Best Tent Camping near Burnham, PA

Tent Camping Reviews near Burnham, PA

440 Reviews of 29 Burnham Campgrounds

• S

  Scott I.

  Traveler

  Sep. 3, 2025

  Rothrock Roadside Campsites — Rothrock State Forest

  Nice spot to camp in the mountains

  First I'll just say that the Rothrock campsites should probably each be listed separately, rather than as a group; they are very spread out throughout the State Forest and each is a different experience.  This review will be for site 002 Colerain Road.  

  This site is accessed by driving up a bit of a winding dirt road up the mountain.  It's easy enough during the summer, though the road is narrow and you've got some sharp bends depending on which way you come from.  This road is not safe to access in the winter in my opinion.  

  The parking is just right off the road, and there's a picnic table and large stone fire ring near the parking.  There's a small path further up the hill into the woods where there is a tent pad, another fire ring and another picnic table.  There are also a lot of flat spots nearby for additional tents to be set up.  

  Just behind the upper tent site is the top of the mountain, and the site has their own private overlook to the valley below.  The site is pretty remote, though there were vehicles and the occasional biker coming up the road.  Traffic may have been busier than usual the weekend we went because there was the Mid Atlantic Overland festival nearby at the same time.  At one point a family parked in the campsite's parking to start a walk... (there's a better trailhead up closer to Indian Lookout they should have used).

  No hookups, water, bathrooms, etc; its fully primitive camping here.  Cell coverage was fine on Xfinity Mobile (Verizon). 

  These sites used to be totally free but they're now $10 a night.  You still need to book a while out if you want to be here on a weekend, especially during the fall when Penn State is playing.

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• 

  Joann&WellsThePup I.

  Guide

  Jul. 14, 2021

  Penn Roosevelt State Park Campground

  Quiet camping

  Beautiful primitive campground (tent only). Get a site on the outside towards the water. They are spaced out and peaceful. Has restrooms (no shower), picnic table, and fire pit at each site. Short walk to creek and beautiful pond.

• 

  Cam N.

  Traveler

  Aug. 16, 2018

  Primitive Camping Area — Bald Eagle State Park

  Watch for trains

  I throughly enjoyed my time at Bald Eagle State Park. We stayed at a tent site, I believe 58 in the rustic camping section. The rustic section was located around a large loop with each site ranging in a few feet from the car-friendly loop to about the 50 foot walk where our site was located. While this is a primitive site, planning ahead you can place yourself near the vault toilets. If there was running water in the bathrooms– we didn’t find it! There are several water pumps located around the loop and we used that for washing dishes. Our site had space for two tents with a nice fire ring and picnic table. The fire ring was actually one of the best I have experienced– featuring a grill grate with adjustable levels for exposure to heat. The site also had a hook for keeping food or garage elevated from critters. Hammock lovers: we had plenty of trees to easily string our hammock near the picnic table/fire ring. Now the trains. An active railroad sits about 75 feet away from several of the rustic sites. We noticed the 7 p.m. train on Saturday evening. What we didn’t expect was being awoken at 5 a.m. to a freight train blowing through full steam– really gets your heart pumping– did not need coffee that morning. The rustic area also has access to a trail that loops about two miles near the lake and rustic campground. It was a fun place!

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• 

  Rick W.

  Traveler

  Aug. 15, 2022

  Colonel Denning State Park Campground

  Tent camping sites

  Walk in sites have picnic table and fire ring. Tent pads are level and smooth. Showers and restrooms are close to sites. Strongly recommend...

• 

  Napunani

  Legend

  Jun. 25, 2022

  Russell P Letterman Campground — Bald Eagle State Park

  Park Mowers Trashed Our Campsite

  PROS

  Senior discount $18 

  Able to reserve 334 days prior to arriving

  Campground quiet but can hear PA 150 road noise 

  Great night sky viewing 

  Nice privacy from side neighbor's campsite 

  Asphalt parking pad 

  Large gravel around pad to include firepit and utility hook up 

  Grass around gravel, but was mid-calf high 

  Metal fire pit which was cleaned out upon arrival 

  Lantern pole 

  8 miles off of Interstate 80 

  Firewood for sale at the campground; $6 bundle 

  Park is good proximity to Penn State University and Central Pennsylvania 

  Country Pride Restaurant Milesburg (TA truck stop off of Interstate 80) has some terrific food! 

  4 bars Verizon 

  CONS

  $6.50 reservation fee for self made online reservation 

  One day while away from our campsite, park personnel mowed  mid-cafe high grass at and around our site and the mowers threw grass all over our table with a table cloth, chairs, trailer, driveway...you name it...it was covered with grass. Why the mowers didn’t direct the mowed grass AWAY from our items is beyond me. What a mess!!! 

