Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Clarion, PA

Was there a few months ago. I love this area. Cook Forest is about 10-11 miles from Clarion, PA where I attend college. The state park is one of the most popular in the state, I think. The Clarion River provides lots of water activities, etc. and there is lots of hikes to do including a walk to the Fire Tower right from the campground. But I’m not a fan of this campground. There are over 200 sites in the campground and it is frequently full. Sites are way too close to each other. The weekend I was there this last time, it was packed. The sites appear to be level and have all the amenities but I will not camp there again due to the size.

OverLl great campground. The sites are a little close together but we still enjoyed our time there. Staff is super friendly and there was plenty for the kids to do, pool, arcade, fishing, and playground. Decent size dog park to let your dogs run and decent trails nearby.

Nice park with very friendly staff. My only complaint is the sites are way too crowded. Also a little uneven. I love that this park is close to Lake Wilhelm & Goddard State Park for fishing and bike riding. 2 pools and a dog park.

especially on the pet loop - nicest sites, location-wise, for a tent are 49-53 or 43 in the woods, and 40 on the Clarion River. Canoe-in group sites are nice, too, and secluded. 1 bar Verizon service - no wifi - firewood for sale - water spigots throughout park

Sites are super big and is a great family owned campground! Super close to a local ice cream shop and has a great dog park and is fully paved. Large fishing area and Camp store! I love that you can use Campers App at this campground and I love getting the Notifications when I camping there!

Good location for outdoor and city experiences, along with a relaxing getaway. Workers and permanent campers are very friendly with all the amenities necessary on site, including nice dog park. A small campground that didn’t have many kids for ours to play with during our visit. In addition, hill keeps permanent campers separate from temporary campers.

Cooks forest is absolutely gorgeous. I look forward to returning as there are a lot of hiking opportunities we missed. We stayed in the pet friendly area, which was nice. There is a pet trail through the woods that was really great to take our dog rather than walking around the campground. Our site was right next to a drinking water spigot and a path to the bath house. The sites near ours were in a wooded area, which felt more private than many of the other sites we saw. There was a fore pit and a picnic table. Our fire pit was behind where the camper was parked, which also felt more private. There is no alcohol permitted in PA state parks, so alcohol is prohibited in the campground as well. It was a great spot, and we look forward to returning.

We have tented and RV'd at Clear Creek. A must do when camping in Pennsylvania. The Clarian river is great for kayaking . Multiple trails off of park. Biking and breweries close by. if you have RV/travel trailer do NOT recommend the non-power sites, they are not level enough, you may really have to bring up the trailer. There were wonderful campsites hosts when we there

Pros; excellent location, great friendly people, clean and stocked bathrooms which include showers. Some sites are separated.. great camp hosts

Cons…a few sites are really close, however not a bad thing here as we got to meet a lot of great people, so for us it was kind of a Pro.

We stayed in the pet friendly area for 4 days. Very nice campers, bathrooms very clean. Even with half the spaces open, still felt a little crowded.

This is my favorite campground so far in PA.

For the most part, there isn’t a bad site (although we didn’t see any of the walk up sites, and I recommend not booking a site immediately next to the bathrooms since the ones without showers are more like “outhouse” toilets and can stink). The sites are private, flat, surrounded by trees, and have plenty of space. The ground is quite rocky though, so bring plenty of heavy duty tent steaks.

Highlights include: the reservoir (beautiful and clean! You can swim with your dog from the access points at the campground), quiet, friendly staff (a kind older gentleman helped us jump my car and refused to take any money as a thank you), updated/very clean showers, not buggy, reception is great (we have Verizon), plenty of room to social distance, and 2 trading posts about 1 mile away with milk, eggs, basic supplies, etc.

Cons: the bathrooms without showers aren’t flush toilets, and there is no campground office so you must see the hosts for any issues.

Things to do nearby (last 5 pictures): the Kinzua Skywalk Bridge free- an old train bridge that was partially destroyed by a tornado in the early 2000’s. The bridge is handicap/stroller accessible, pets are allowed. There is a small indoor museum & gift shop, and a hiking trail along the wreckage. If you hike, wear good sneakers, the path is rocky and VERY steep. The hiking path is not recommended for small children). Bathrooms on site.

The Kinzua Dam free - beautiful. Handicap/stroller accessible, pets permitted. Bathrooms were closed due to social distancing.

Rimmrock overlook free- just a small distance from the parking lot. NOT stroller/handicap accessible, and there are rock steps, however we saw numerous families with small children go through the path with no issues. Pets permitted. Bathrooms on site.

Nearby towns of Kane and Ridgway looked cute, but we didn’t spend time there due to our efforts to social distance.

This is one of our favorite campgrounds. Very neat & clean. Full hookup sites & pet friendly. Close to dam where the fish are plentiful. Nice level sites.

Grew up in the area so I’m bias but I love the atmosphere. Swimming, mini golf, kayaking, horse riding, etc. and so much more to do in the area. Visit the Farmers Inn restaurant and petting zoo while you’re in the area.

