Best Tent Camping near Dallastown, PA

Tent Camping Reviews near Dallastown, PA

1052 Reviews of 16 Dallastown Campgrounds

• 

  Napunani

  Legend

  Jun. 25, 2022

  French Creek State Park Campground

  Campsites Jammed Closely Together

  PROS 

  Reserved 328 days prior to arriving

  $13.50 senior discount 

  Immediately greeted by Loop C camp host who was extremely friendly and helpful 

  Site C3 parking pad level asphalt 

  Metal frame wooden picnic table that was moveable 

  One hook lantern pole 

  Metal fire pit which was cleaned out upon our arrival 

  Some vegetation between sites provided a bit of privacy from neighbors sites 

  Park is 21 miles from Valley Forge National Historical Park. Catch National Park Service 90 minute trolley tour at the Visitor Center. 

  Shady Maple Smorgasbord...authentic Pennsylvania Dutch cooking…largest buffet in the USA…16 miles from French Creek SP 

  CONS

  $6.50 reservation fee for making my own on-line reservation 

  Horrible signage along PA-345. Never saw very small sign when we where intensely searching 

  Such a large overall park, but camping loop sites are jammed together

  Pitiful low water pressure  in Loop C

  Site sewer connection is high; needs to be knocked down to ground level 

  Short length of site caused creative tow vehicle parking 

  Loop C women’s toilet/shower building a big nasty mess Saturday 

  Trash dumpsters are on the main road near the campground check-in station (not walkable) 

  Noisy campground; 9pm quiet hour not enforced

  Lots of barking dogs 

  No wood sales in park 

  No WiFi 

  1 bar Verizon

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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...

• 

  Nate & Erika L.

  Guide

  Aug. 31, 2021

  Susquehanna State Park Campground

  Great State Park Camping

  We decided to stay a weekend at Susquehanna based on the reviews on the Dyrt and it’s closer proximity to home. We arrived and were greeted by super friendly rangers who gave us the lay of the land. We found the rangers to be very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife, plants, and trees in the park. They had two display tables full of flora and fauna by the check-in station set up for kids and adults alike to glean some knowledge. On one night while we were there, there was a program run by the rangers where kids could learn about some common native and invasive species.

  We hiked the Green Trail, which had a sign saying it was ‘very difficult’, but we found it to be no problem for our crew of seven kids aged 3-10 and four adults. We only passed one other hiker. We saw some champion trees, lots of deer, and had some run ins with more than a few spotted lantern flies. One ranger told us they have nine champion trees in the park, we’d love to go back and hike to find the others.

  With only two loops, the sites were fairly spaced out with lots of trees between them. We had a spacious electric site for our pop up and camped with friends who had a nice level, secluded tent site. We hardly ever heard any neighbors and all was quiet at night. Each loop shares a bathhouse, and there are some portable toilets spaced around the loop, too. The facilities were cleaned every morning. They even have a large laundry utility sink in the bathhouse should you need it. The only downside we found was that showering at prime time (around 8 or 9 pm) led to very little hot water. A small price to pay for good camping and hiking!

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• 

  Craig F.

  Guide

  Jul. 1, 2019

  Gifford Pinchot State Park Campground

  Fun Camping and Lake Activities

  We had a wonderful stay at Gifford Pinchot State Park! 

  The camping area at GP is separated into A loop and B loops with approximately 300 sites. All sites had a paved pad, varying in size depending on the location, with tent site being smaller. Most sites have electric and there are 22 full hookup sites in the camping area. Both loops are peninsulas into the lake, which is convenient to launching boats directly from many sites. Loop A is closer to the designated swimming area with a sandy beach and playground. B loop is closer to many of the hiking trails and also several boat launch areas. It is nice that the camping area and amenities are separated from the public day use area. At the entrance to the camping area there are three dump stations. 

  During our stay we were at a full hookup site which was very spacious and often hard to find in PA State Parks. Our site was#299 and for some reason the entire site was paved/blacktop, which was different than all the other sites where the pad was paved and the picnic table area was gravel/grass. While this site made it easy to level our camper, it became quite hot in the afternoon/evening after the sun had baked it all day.

  Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed GP and couldn’t believe we hadn’t visited before because it is a great state park. Wood is available for purchase at the campground hosts’ sites and ice at the park office. As with most PA state parks, quiet hours are at 9:00PM, which is a bit early, and there is no alcohol allowed in the park. We look forward to returning to GP in the future.

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• 

  Nick C.

  Guide

  Jun. 19, 2022

  Owens Creek Campground — Catoctin Mountain Park

  Cozy and Clean - Lots of Firewood

  The sites are very clean but close to each Other. You can hear the kids and families and all that. The sites have a nice mulched tent pad, fire ring / grill grate, lantern pole and picnic table. There is a firewood hut at the entrance and you can take what you need - just leAve a donation. The bathrooms are very clean and there’s some trails around the creek (dry creek/ nothing impressive)

• 

  Roger W.

  Legend

  Jun. 2, 2023

  Owens Creek Campground — Catoctin Mountain Park

  Peaceful w filtered sun

  Owens Creek Campground : (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 4.5 Price: $15/night w senior pass Usage during visit: very low including Fri night Site Privacy: understory trees, filter l e of site in many sites. Site Spacing: most very nicely spaced Site surface: blacktop Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Very quiet Road Noise: Only a bit in first few campsites Through Traffic: no problem Electricity: No Water: Spigots at bathhouses Sewer: No Dump: No Generators: 6 AM to 10 PM Bathroom: Old but very clean.
  Showers: Yes. Double curtains Pull Throughs: Some Cell Service (Verizon): Very good Setting: A thick deciduous forest Weather: nice. Cooler because of shade Bugs: A few. Will probably increase as month moves on Solar: Too much shade for fixed solar panels Host: Yes Rig size: Not all sites will accommodate a 22’ trailing. Sites: Pictures are of some of the best sites. My favs: 14 nice woods view , (28 & 29 hear creek,)37. 45, 46

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• 

  Jim N.

  Guide

  Apr. 29, 2019

  Hibernia County Park

  Hidden gem

  A nice primitive campground - good for a quick trip away. The campground is a county run one that works on a first come first serve basis, which is fine if there are others close by. They are wooded sites and have 2 loops. There is no store, but there a places close to get supplies. The park is dry, no alcohol. No hook ups either. There is an old mansion that gives tours on weekends.

• A

  Alexandra T.

  Ranger

  Sep. 24, 2020

  Patapsco Valley State Park-Hilton Area

  Nice Small Campsite Close to DC

  Nice small campsite in MD not too far from DC. One negative was that when it rains it really flushes through the grounds. We had a site on the lower end of the loop and our site was hard to set up as we arrived during a storm and it was very wet even after the rain died down. Another negative was after the storm for the next few days we heard trees falling nearby. Where we were hiking. 😬 The positives are as others have pointed out there is a huge park for kids- it’s not within walking distance for little kids but it’s a very short drive by the entrance to the park. There’s also another small park on the loop. The restrooms were central and well maintained. We found a small river and swimming hole at the bottom of the hill off to the side opposite the cabins/park. All sites had a picnic table and fire ring. Firewood available from camp host. Hiking poles would have been good for the trails when we had a kid in a pack on our back. Overall a nice close small campground.

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• 

  Sean M.

  Legend

  Apr. 22, 2020

  Patapsco Valley State Park-Hilton Area

  Great Small Campground - Cool Cabinso

  This is a small gem of a state park campground, one of only two is the massive Patapsco Valley State Park. It’s a bit odd getting here through a suburban neighborhood, but the Hilton area is great. It seem like this area is, possibly unintentionally, geared toward children. There is a massive playground, nature play space, sensory trail, and a small nature center. There are a lot of easy, but beautiful hikes.

  The campground is on the smaller side. You get a fire pit and cooking crate, and a picnic table. The crushed stone at the sites isn’t comfortable for tents, and they won’t let you pitch it on the ground, so bring extra pads and alternative ways to secure the tent to the ground. There are helpful and friendly camp hosts always on duty. The bathhouse is nothing special, but it’s well maintained and clean. The best part of this campground are the neat mini cabins. Small one room cabins that have electricity and heat. They are a nice touch for those that want to camp, but not completely “rough it.” We found everything reasonably priced.

  Remember: no alcohol or firewood can be brought into the park. Firewood can only be purchased on site due to harmful insects. But the money goes toward the parks volunteer program.

  This is a very nice small campground that is great for kids!

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