  Check-in clerk at park office was disturbed we checked in with her. Told us just to go to site. Could not tell us if site was vacated. We had to ask for a park map and directions to campground/campsite since this was first time visiting 

  Site MO45 unlevel from side to side 

  Site MO45 NO shade as was the case with most of the FHU campsites

  Metal frame wood top table in bad condition 

  Need pathway from upper campsite to toilet/shower building…have to wade thru mid-calf high grass if you don’t walk on the roadway 

  Toilet/shower facility lit up like a Christmas tree 

  Toilet/shower facility cleaned on Wednesdays only, according to sign on door 

  No WiFi

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• J

  Joanna H.

  Traveler

  Sep. 19, 2021

  Poe Paddy State Park Campground

  Great little campground

  I’ve stayed here twice for camping trips. It’s a great small campground that has basic amenities. The experience is likely highly site dependent, as there are a few distinct areas to stay depending on your needs and luck. There is NO cell service and park rangers do “rounds” but aren’t stationed at the site. There are a couple of water pumps, several well-maintained pit toilets, and an emergency phone. It’s about 20-30 min to gas. There’s no camp store here but about 3.5 miles away at Poe Valley there’s a store, real bathrooms and showers, kayaking rentals, etc. There’s a guy that sells firewood just past Poe Valley. The Poe Paddy sites I prefer are well-shaded, fairly large, surrounded by trees, and private (but you’ll be able to hear a couple neighbors). Dogs are only allowed in the RV loop, which is intense gravel, so be sure you have a good sleeping pad if you’re tent camping. The campground is in the middle of the dense Bald Eagle State Forest with lots of hiking opportunities. The creek that runs through Poe Paddy is awesome for wading and people also tube it when conditions are right. Get a Purple Lizard map for best enjoyment of the area.

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• 

  Danielle

  Guide

  Apr. 12, 2021

  Bald Eagle State Forest

  Dispersed Site #13; Pretty, loud, not accessible for pop up campers

  Husband and I set off for a weekend of boon docking at Bald Eagle State Forest in our little pop up camper. We stayed at site #13, which is a dispersed site- not in the campground. 

  Picture a lovely large, round grassy meadow surrounded by trees at the end of a long gravel road. Picnic table, fire ring, one pretty tree in the center, and a babbling brook down below the site. It looks so perfect! Now picture large boulders preventing any wheeled vehicle (including a light little pop up) from rolling into said field. Add in that the I-80 interstate is so close that you can see trucks through the trees in some places- not to mention hear them all.night.long. Would we camp here again? Nope. We would not. Would this be right for some? Probably yes- especially tent campers, loud groups, and those who feel safer with road noise in the background. 

  This site was not listed as"tent only", and I suppose being able to set up on the gravel road did work. But I was majorly bummed we couldn't set up at the back of the actual site itself. The road set up was not nearly as nice. You can see in my photos the size of the site, and the boulders, and where we ended up setting up. 

  I will also mention that the road getting here involved a hairpin turn (from Long Run Rd. onto Ransaires Rd.) that large set ups would not be able to make. We made it work and we had a great trip.

  Not what we expected, but we still had a good time. We will try again at Bald Eagle State Forest, but would not choose this site again.

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• 

  Travis S.

  Guide

  Jul. 27, 2017

  Black Moshannon State Park Campground

  Red Mo

  Nice campground, wooded sites and most were okay for tent camping however some required your tent to be set up a small distance from the fire ring. Clean showerhouses and bathrooms. Big Lake and a few miles of hiking and biking trails right from the campground.

  The Iron Ore mines from the past have left the creek water stained red which is why its called the Red Mo with the locals.

• S

  Sean F.

  Guide

  Jun. 2, 2023

  Pine Grove Furnace State Park Campground

  Camping at the AT Halfway Point

  Great small campground in South-central PA.  Sites are nicely spaced except for a few that are tucked into a few odd-shaped places.  I stayed in site 21, which was on an outside loop with a lot of space.  Campground seems very well maintained and the hosts were very friendly and active.  I wasn't there on a busy night, but nice to know it is a place where the hosts are trying to keep a relaxing atmosphere.  Nearly everything is in the woods so there's lots of shade during the warm seasons.  There's a fire ring, picnic table, lantern hanger and generous tent pad.  There's also room in many outside loop sites to set up in the woods.  Very quiet and relaxing evening.

  Bathrooms feel very modern and there is a combination of a traditional shower/bathroom center and a separate bathroom only area with 4 private bathrooms (though now showers).  Showers were clean and had hot water, though when you press the button for water, it only runs for about 10 seconds.  So you really have to just hold the water on while you shower one-handed.  I think there was a 1-car per site rule while I was there.

  Firewood is on-site for $5 for a six-piece bundle, with kindling available.  Wood lit right up for me.  The park has a general store, swimming lake, Appalachian Trail Museum, Park office and a few other historic buildings so there's a lot to do.  Just take note that everything closes at 4 PM.  The park is just north of the halfway point of the AT and is a popular place for hikers to stop and take a slow or zero day.  The museum is interesting if you have any interest in the AT and very knowledgeable host.

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