Best Cabin Camping near Austin, PA

Beautiful facility- typical Pa mountains, abundant green trees, water...nice Campground AND cabin rentals are really nicely situated. Water was thick with weeds & lilies but ok nonetheless. Great day trip spot.

We head out to Allegany State Park every year in late fall. The cabins are perfect for cooler temperatures and cozying up beside the wood stove. The table and chairs provided inside the cabin are perfect for eating on and prepping food. 

 The buffalo trail is perfect for a weekend getaway, with Cabin 8 far in the corner, providing lots of space between nearby cabins. It is also beside the river and provides a wonderful sound to fall asleep to.

Shower facilities are just down the road and were very clean! The bathroom facilities on the buffalo cabin loop are also equally clean and warm in the colder temperatures!

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.

Love camping at allegheny. Cabins are pretty large and have some great surounding areas, like creeks right next to the cabins. Great place for family camping with tons of different activites offered around the park.

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 have made it an immediate family tradition to stay here for Thanksgiving.

This place is great for family camping. It has a nice variety of cabins along several loops.

Cabins range from rustic to downright homey.

The Red House Administration building is a great central location to meet up with other camping families.

Staff is super friendly & helpful.

This campground has something for everyone-camper and RV sites with and without electric, tent sites, single cabins, group cabins, etc. It has two beaches, several hiking trails that range in difficulty, points of interest (ex-thunder rocks is a must see), two camp stores, a museum, gift shop and restaurants. It truly has something for every kind of camper.

UPDATED reviews for rustic and modern cabins.

March 2020, Modern Cabins: Before COVID-19 hit PA we stayed in one of the modern cabins. Wow...everything was seemingly quite new and it was extremely comfortable. Nice bathrooms, nice kitchen, etc. One of the best things about Black Mo is how isolated it feels and it's never crowded in the off-months. The Moss Hanne is still a thrilling trail even in the winter months and there's been a lot of beaver activity since we last visited including a very impressive dam. 

October 2019, Rustic Cabins: We stayed in one of the rustic cabins on a cold October weekend. Very charming small cabins with robust woodstoves. Although we probably could have been more careful, there were unfortunately some very bothersome mice who kept us awake each night...and were seemingly not very afraid of us! The construction of the rustic cabins is such that there probably isn't much you can do about mice getting in. If this doesn't bother you, these cabins are really cute and cozy.

July 2019, Tent Camping: As far as camping goes, the loop area is a bit cramped for my taste, but if that doesn't bother you it's fine. Clean bathhouse and convenient outdoor sink for washing up after dinner. Overall one of the best PA parks and well maintained.

I really have to address some of these other reviews, though:

"Water was thick with weeds& lilies but ok nonetheless." Wow! Pitcher plants, sundews and water lilies are not "weeds." They are unique to bog environments and don't grow in other places. The vegetation in the lake is what makes Black Mo black, so picturesque and unlike other PA parks!

"The overall area has nothing to do. And I mean NOTHING. We drove 45 minutes to Altoona to see the famous Horseshoe Curve but there’s literally nothing else around for miles and miles. Not even an ice cream stand, or not one we could find. And, since there’s no cell service, we couldn’t figure out any options either." Like many state parks in this part of the world there is no cell service, so you need to bring a real map (Purple Lizard) and look a few things up on the internet ahead of time. Black Mo is literally ten minutes from Philipsburg where there is surely an ice cream stand, 25 minutes from State College, which has tons of touristy offerings…I could go on but really this is laughable.

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. 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.

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.

Cabins are great for families and there are also activities and hiking....Close to some attractions for adults and children too.

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

The cabins are awesome all year round.

The park has a lot to do in the summer but a group can still have a blast in the winter.

This park is a fun place to hike and explore. Check out Thunder rocks and climb boulders the size of a house. The cabins are nice and seem to be well kept and quiet everytime I've stayed in them.

This is our absolute favorite park to camp! You can stay in Red House area or Quaker Area. You have the option of staying on a tent site or in a cabin. Great fishing and hiking and lots of other stuff to do!

My family and I stayed here one night during a motorcycle trip. We rented 1 of the cabins they have on the property and it was great all of us fit comfortably we were able to have a campfire out front and sit at a picnic table. They have a nice little store there's trails you can hike to beautiful area and a great place to camp.

We come here every summer. This park is massive with two distinct zones in the park and over a dozen individual campground loops. There's also two beaches, over a dozen hiking trails, a restaurant, camp stores, a dump station, and more. Note that on the Quaker side of the park, there is very limited cell service, and that many of the cabins do not have running water inside.

tWe've been coming to this campground since I was a kid, and we always rent out the Horseshoe cabins on the Quaker side. Great rustic leave your worries behind kinda camping. Great places to go fishing, rock climbing, catching crayfish, having awesome fires and spending time with friends. The scenery is hands down unbelievable and there is always a ton of things to do. They have an amplitheater that has events happening all the time, and a nice playground for the kids. Spend the day having a cookout or spend the week! Its well worth the visit!

The campground is run by a family who is super nice. The cabins and the bathhouses were extremely clean. I stayed on a full hookup site that had water/electric/ sewer. The sites have Picnic tables and fire rings that are cleaned out.

The campground was really close to Cherry Springs, where we could go stargazing! It is also close to Lyman Lake where we could go swimming and kayaking and fishing.

I had an amazing time here and I already have other reservations because it was great for big families!

There is also a huge ATV trail right across the road that my neighbors rode at all day!

Allegany State Park can always be counted on for a perfect weekend. The rustic cabins offered through most of the Quaker Area are a bargain and never have a problem staying toasty on cold nights with their wood burning stoves. The views are beautiful and although you're not far from city amenities, when you're in the park, it feels like you're light years away from the hustle and bustle. Poor, to no cell phone reception in the Quaker Area adds to the remoteness. I love Allegany so much that I got married in the Quaker Pavilion 2 years ago! It's a place that I adore and cannot wait to share with a family one day!