Best Campgrounds near Columbia, PA

First off, I would love to give this place 5 stars but the lots are just too small and too tight. Pet friendly. No children. No frills. Great place to explore Amish country from. Also close enough to Hershey to take in the attractions Hershey transportation museum, Hershey candy store, and definitely take the Hershey trolly tour. And if so inclined, Hershey park, with over a dozen roller coasters. Many Amish store outlets in area. Close to Lancaster. If you’re a foodie, this area has many buffet style venues. Shady Maple Smorgasbord was excellent. Amish farms and fields everywhere. Careful driving Amish buggies are numerous. On one occasion, in the field right behind our sight, two horses hooked to a trailer took of across the field headed for the village with a dog and 6 or 8 young Amish men and boys chasing them. A few moments of angst and excitement.

Had to overcome a minor bit of confusion at checkin but the staff resolved it reasonably quickly. I have a non-traditional RV, which I informed the campground of when I made the reservation, but the gate security wasn’t aware. A manager came by the following day to explain the campgrounds standards, allowed me to stay for the length of my reservation, but ensured I understood I couldn’t stay again with this camper. No issues. It’s private property and they can certainly decide who can rent their spots.

The campground itself is in excellent condition. While it is primarily occupied by seasonal units, they don’t seem to be victim of neglect in the way they so often are.

The restrooms were clean and modern. The laundry facility was clean, all machines operational.

The camp store has minimal stock, but does have the things you might need in a pinch, and there are full service grocery stores close enough that it shouldn’t be a problem.

The staff that I interacted with were excellent.

The park is expensive (based solely on my experience). It’s about 25 miles from the Gettysburg battlefield. That may account for the premium prices.

We spent the Memorial Day weekend at Philadelphia/ West Chester KOA Holiday in Coatesville, PA and had a good time. 

We paid$135/night for Back-in Patio Site#25. A bit pricey considering the lack of elbow room, but it’s a great site and everything is well-kept. There was just barely enough room for the motorhome and Jeep Wrangler. 

I did have major trouble backing in because the road is too narrow for a 45’ motorhome to back in on a nearly 90-degree angle. So difficult, that I cracked the bottom of my front cap catching the grass and gravel beside the grave road. I think this would’ve otherwise been a 5-star review.Don’t stay in this site in a big motorhome. The trailers/5th wheels seem better because they ‘bend’ at the hitch. 

THINGS I LIKED: 

• Great site(once you’re in it!) including patio furniture on a paver patio and seating around an upgraded fire pit. The landscaping made up for the tight squeeze. 

• Clean and level gravel site with well-maintained utility hook-ups. 

• Close to Longwood Gardens; Wilmington, Delaware; and a handful of local museums and gardens. Not too far from Philadelphia. 

• Super friendly staff. Every interaction with employees was extremely nice. Other campgrounds and even hotels can learn a lot from these folks. 

• The whole park is quiet and well-maintained. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH: 

• Heads up, big rig owners! Tight squeeze into Site 25. 

• Get cozy, the sites are quite small and tightly packed together. 

WOULD WE COME BACK? 

• Absolutely, this is a nice campground staffed by super nice people with plenty to see and do in the area.

My family and I stayed at this campground in late April. The staff was great. We had a site right on next to the trail going to Stangler Farm.  AT&T cell reception at our site was hit or miss , but good in the rest of the campground. The camp store has everything that any camper could need, and the game room is really nice. The whole campground was clean and well kept. Ths campground is approximately a 3 minute drive from everything in the town of Gettysburg. The battefields are very close as well. Chubbys Pizza is about 5 minutes down the road and provides fast service as well as great food. We will definitely visit this campground again.