Best Cabin Camping near Athens, PA

Watkins Glen/ Corning KOA this is a nice KOA in the Watkins Glen area. Our site was a full hookup site. Campground offered clean sites with gravel drives and grass areas between them. Offers your typical KOA amenities with a huge outdoor pool, indoor pool and hot tub, water slide, rock wall structure, zip line and mini golf which were part of our site fee price. 

Things to do in the area Watkins Glen State park(hiking, biking and scenic views of the falls and gorge), Seneca Lake(one of the finger lakes), Watkins Glen International Speedway, Corning Glass Museum(Corning, NY), Montour Falls(Montour Falls, NY), Sunset View Creamery(Farm Tour and Store).

Campground has cabins and yurts, pull in sites for RV’s and strictly walk in tent sites. There is a beautiful lake and a very large pool. We went in early spring midweek, it was very quiet and exactly the get away we wanted.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon, and knew that we were going to have a great time. This little trip was the last little getaway before our son left for college, so we were hoping for the best. Well, it has been awesome. Our daughter said that she felt as if we were at a cabin, not so much a campground.  The staff is super friendly and helpful. Our campsite is AMAZING! Everything is clean, neat and organized. The fishing is good, and the turtles are eager to help themselves to your bait. It truly is a great place to stay. Great job and great place Pine Cradle Campground!

Tenting, trailer or cabin this is a beautiful relaxing area. The upper park has a small lake that runs along side many trails and flows into Cayuga Lake one of the Finger Lakes which is beautiful itself. There are guided tours, hiking, biking, swimming, and fishing available in this tranquil campground. The swimming area is safely guarded and staff with certified guards for your protection. The waterfalls are gorgeous and they flow through a luscious gorge emptying into a marshland full of activity. Bird watching along with other wild life is there . To get away from the hussle of big city come relax here.

Our family loved the modern cabins which are available in my of Pennsylvania's state parks. I'd rank any other park that we visit with a five star rating. The staff at other parks will let my family check in before 3:00pm if the cabin is ready.The swim area is one of the best around. Playgrounds are fun& the snack stand is a little expensive, but delicious!I think we picked the week with the most rain of the year to camp but it was still a lot of fun. The hike around the lake is not that long and a pretty easy walk. We did it with a 5 year old and he had no complaints. The nature talks were really fun for the kids and interesting for the adults.

Worlds End is one of my favorite parks. I love staying in a cabin for Christmas. Park is very clean, nice bathrooms. Lots of trees for privacy and great trails. If you have never been this one should definitely be on your list. Almost all the cabins are right next to the stream. Falling asleep to that sound is great. You get a wood stove and a fire ring. Some cabins even have a fire place!!!!

We spent 5 nights at this campground at the end of June 2020. The modern cabins are available for a week at a time in the summer. We paid for the week but knew we could only stay for 5 nights. We were impressed with the 2 bedroom cabin. The kitchen had the usual plus a microwave, toaster and coffee pot. The furniture was comfortable for a cabin and the porch was delightful to sit on during a rainy morning. There are multiple trails around the park that are well maintained. The beach area is small but nice and the concession stand was open every day but Monday. We weren’t impressed with the camping area. There was very little shade in most campsites so we were glad we had a cabin. Overall we had a fantastic time at the park and exploring the area.

We had the pleasure of renting a cabin at World's End State Park for the first time in February 2016 after being convinced by friends to check it out. We were immediately in love with the babbling river that ran right beside our cabin. On cold days and nights we could stay warm under our roof covered front porch fireplace and still enjoy being outside. There is no better place to curl up with a book and some coffee on a cold, winter morning. The cabins stay very warm with a wood burning stove- sometimes even too warm and windows need to stay cracked open. We purchased wood from a local gentleman who delivered. A list of these services are available inside the check-in area, which also serves as a cool local mini-museum of sorts. There are several amazing lookout spots in the area that you can access via car. The cabins generally sleep 6-8 very comfortably with 4 double bunk beds in most. The cabins also have electricity and include a stove and refrigerator. There is no plumbing, so no sink or toilet but there are several very well maintained and equipped bathroom houses throughout the cabins area. The bathrooms are private and have showers and dishwashing stations. If you are looking for comfort, bring your own good camp chair. The cabins are only equipped with wooden chairs and a wooden bench seat. As soon as we left the park and were able to access cell phones again, I booked another cabin for myself and kids for their Spring Break in April 2016. This may become a tradition as we had a fantastic time hiking the area in the Spring. Butternut trail is right in the campground and is a perfect two-hour hike for kids who don't mind a good hike. There are some tricky spots, but it's manageable and well worth it when you reach the lookout at the top. The folks at the welcome center are knowledgeable and can point you in the direction of some great local trails. Forksville General Store is also nearby and there you can get cell service and a nice meal. The owners were regionally from Philadelphia and according to my son, make a fantastic cheesesteak. We are excited to visit World's End again this spring and winter. We have not visited in the summer but hear that it gets more crowded. We have friends that recently stayed there in a tent campsite and had a great visit.

