Are you in need of a campground near Blue Marsh Lake, PA? Blue Marsh Lake is an adventure-filled destination for those who love the outdoorsy camper lifestyle. But it's also great for those who prefer to spend time near the city, exploring and sightseeing. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Blue Marsh Lake, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
$20 - $75 / night
"Two of the loops allow pets (A, C) and two do not. Loop D offers no hookups while Loops A-C offer a mix of no hookups, water/Electric, and full hookups."
"We stayed in loop C that allows pets. Very spacious sites. The paved parking spot was tight but a short walk down to the spacious fire pit picnic table area."
"Lovely camp site with access to a lot of amenities, all the while keeping a “primative” feel. Pool, playground, camp store, bike and golf cart rentals. Super easy access to Appalachian trail."
"Play ground was great. Lots of activities. Ice cream parlor was a bonus and general store was great, well stocked and good prices. The hiking trails near by are wonderful."
"Comes with picnic table and fire ring with grill. Lots of fishing, hiking, and kayaking around. Recently redid the visitor center and it’s beautiful. Will definitely be back."
"The campground, as all PA State Parks, was well maintained. Here are the caveats however. The "pet loop" was clearly geared towards RVs etc."
"Store, pool, cabins, diner, and small kids park on site. Pond to fish in. Tent sites looked spacious. One star taken away because fire pit is within feet from poop sewer connection of neighbor."
"We started our trip Friday afternoon, we pulled into the campground and they had a table set up outside to “check in.” We did not wait in a mile long line to park and go into the office."
$60 - $73 / night
"Clean bathrooms, heated pool, well stocked store. Close to other stores and camping center."
"Nice store and snack shop. Arena across the street has rodeos and demo derbies. Check the website for schedule. This is 1 of the more reasonably priced campgrounds in the area. Easy access from I 78."
"Beautiful rentals are available. Affordable!"
"Staff was friendly, general vibe was low key. A lot of year round sites. Only complaint being not a lot for the kids to do aside from ride bike."
"Cabins are a little expensive but beautiful."
"The splash park is a lot of fun for both the kids and adults. The RV sites are spacious."
"Our particular site was a bear to park in but once situated we were very happy.
The store is closed due to covid but the pool is open. "
"Weekend stay here and instead of leaving on Sunday, we booked another day. Great swimming pool, immaculately clean bathrooms and showers. Well wooded campground with friendly staff and guests."
"Well this campground does not provide all the bells and whistles, is a great place for a getaway for relaxing in quiet area."
"Although they do have sites for tents, this seems to be better suited for RVers and renting cabins. Many of the people we met during our stay are regulars."
"This campground had been let go with poor management for many years, HOWEVER the new management and staff have really turned it around!!"
GuideMy girlfriends and I just stayed in the yurts for annual glamping trip. We reserved 3 of 4 yurts for first weekend in June...non peak season. Peak season requires minimum 5 day reservation, I believe. Yurts have 2 sets of bunk beds with one set having full size mattress on bottom. Yurts have heat and fans. Full size refrigerator, stove and microwave. No water but directly across from facilities with basin sinks outside for cleaning dishes, etc. Each yurt has a huge deck, 2 picnic tables and fire pit. Restrooms and showers are a hop, skip and jump from yurts and well maintained. Also each yurt comes with a moor skip to keep kayaks, paddleboards or canoes at lake. Beautiful lake surrounded by trails and includes beach area and playground. Dogs are allowed in the park but not in campgrounds (yurts and cabins). There is no tent camping here but is available at Locust Lake State Park, just a few miles away. Alcohol is prohibited. Must park in overnight lot after unloading.
RangerMostly an RV campground, but does have a few campsites and cabins. Campsites can be on top of each other and can be very rocky or muddy. We actually broke quite a few tent stakes just trying to get our footprint down.
The campsites available are primitive or have water and electric and bathhouses / restrooms are located in a few spots around the park.
Fire rings are at each site, but appear to get moved a lot.
The camp store sells firewood for $5 per cord and has other necessities, including coffee.
Some cabins, like those in my photos, are brand new and have everything you would need to set up house minus linens, towels, toilet paper , paper goods and toiletries.
Would definitely revisit.
ScoutKnoebels campground is situated next to Knoebels amusement park and offers sites for tent campers and RVs, as well as cabins.
There is electricity at every site but not water. There are fill stations throughout the campgrounds. Most sites are level and shaded. There are nice sturdy wooden platforms for tent campers.
The bath houses are clean and well maintained. There are outside sinks with mirrors, laundry facilities, shower stalls, and toilet stalls. Or if you prefer there are also traditional bathrooms with showers.
