Best Glamping near Calvin, PA

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: 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.

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!

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.

Very cool camp. Loops for RVs, higher on the hill, waterfront loops on steeper grounds for tents, and some walk-to sites adjacent to parking right at the point which double as boat-in. Some site right on the water, can walk right into the lake. Beautiful scenery, be prepared to be woken by bass boats and subsequent wake at sunrise 🌄. Spots 51, 52, 53 best waterfront with parking.

This primitive campground is located a few miles from Seven Points Recreation area, but far enough away to enjoy a real camping experience without electricity and running water. Not to worry, the showers are located at Seven Points. There aren't many waterfront sites, so book early. Some sites not listed as waterfront can be used for boats (with a permit from the campground office).

We camped at Suquehannock for the first time in August 2020 and had a fantastic time with our dog!

Don't be alarmed by the fact that some reviews call this "primitive" camping-- there are restrooms with well-ventilated composting toilets, potable water is available at the entrance station, and our campsite was very flat, clean, and safe. 

Old Logger's Trail can be reached walking from the campground, and there are many other hiking/biking trails within a 15-minute drive. Boating is also possible at some of the campsites.

The campground was very nice. The spaces were all very level, and many were waterfront. Each loop has a playground and bathhouse. The visitors center has a great educational area inside and a nature trail outside. Across from the visitors center is a mountain bike park. Unfortunately there was a pipeline being put right through the middle and equipment/workers everywhere and a generator that ran all night.

Campground Review:

Located in the Raystown Lake Recreation Area is Seven Points. It has 6 different loops to choose from. Two are waterfront and view. Four are wide open sites with space in between. Highlights are the numerous hiking trails, mountain bike trail which is extensive, swimming beach that wasn't crowded on Labor Day weekend, a marina, a restaurant at the marina, a visitors center, and a bicycle "course" for younger people I think. We stayed in Senoia loop in a water view (somewhat) site. It was small for our 22 foot total camper but we fit. It was carved out of the side of the hill with 3 wood walls. Our table and firepit were up several stairs/steps. This is a hilly area so your site is split and the two areas are on different levels. Only the two loops on the water have this. The other four loops are all level spacious sites.  There was electric but no water or sewer hookups. We drove into Huntingdon and found signs to two outlooks which had spectacular views. One was Ridenour Overlook and the other Hawn's Overlook which were accessed from the same parking lot. Ridenour overlooked the Raystown dam which led us to see that we could drive to the top of the dam and have another great view which we did. We saw signs for Hesston Speedway which we want to visit next time we go. It's across from the campground main road entrance. The RLRA has numerous activities one of which was Chris Collins and Boulder Canyon group who performed John Denver songs. They tour nationally and into Canada so not a small town group. They were great! The amphitheater provided plenty of space for the couple hundred attendees. While we could walk Senoia loop even with its steep hills, the whole area was not walkable. One would have trouble walking the entire RLRA. There was a path through much of it but that path didn't seem to go all the way to our loop. There was obviously boat noise at times but you're at the lake. In fact, several sites allowed for boat tie ups right at your site so you could have both your camper / tent and boat at the same site. There is a launch area at the marina also.  The lake swimming area also had a snack bar and bathhouse. We plan on going again next summer and explore more. I will include pics and videos of campsites. Water sites are in Senoia and The Point. The Valley, Meadow, Bay, and Ridge loops are not near the water but there's plenty of parking in day use areas which were not full that weekend. 

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Product Review:

As a Ranger for the Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground I tested the GrubStick. I was excited to try it out as I wanted to cook over an open fire. First off, the kit comes with two handles, 2 baskets, 2 double prong sticks, a hot pat and finger hot pad to use to open the baskets. It is very sturdy and well made. You're getting a well made product! We first tried a Caprese Sandwich. We use the circle basket and handle combo to heat and melt the tomato, mozzarella, and Pesto. Then we put that on a ciabatta roll. I love these sandwiches. It was delicious and quick. I was happy. Later I used the square basket for S'mores. I put the graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate together in the basket and held it over our fire. It burnt the graham cracker, melted the chocolate into a mess but tasted good. I think using the long marshmallow stick for them and then putting the smore together would be less messy. The next morning we made breakfast sandwiches of hash brown patties, sausage, and egg whites with cheese. We had to cut some of it smaller to fit into the GrubStick basket. It heated well and was delicious but we could've done the same in our microwave in the RV or in foil over the fire. My husband said he felt it was a fun tool but if pressed for space or weight on a backpacking trip, he wouldn't take it. I think kids would have fun with it. I recommend it for a meal or snack but probably not for every meal. Though I admit clean up wasn't that bad. If considering it, go for it! You'll have fun with it.