Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Clearfield, PA

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.

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.

This is a big park. We just reserved one night as as an overnight stop after a 10 hr day of driving. We travel with a dog so our only choice for an electric site was on the Sycamore loop. The Oak loop does not allow pets. Sites we nicely laid out with level gravel and a fire ring. Looks like there lots to do around the park, especially for families.

We stayed in one of the pet friendly loops of the park. We had a great time in our PUP....bathhouse was clean and well maintained.

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.

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.

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.

I honestly struggled with what to rate this campground. I loved the area. Very peaceful and quite, but close to State College (a must since we were in town for a Penn State game). I also loved historic Bellefonte (I highly recommend eating at the Governors Pub). It had a cute little dog park, nice play ground, bouncy pillow, gem mining, pool, etc.- what you expect to find at a KOA. Once we were in it, I even loved our site once we were in it. It was very secluded, private, quite and woodsy. That being said- getting into the site was almost impossible. We didn't think we'd be able to do it. And as it was, our slide out was about an inch away from a tree on one side and up against a raised concrete pad on the other. For a smaller camper, it was probably perfect, but I really don't think they had any business putting a camper our size in that site. Width wise, the site was large and had some sort of shrub growing in the middle of the entrance which helped with giving it more privacy. Then there was the water pressure… or lack of water pressure. Saying it trickled out would be generous. Though there was a lot about the campground that I liked, I won't go back again just based on the water pressure alone. I've never been that stressed out trying to rinse my hair… It could very well have just been a problem with our site- we were in the very back on the hill. Or it may be a problem everyone was experiencing. I'm not sure which is why I gave it a 4 rating. I liked everything about it but that.

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

Only knock is this section of the campground is not for pet owners, but it’s not completely obvious when making a reservation. So, we stayed with our pups and didn’t get in trouble but felt weird for breaking the rules that we didn’t know about before arriving 🤷‍♂️

Nice clean and quiet campground. The address online took us to the ranger station. Turn left BEFORE bridge. Couldn’t see sign from the road. The section we were in was “no pets allowed”. My kids loved the beach, swimming was not deep. Beach was big with adjacent playground. Lots of pavilions all over. The area was a little crowded for my liking.

We stayed at site 8 which is creekside. It was a large, beautiful site and the sound of the burbling water lulled us to sleep every night. The bathrooms and showers are very clean and modern (tiled, not concrete block for a change). The only downside to the area is the quantity of timber rattle snakes that we encountered, one at our site and one in the woods nearby. Something to keep in mind if you have pets or small children.

This park is a little different and has some fairly interesting history. There are some old ruins as well as an old quarry site. The grounds are open to hunting and we were surprised by a bird hunter and his dog who was running around off leash, creating a little havoc for us while walking our two dogs on the trail. If you visit in the fall, be sure to bring some hunter orange if you plan on exploring the trails.

Now onto the cabins- these are quite nice! They have nice bathrooms with hot showers, a common area with a lot of furniture, a kitchen with large table and full sized appliances. The cabin we stayed in was pet friendly and had two rooms, one with a full size bed and a second one with 2 sets of bunk beds. The heat was quite efficient and kept us warm on some cold nights. 

These cabins are not equipped with any type of consumables, cookware or linens. You really need to bring everything if you're planning on actually using the bathroom or kitchen. There is toilet paper though :) We chose to stay here due to its proximity to several National Park sites in the area and it was perfect for us! We will be visiting another state park with similar cabins next year, too!

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.

This campground was our least favorite of the many we’ve been to this summer, in large part because there were so many people! We stayed in 103 RedOak loop because we had our dogs. The site itself was fine, and there were no hook ups - which we knew- in that section. The mix of tents and smaller pop ups was nice. But, if you want to get away and be in nature this may not be your spot. The sites across/diagonal to us started playing movies on their big screen projector Friday and Sat. nights. If I wanted to hear my neighbors movies I would have stayed home. And others in our loop arrived late, close to 11 pm and spent the next hour hammering stakes for their tent. Everything just felt so loud. Because it was pet friendly there was a constant barking festival - our dogs included- because you were basically on the main loop road where everyone walked their dogs with little privacy.

We also hoped to work on Friday during our stay given they advertise WiFi. We paid for WiFi for the day and couldn’t get much work done. We won’t make that mistake again. There was little to no data for AT&T.