Quiet hours are enforced between 10p and 8a.
Each site has a fire ring and picnic table. Wood is available by the bucket near the check in building. Sites are inexpensive and are all a short walk, or free shuttle ride, to the park!.
LegendThis PA state park felt, upon first impression, very tightly spaced and had an overall crowded feel in loop C, the only dog friendly electric loop. The sites that aren’t ADA have more space between them than we did. Our site C41 was full hookup as are several others (1-7, 39-47). This is an ADA site, there are several of them. Perhaps this is why it’s crowded so they could fit extra ADA sites? They are very level and have paved pads, but also a paved picnic pad, and paved fire ring pad. Non ADA full hookup sites appeared to be the nicest though they were narrow and some weren’t level side to side. There were a lot of rocks embedded in the ground around and on many sites. Non ADA sites have only a paved pad for the RV. The picnic table and fire ring were behind our RV and when sitting at them, we were within view of sites 37, 39, and 40. I felt like I was in a townhouse setting. Non ADA sites varied as to where picnic and fire rings were set. Also many sites looked like there was quite a drop off at the edge of the already narrow pad so that you had a big step down off your last RV step. Site C42 is ADA and is a nice, semi private, spacious site. Though I’d choose from sites #1-7 next time. ALL parking pads are 45’ long.
Loop B has a mix of electric and non electric but doesn’t allow pets. That loop was more spacious and had trees between some sites so it felt more private. The sites appeared level. There are Yurts and mini cabins outside Loop C that had lots of space around them. Loop A is a pet loop but no electric. However, it’s closed now for what appears to be renovations. Loop D is non electric, no pets.
The campground had no vacancy on this particular weekend. One car allowed per site and most had to park perpendicular. Sites were short (45’ long). 2nd cars are $5 a night but wouldn’t fit in most sites.
The day use areas have frisbee golf, boat rentals, fishing, hunting, hiking, and a pool that overlooks the lake. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is adjacent to the park but was not fully open due to covid. It’s a large state park. The pool was nice looking but not open until Memorial Day. Boat rentals are available weekends in May and Sept. and daily all summer. These amenities were far from the campground and would require driving your car. Hiking trails were plentiful but most were labeled as “more difficult.” Horse back riding is allowed on some trails. I didn’t see any trails that started at the campground loops.
Overall, it’s an adequate campground but not my favorite.
RangerCamping here is a delight. Its a secluded, public campground that has been owned and ran by the same family for generations.
They have almost 400 sites, ranging from tent sites, to pop ups, 5th wheels, rv's and even 5 rental cabins. You can stay a weekend, or a month... Every site has a fire pit, picnic table and a trash can provided. Back that up with every site has electric, water, as well as basic cable. Every site means exactly that, even your tent site will have full amenities.
There is a pool with a smaller children's pool as well as a bath house. Clean, nice hot/cold showers, general store, coin laundry, private pond (occasionally stocked), badminton, horseshoes, golf cart friendly, A large pavilion with a large flatscreen display and community firepit is there for general use or for rental, There is wifi by store and surrounding area, non denominational services.
Many campers are here"semi-permanently" and have landscaped their sites even including custom decks, some people I met have been coming here faithfully over 30 years. Its a a very friendly, know your neighbor type of camping. There has been structured entertainment,(bingo, shuffleboard, etc) in the past as well as dj's and bands on occasion.
Literally in the middle of nowhere, but 10 minutes from town, 15 from a Walmart and fast food, as well as 2 local hospitals. Local you can find multiple state parks, Historical sites, and other local attractions.
Open from the 2nd week of April until the 3rd week of October, weather permitting. All guests must be signed in,
GuideThis park has no tent camping. They offer cabins and yurts, but have no sites for people to set up tents. The main attraction for this park is their lake, which you can swim in, fish, kayak or drop in a boat. There is a playground for kids to play in that is well maintained. There are hiking trails in the back side of the park, from the main entrance. The visitor center is only open during the week. The cabins and yurts have electricity and running water. They are great if you want the outdoor experience while getting the option of a bed. If you want tent camping, check out locust lake state park which isn't far away.
RangerThe 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.
LegendPROS
Reserved 328 days prior to arriving
$13.50 senior discount
Immediately greeted by Loop C camp host who was extremely friendly and helpful
Site C3 parking pad level asphalt
Metal frame wooden picnic table that was moveable
One hook lantern pole
Metal fire pit which was cleaned out upon our arrival
Some vegetation between sites provided a bit of privacy from neighbors sites
Park is 21 miles from Valley Forge National Historical Park. Catch National Park Service 90 minute trolley tour at the Visitor Center.
