still early in the day! So I guess they told office lies when they got back, It was nowhere around 11 PM.(Quiet time.) No One came to our campsite from the office and said anything to us!!!! No warnings!!!! nothing!!! The only reason we found out that that man did what he did is a couple days ago Nov.11 2023 we called to get a campsite for Thanksgiving and the lady put a man on as she was having a problem looking us up…I guess the manager on the phone, and told us that we were not welcome back because he had gotten complaint that we had our music up till 4 AM in the morning… which is ridiculous!!! there’s no way that we were up till 4 AM especially when we get up early in the morning and with no naps during the day! We would probably be in around 10ish pm! At night. And some days we would go out and visit friends. So I guess when you pay for a site you can’t have a couple beers and enjoy music and a nice fire? That man was a Liar!!!!! I just don’t understand why no one came to our campsite and said anything to us from the store!!!!! We’ve been coming there for over 20 years!!!!! No phone call??? No letter????? They have phone number and address! They wait to you call to book a site again… for thanksgiving!…and then tell you all this!!!! We were shocked!!!! We’re 58 and almost 61 years old we can do a face to face civilized conversation!! So you do it on the phone.?? A Month later?????!!! This situation should have been taken care of when we where their!!!! This is so sad…. that this is handled like this!!! Hope you All have a Great and Happy Thanksgiving!!! Even the Liars!!! We hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving too!!!! Our‘s is ruined!!!! But in another review, when a lady was talking about a seasonal person running their blower all day long. I think she said like seven hours. She couldn’t sit around her fire. Enjoy it with quietness, and nothing was done to that person! As you told her that they are doing that to keep upkeep on their site, but that’s OK that they can run that for seven hours straight! I know we were NOT out there at 4 AM in the morning no way!!!!!!!! Someone should have came to us and let us know what was going on.. we would have complied with everyone’s wishes! We are not that complicated!!!!!

Quiet during the week. Water access and biking/hiking trail. Beautiful place in the early morning hours

This is a more traditional NPS campground along the Potomac River and C&O Towpath Trail where you can actually drive in, instead of just hiking or cycling. It would make a great shuttle point, or RV base camp for the weekend if you plan to ride the C&O Trail.  We stopped for lunch at the picnic sites next to this campground.  It was nearly empty in October!

Many sites have a lovely view of the Potomac River. In addition to being situated on the C&O Towpath Trail, you can launch a paddle boat or electric motor, but no gas-powered engines. The sites were clean, the water pump worked well, and the pit toilets were kept clean and well-stocked. There are no electrical hook-ups at this site, so come prepared with solar power.

The nearby town, Little Orleans, offers a few places to eat and grab some minimal supplies. Bill’s Place is a popular eatery just off the trail.