Tent camping in the large loop area. 

Escaping the Maryland summer heat, the cooler temperatures in Ricketts Glen State Park was perfect. This park offers a variety of activities. Hiking along the Falls Trail being a highlight. The Large Loop is closer and banks along the lake, where there are two separate beach areas perfect for swimming. Kayak rentals, fishing are some of the great water things you can enjoy. 

The campsite was perfectly sized for us - tent campers and close but not too close to the clean restrooms. A water spigot was handy across the road. Behind the restroom building is a dishwashing station. While there are showers there, the hot water was actually...cold.

There is a great small camp store if you need last minute items, and the concession stands at the furthest beach sells firewood and ice cream.

There are cabins available to rent, which looked really comfy. All linens, etc need to be brought along though.

The cabin was excellent with all amenities. Trees on our plot perfect for a hammock. You could get on the trail easily and hike the lake the tempted you from the cabin as the sun glistened off the water. During the hike you would pass a red pine plantation, a reminder of the Civilian Conservation Corps. I want to go back there every year. Not just because it is so close to the PA Grand Canyon/Pine Creek Gorge but because this was our honeymoon. Covid-19 forced a change I am so thankful for.

This is a great park. I have been coming here for many years.

Cabins are rustic and don’t have running water but they are clean and roomy. I think Cabin 8 is my favorite, it has a little loft and easy access to the creek.

Park Staff is very nice, they don’t have a problem if you call every few days asking how much snow they have...

There is a natural whirlpool with beach access and a small snack bar. The canyon vista trail is a great ski, High rock trail is my favorite trail. Great place to watch the sunrise!

We loved the cabin, the trail by the lake, the easy access to all parts of the Pine Creek Gorge and Wellsboro.

This is an amazing state park that has something for everyone. There is an environmental education center with programs, there is fishing and boating, and an amazing network if hiking and horse riding trails. There are several campgrounds, with tremendous variety for every camping style. There are standard car camping tent sites, RV sites, and yurts and camper cabins. For those who like more rustic options, there are hike-in sites that are beautiful and not far from the parking area. The campsites are nestled in a deep shady mature forest, and peaceful and quiet due to the wooded aspect and spacing of sites (at least for me, in September in a hike-in site not far from the regular campground). It is nice to have such a fine camping and outdoor recreation opportunity within an easy drive of the city of Clarks Summit, so probably a great weekend getaway for local folks, but a wonderful stopover for anyone on a road trip through northern PA as it is not far off Interstate 81. I was there only one day, but would like to be back to explore the trails!

The Finger lakes region is so beautiful . Be sure to time your visit with the fall foilage change, or grab your snow shoes for a winter adventure. Great cabins for rent here!

Robert H Treman State Park has been a go to camping location for my family for a few years now. We started out when my husband and I were first dating and we would stay in a cabin with his family. Shortly after we graduated to our own cabin with our kids and then came our pop up camper and now our travel trailer and we’ve used them all at Treman.

I will try my best to explain this park but there is a lot to cover including the camping, the hiking, the swimming (in a waterfall) and the other wonderful things surrounding this amazing place.

Let’s start with the camping since that is how I start all my trips there. As I mentioned there are cabins here and they are rustic buildings with basic amenities, beds, refrigerator, electricity, etc. My personal recommendation is to bring a big air mattress, push two of the beds together and put the air mattress on top, not a necessity but will certainly make things more comfortable. Most of the cabins are grouped together so if you are planning on camping with friends this is a good solution, they have 4 twin beds per cabin. The exception to this is cabin 14 which is a double cabin and is located near the playground and surrounded by standard electric camping sites. I’ve never been in this cabin so I can’t say a lot about it but it certainly is big.

You may have noticed that I said that cabin 14 is across from the playground. Not only is it across from the playground it is across from a very cool one. We were actually camping the year that this was installed and my kids were fortunate enough to be in the photo shoot for it. This is one of two playgrounds at this park, the other one is along the drive on the way into the main parking area, it is also nice but I don’t have any photos of it. I don’t have a lot of photos of this one either because, honestly, the weather was beautiful and I had more important things to do. 🙂 It is themed with a woodsy theme with little animals hidden all around. Because it is so close to the camping area we stay at my kids can go on there pretty much all day and we can watch them from our site. We give them a walki talkie so we don’t have to be the parents that constantly yell for the their kids and they have a ball. Pretty much when they’re not swimming or riding their bikes they’re on this playground. Next to the playground is a big open field, we play night frisbie here but people play tons of yard games in the field. On the other side of the playground is a big shelter and we just recently we realized there are horseshoe pits near there but you have to bring your own shoes.

We have always stayed in this ring and there is another ring to the right of where I took this picture, these (as far as I know) are all electric sites. There are more sites that are basically out in the open without any trees and they are closer to the showers (there is only one building with showers) but I’m not a thin girl, I need shade. 🙂 There are two buildings with bathrooms in this ring and they are very similar to the cabins and cleaned daily.