Shady Maple Smorgasbord...authentic Pennsylvania Dutch cooking…largest buffet in the USA…16 miles from French Creek SP
CONS
$6.50 reservation fee for making my own on-line reservation
Horrible signage along PA-345. Never saw very small sign when we where intensely searching
Such a large overall park, but camping loop sites are jammed together
Pitiful low water pressure in Loop C
Site sewer connection is high; needs to be knocked down to ground level
Short length of site caused creative tow vehicle parking
Loop C women’s toilet/shower building a big nasty mess Saturday
Trash dumpsters are on the main road near the campground check-in station (not walkable)
Noisy campground; 9pm quiet hour not enforced
Lots of barking dogs
No wood sales in park
No WiFi
1 bar Verizon
LegendWest Chester KOA This is a really nice KOA not too far from downtown Philly. The campground is located in a beautiful part of the Pennsylvania countryside with rolling hills which meant the roads getting there are narrow and windy. A bridge nearby the campground was washed out earlier by a hurricane so we had to take an alternative route going about thirty minutes out of our way. (Make sure you check their website for directions!) There is a lot to do in the surrounding area like visiting the historical sites in downtown Philadelphia, Valley Forge, or exploring Amish country.
This is a typical KOA with lots of amenities and activities for kids– swimming pool, jump pad, miniature golf, volleyball, butterfly garden, gem mining, playground, store, dog park, nature trail, etc. There is a large pool area with pavilion but it was closed during our stay since we were there early in the season. The campground is right on the Brandywine River which is a slow meandering pretty river that is great to get your feet wet or go for a paddle. Canoes and kayaks are available for rent if you have time and as there is very little current in the river you can paddle out and back without any trouble. There is a nice, short nature trail which was nice to walk our dog and she enjoyed getting wet in the river.
The campground is hilly which means that a fair number of sites are not level. Our site (#27) was level for our RV but the patio sloped downhill and we could not use our picnic table or find a level spot for our chairs. Some sites are “premiums” with paved patios, Adirondack chairs, fancy firepits, BBQ grill, and tables and chairs with an umbrella. These sites are really nice, but you pay a lot more for them. Some sites are located adjacent to the river with nice waterfront views, but beware some might be muddy. There are lots of camping cabins and a couple of glamping tents.
Overall, the campground is very clean with no trash lying around and the grass was mowed and trimmed. The 50-amp electric was good as was the water pressure. The sewer connection uphill from our site so it did not drain properly. There is basic cable but since you are so close to Philly there are plenty of over-the-air channels. The Wi-Fi at our site worked well. Garbage is picked up at your site. The surrounding area has plenty of restaurants, shopping, and interesting things to see and do.
Cabin camping near Blue Marsh Lake, Pennsylvania, offers a perfect blend of nature and comfort, making it an ideal getaway for families and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to stay in cabins at Blue Marsh Lake?
Since Blue Marsh Lake doesn't offer cabin accommodations directly, permits specific to Blue Marsh cabins aren't applicable. Nearby alternatives like Rosemount Camping Resort require reservations rather than permits for their rental cabins. For Pennsylvania state parks with cabins, such as Tuscarora State Park, you'll need to make reservations through the PA DCNR reservation system, which typically opens 11 months in advance. A valid ID is required at check-in, and most cabin rentals require a security deposit rather than a separate permit.
Are there cabins available for rent at Blue Marsh Lake?
Blue Marsh Lake itself does not offer cabins for rent directly on its property. However, nearby alternatives include Knoebels Campground, which provides clean cabin rentals along with their amusement park access. Another option is Spring Gulch Resort Campground, which offers cabins in addition to their RV and tent sites. If you're set on staying near Blue Marsh Lake, you'll need to look at these nearby alternatives as the lake primarily offers day-use recreation rather than overnight accommodations.
What camping facilities are available near Blue Marsh Lake in Pennsylvania?
While Blue Marsh Lake itself has limited overnight options, the surrounding area offers diverse camping facilities. French Creek State Park Campground provides full hookup sites (in loop C), electric sites, and level asphalt pads with fire rings and picnic tables. For a private campground experience, Quakerwoods Campground in Bucks County offers scenic camping in rolling countryside. Other nearby options include Philadelphia-West Chester KOA with well-maintained facilities in the Pennsylvania countryside, about an hour from Blue Marsh Lake. Most facilities in the region offer amenities like bathhouses, water access, and recreational activities.
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