We spent a day on the lake on a pontoon that was from 1972. The younger staff were great and all respectful wearing masks. The lake was fine but nothing like Deep CreekMD or Summersville, WV. People were average friendly. The trails were nice enough but they were walking trails around the lake. Our dogs liked that.

If you want to kayak or fish, that’s the adventure you’ll get here. And you will be in campground Americana with 300 other people.

2 night stay in a tent site. Sites were small, but doable. Very clean and spacious showerhouses/bathrooms in each section. Some sections do not allow pets, even for walking. Lake was large with 26 miles of shoreline. The lake was virtually empty, especially for a holiday weekend. There is a swimming area, also empty. The only boats we saw were pontoons and kayaks. Check their website, maybe that is all that are allowed. We don't have a boat, so didn't ask. Some hiking trails around the park. Surprisingly, we saw NO wildlife, and had no campsite "visitors". The park offered many family friendly programs.

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.

While I understand that Memorial Day is a very busy camping weekend, I was hoping that due to the coronavirus that this spot would be less crowded given the restrictions in place.  Our loop had approximately 50 sites with roughly 200 people on it, minimum.  The concept of social distancing here is a joke and the only evidence of there being a pandemic was the sign in the bathroom that stated to stay 6 feet apart and masks being a requirement in all park buildings… with no enforcement whatsoever.  That said, sites are on the small side with a fire ring and a picnic table.  All vehicles MUST back into the parking spaces, and all parking spots are blacktop.  There is a camp store and a bundle of decent hardwood will cost $6; they do accept cards with a $10 minimum.  The city of Altoona is about 30 minutes away for more extensive shopping.  There is a marina and boat rental on the lake about a 10 minute drive away.  Bathrooms are very clean and the push button showers have excellent water pressure.  Drinking water is dispersed throughout each loop.  Pets are allowed on certain loops.

This campground is perfect for people who are looking to get away from busy city life or just want to relax next to a lake. Even though you can't see the lake from every site you can be there within a 10 minute walk. They have pet friendly sites, bike trails, and you can canoe, kayak, and take boats out on the lake. There are specific swimming areas and you can fish just about anywhere. Little to no cell service and there are some local stores/restaurants around the lake within 5-10 miles of the campground but most things close between 8-10pm. There is a camp store with food and supplies available sonif you show up with a text and a sleeping bag they can help out with the rest. Keep in mind being in the woods and by the lake it Ian always 5-15 degrees cooler than the surroundings towns so I feel you are leaving and want to explore the areas outside the campground be prepared for it to be much warmer than expected. I've been going here my whole life (32 years) and it is always clean and the people who work/volunteer there are super friendly and helpful. I've been there during every month they are open and each season is a new and exciting experience. They have a lot I feel family oriented activities and so you don't need to leave to find something to do.

Adults and Children alike will love the park office / Wildlife Center at Sinnemahoning State Park. Learn about this buildings green construction (LEED)geo thermal heat, rain water harvesting system, recycled materials and more! Step inside to view elk bear birds and other wildlife! Learn about the building of the dam and the early days of the CCC camps. If you can get the children out of the office or bring yourself to leave ... make a souvenir penny on your way out before walking across the parking lot and around the corner to visit the arch tree. This park is a long narrow park with a road running through it that is perfect for a bike ride or stroll. On one end is a wildlife viewing area, the other end offers great fishing and a boat launch. Between is a picnic day use area and a 35 site campground with a dump station, a modern restroom with flush toilets and showers. The restrooms and some campsites are ADA accessible. Electric hookups are available and each pet friendly camp site has its own picnic table, lantern hold and fire ring. Elk, eagles deer and many other varieties of wild life can be seen here on a regular basis! There is much to explore here during any season and even on a rainy day the kids will have the opportunity to learn about the world around them! 5 stars Sinnemahoning! What a treasure in the PA Wilds!

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!

SB Elliott SP is a tiny campground with quite a few flat places to take a stroll.  The sites are decently sized for the size of the campground itself, and there is a bathroom at the campground and pit toilets across the street at the picnic area.  There are no showers.  Sites offer a picnic table and a fire ring.  There isn't a camp store, but  I-80 is 2 miles down the road and there are places to shop/eat in nearby Clearfield.  The park is a wonderful place to go for walks as they have fields, forested areas, gravel roads and paved roads.  Parker Dam State Park is also a couple of miles down the road if you want more trails to explore.