If you are able bodied I highly recommend you go for a hike while you are here. Also if you are camping here know where the hiking trails are because you will get asked by lost hikers a lot. There is one that starts in the cabin area that is called the Rim Trail, this is the one people are usually looking for and there is another one near the main parking lot called the Gorge Trail. No matter which one you take you’re looking at a lot of stairs so I personally recommend a good hiking stick or trekking poles, our whole family uses them and they do help a lot. If you don’t feel like hiking the whole thing you can always park a car at the top and one at the bottom and walk your way down but if you’re up for a challenge and over 500 steps for a 4 mile hike this is a great one. We always start on the Gorge side and walk our way up to the top where Lucifer falls is. Unfortunately on this particular trip it was almost 90 out so it was a rough hike but we all made it, including our 4 year old. We always take the rim trail down because it is more of a natural trail with less steps, but trust me there are still plenty of steps. You know when you are approaching the end of this trail because you will hear the diving board as the trail goes above the swimming area, you will go down some more steps and end right in the middle of the cabins. After you have completed your hike I highly recommend heading over to the swimming area. 🙂

Yes, the swimming area, I’ve saved the best for last and I don’t even like to swim. This is a short walk from the camping area just past the cabins. My family all loves the water (me not so much) so I am usually hanging out by the side of wherever they are swimming and I’m either knitting or reading (I know, exciting) but here is the one place that I could sit all day and do that. There is a grassy area to spread out a blanket or bring a couple of chairs and I can go over to the “kid” area with my son and sit on the huge stone steps and put my feet in. Meanwhile, I know that my daughter and my husband will be over on the diving board jumping into the deep end and climbing and sitting at the bottom of the waterfall. Yes, that’s right, you can actually swim under a waterfall and climb on it and hang out in it. It is truly beautiful. Even if you’re like me and don’t want to swim just to hear the sound of the waterfall in the background while you’re doing other things it truly relaxing. Please be warned though that the swimming will not always be open. This was one of the first camping trips that we have had in many years where the swimming was open the whole time. If it rains too much or not enough the swimming area will be closed. Typically if this happens there are other swimming areas close by that are still natural but not with a waterfall you can hang out on. Also be warned this is not warm water, the warmest it got while we were there (in July) was 74, my family has swam in it before when it was less than 60 degrees but they’re nuts and we had just finished hiking. 🙂

So that’s the basics. I could probably continue writing and tell you a million more things but this should give you a good idea of what to expect from Treman. I haven’t even scratched the surface of all the wonderful things to see and do in Ithaca while you are camping here but I suppose that might be best saved for another post. I can not recommend this place enough, our whole family loves it here.

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Watkins Glen is like nothing else I've seen anywhere in the country. The geology of the area creates layered rock formations through which canyons form. They are very grey and green with lovely cascading waterfalls and rivers. Such gorges can be found all over the Finger Lakes area of Western NY, but Watkins Glen is the gem of the whole area. More waterfalls than you can count! Most trails are fairly well-developed with stone paths and stone stairs but can be very steep.

Only swim/wade and hike where permitted!!! Children and drunk adults seem to drown every summer by swimming in deceptively calm areas that lead to extremely deep and/or swift water. There are also very steep drop-offs if you leave the trail. This is not a dangerous site as long as you follow the rules.

Tons of trails, lots of swimming options, many many other state parks in the area. Camp here for quite a few days and then explore the whole area, including "hippie" college town Ithaca. Exceptionally high quality State Park facilities, including all the usual amenities, plus more like canoe/boat rentals. All kinds of camping options, from tents to cabins. Make sure you reserve in advance! We've camped at lots of different sites over the years and each has been great. Accessible sites are excellent.

Lovely campground was clean and well spaced between the sights. You can’t hang things on the trees so gamo is aren’t allowed. The facilities where clean and well stocked. There are cute little cabins in the park if tents or trailers aren’t for you.

Rickett's Glen itself has great camping and amenities with cool tent sites and also cabins and it's located next to gorgeous Lake Jean and the ever so fun waterfalls hike. Sullivan County as a whole has so much adventure and fun to offer!

I camp here quite often with one of my friends and we really enjoy the atmosphere here. There are not many opportunities to explore nature at this campground which is why it is a 4 stars for me. But facilities such as cabins, bathrooms, and the office are great!

I stay here usually once or twice a year and spend my weekends hiking the various gorge trails nearby. Tent camping is nice here. The sites are good sized, they offer cabins as well. The bathhouses are clean and well lit at night. This is definitely a large family area. Expect to hear your neighbors once and a while.

These are nice sites, didn't seem to fill up too much and you are close to one of the largest gorge waterfalls in the area. Would like to try the cabins there. The sites are nice and flat and the grounds have lots of good amenities, restrooms with showers. Good drinking water, tables and fire rings.

Wwould have been nice if cabins were a little cleaner. Ours looked like mice had been there and they just put nest outside. We had some drama while there, possibly squatters causing trouble all through night. No one to call to control it. Police hours away. The hikes and falls are beautiful however and if you dont mind no rules or someone there its nice.