Real nice park that can get pretty busy on weekends. We arrived on a Thursday and, in advance, reserved one of the few remaining sites. Never used their facilities, but they looked nice. Electric only at our site. Both ATT & Verizon signals weren't bad. Wouldn't try to watch a movie or stream anything though. For the most part the sites were pretty level. Most pretty shaded, and there is also a pet section as well as a full hookup area. The full hookup, as normal are full sun for big rigs.

Site is clean and level. Not too far from the clarion river to kayak. Campground has non electric to 50amp service. Some full hook up spots available. Dog friendly for most of the campground. Bath houses are clean and have good water pressure.

Located within the state park, the location is perfect access to hiking, the water tower and overlook, and the Clarion river for fishing, kayaking, canoeing. Beautiful pine forested surroundings up on the mountainside. Wifi is much improved. While there are many bathroom/showers, they are older, in disrepair and not always well-kept. Large campground that accommodates all types of camping. Dogs allowed in allocated sites.

Lovely park and campground on the Clarion River.

Was impressed by the quiet campers. Folks were very friendly, but nighttime was silent.

Lots of space for long walks, and there are trailheads right at the campground if you want to get to explore. I took the dogs on the Truby Trail.

None of the major carriers have service here, but I needed to ‘get away’ for the night so it was perfect.

The park is on the scenic Clarion River and offers tent camping, some sites are paddle in only, RV sites, small and larger rustic cabins, and even a couple of yurts. It’s very well maintained, including the restroom/shower houses which were very clean. The upper loop tent sites are a bit more secluded and there is plenty of space for the larger cabins. The smaller cabins are more clustered but we enjoyed staying in them on a couple occasions. Be sure to bring kayaks or inner tubes for lazy hours on the river. There are kayak rentals nearby also. The Clarion River is full of wildlife including bald eagles hunting the river and an occasional black bear nearby.

Be sure to visit Beartown Rocks that is close by. It offers a nice view of the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.

This is a beautiful campground with site not far from the Clarion river. There is a stream that runs down through the park and bear rocks has some beautiful views of the forest.

A Pennsylvania favorite, Clear Creek State Park is a beautifully maintained, scenic park, right on the Clarion River in the Clear Creek State Park. The Park offers movies on an outdoor screen, regular nature talks and walks and has an onsite museum. The park has tent sites, RV sites and cabins. Clear Creek runs through the campground and is a perfect spot for a BBQ or Picnic. It also has a designated swimming beach with sand. There are multiple hiking trails leaving the campground. There is a general store just 5min from the park, plus multiple private firewood options on the road in. The park also sells firewood bundles. The Clarion is a crystal clear, shallow, rock bottom river perfect for a cool off, fishing or kayaking. There are two kayaking/tubing companies in Cook Forest to hire watercraft to float the river. Both floats don’t go as high as Clear Creek State Park so you won’t float past the campground, with the longest being 9 miles. The facilities are always clean, with large shower areas and always fully stocked with tissue. All sites have fire rings with adjustable grills. The best un-powered RV site is site 40– private and waterfront. The best powered-RV site is 39– private and waterfront. There are also two very private tent sites that are waterfront(classified as Kayak In tent sites) numbered CR-001& CR-002. Both waterfront, shaded with fire rings. Excellent tent sites! Note you can only book them for 1 night at a time. No phone reception at this one! They welcome furry friends at selected sites!

Long drive (almost a mile) into the campground from the main road. You follow the creek into the campground where it also meets the Clarion River. Lot of crayfish to catch in frigid cold Clear Creek and great tubing in the Clarion River. Cabins, RV and tent sites available. I’ll be honest, the tent only loop l, sites 43 and higher are not that great. Nothing flat and very difficult to find a good spot on them for a tent. But they are also the most private sites. Clear Creek State Forest is just next door and offers lots of hiking and biking trails. Farmers Inn is just outside of the campground with great food and Cooks Forest is a short drive away with go carts tubing and canoeing and kayaking.

Campground Review:

This is our second trip to Parker Dam State Park.   It is a beautiful PA state park.   It is quiet and peaceful.   The leaves were beginning to change.  This trip was chilly at night, but gorgeous weather during the day.  Bathroom/shower houses are a bit outdated, but clean.  We had a full hook up site.  They have pet loops as well.  If you want to stay in September, book early.  Limited cell service.   Spent time driving to Benezette - about 30 minute trip - to see the Elk.   Great experience seeing approximately 100 elk.  Several very large bulls.   Would recommend the campground and the trip to Benezette to everyone. 

Product Review: 

As a Ranger for the Dyrt, we get products to test from time to time- today we tested the Banner & Oak Women's Hoodie. https://bannerandoak.com/collections/hoodies/products/freedom-heathered-black I so apologize because we were so busy watching the elk in Benezette, that we completely forgot to take photos of the product.  This hoodie is very soft! The sizing is accurate.  While it is not a thick sweatshirt material, it keeps you very comfortably warm.   I prefer the thinner material versus a thick and heavy sweatshirt.   It has become my "go to" hoodie.   Pros:  Lightweight, but very warm.   Con:  The pouch in front is actually 2 small pockets even though it looks like a pouch.   I'm not sure this is really a "con" because it depends on what style you prefer.  At first, I wasn't sure about it, but I am beginning to like it.  Wish the pockets would be a little bigger though.   Overall, I think this is a great lightweight hoodie and worth a purchase!