Looking for the best options for tent camping near Duncansville? Find the best tent camping sites near Duncansville. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Duncansville, Pennsylvania's most popular destinations.
The Nancy's Boat to Shore Campground, in the central region of Raystown Lake, is the perfect secluded getaway camping spot accessible only by boat. Located near both James Creek and Aitch Boat Launch areas, the campground is situated on the shoreline of Raystown Lake away from public roadways. Nancy's camp map
Fishing is excellent with small and large mouth bass, muskies, striped bass, and brown trout, abundant in the lake. Trough Creek State Park is nearby across the lake; Seven Points and Lake Raystown Resort are both within 8 lake miles. Nearby trails, including Lower Trail (Rails to Trails), Terrace Mountain Trail, Old Loggers Trail and Mid State Trail, attract plenty of traffic.
Raystown Lake is in the ridge and valley province of Pennsylvania. The lakeshore is lined with an old oak-hickory forest giving way to mountain ridges and cliffs. The man-made lake is fed by the Raystown Branch tributary of the Juniata River and is the largest lake completely in the state of Pennsylvania.
Aitch Boat Launch, James Creek Boat Launch, Seven Points Recreation area, Raystown Lake Visitor Center, Lake Raystown Resort & Conference Center and Trough Creek State Park are all nearby.
$15 / night
Enjoy camping creek side at the edge of an open field with access to fishing, hiking on adjacent state game land trails, kayaking in nearby Juniata River, biking the Lower Trail just minutes away, or booking a guided hike, onsite horseback riding lessons, or book a trail ride on our beautiful and smooth gaited Tennessee Walking horses or bring and board your own.
Read reviews here: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/pennsylvania/ride-long-acres-on-clover-creek/long-acres-at-clover-creek
$25 - $65 / night
This 41-acre park is in an isolated area of the Seven Mountains region known as the Stone Creek Kettle. While this Centre County park is small in size, it is surrounded by an 80,000-acre block of Rothrock State Forest.
Penn-Roosevelt is a good base for those seeking low-density recreation on this vast expanse of public land. Popular activities include: hiking on the Mid-State or other State Forest trails, gravel-riding on over 100 miles of Forestry roads, and mountain biking the nearby Cooper’s Gap area, a destination Pennsylvania mountain biking trail system.
Rustic sites, tents only
The 18 rustic campsites are for tents only and are open year-round. Some sites are walk-in for more privacy. All campsites are first-come, first-serve.
Drinking water and non-flush toilets are available.
Due to the isolated location, Penn-Roosevelt provides an excellent opportunity to get away from noise and electric lights.
Park rangers routinely patrol the park and camping fees are paid through a self-registration/payment system.
Please keep food and coolers in vehicles to protect them from wild animals.
$25 / night
This recreation area is part of Raystown Lake
Our location is in the heart of the Stone Valley Forest. Tucked away in a beautiful little hollow behind a farm field. This is a boondock location; we do not offer any hookups at this time. We do have a porta potty on site for restroom access. Click the link to be directly connected to our page.
Follow us on Instagram for updates, photos and videos @wilsons_boondock
$35 - $50 / night
Guide
I’ve camped here twice, two years ago in a Kodiak tent and this year in my Airstream GT24. Such a lovely spot! It’s spotless, and Raystown Lake is gorgeous.
Traveler
Better off just pulling off the side of the road. Nothing here worth the $25 out of state fee.
Guide
In the middle of the woods vibe. The sites had good privacy and it was just a pretty area. Neighbors were respectful and relatively quiet.. There was zero cell service at this campground. Bathrooms were clean.
Scout
We've stayed here at least a half-dozen times with a popup. The smaller B loop is nicer, but no electricity. Pets allowed only on a certain portion of the A loop. The bathrooms are clean, the lake is small but pretty, and the hikes around the lake, and up the mountain on the ridge, are as easy or as challenging as you want. Cell service is pretty much nonexistent so you definitely get unplugged.
Ranger
Nice little park& campground. Very Clean, cozy and quiet, except for the road noise. Right off Route 31, minutes from I-76 makes it a very convenient place to stop along your travels. Bathrooms are clean, grounds very well kept. The park area is lovely, but the lake is currently very low. Trout stocked but I wouldn’t count on fishing here right now. Short walking trail along a creek. Very lovely cabins and cabin areas and tent sites. RV sites are small but adequate and most are pull though. Honestly some of the best attention and details we’ve seen at a state park. We would stay again. We stayed at site 12E and site 1E. Be aware that site 1E is not very level on pull through gravel surface.
RangerWe stayed in the smaller camping area B, which we enjoyed. Even on Labor Day weekend, it didn’t feel busy because of how few sites are in this section. Our site was level and sizable. The bathroom was clean and there was access to the very pleasant hiking trail going around the lake. We had no cell service with Cricket or Verizon.
Guide
Very clean, could be a bit more level. Great amenities, boat, fish, games, hike.
GuideA dingy place. The ground was swampy the only dry places are the gravel pads in the sites. I wouldn't tent camp here.
On the plus side, strong AT&T and T-Mobile cell signals. (I don't have a verizon device)
Traveler
We stayed during Bigfoot weekend. It was super fun as our family likes bigfoot fun. We started out Friday night getting the offered $12 bbq plate that included pork burnt ends, beans and potato salad that were "oh it's so good". On Saturday was rock painting and then bingo and ended the night with a DJ dance party. The pavilion where all those activities happened were right next to our site (22 with the doggie den). Then Sunday we had pancakes and later a visit from RayCEP which is an education program that PA DNCR provides talking about various outdoorsy type things. This is primarily for kids, but we sat and listened too and our 17 year old helped out with the craft.
After the weekend though, all the activity slows down. There are seasonal campers that stay around, and they're constantly working on improving and fixing up sites during the week. Expect lots of quiet time just relaxing during the week. There's the pool, dog park, bounce pillow, playground, but not tons to do which if you're looking for is great. Raystown Lake has multiple access areas that are probably 15-20 minutes away - we fished at Tautman Run and Aitch - both were accessible and had lots of bluegill to steal our worms.
Now to the site description: Site 22 is a deluxe patio back in site with a patio, 4 nice Adirondack chairs, a double glider, a weber propane grill and built in fire pit AND a dog fence just for that site that was maybe 6 ft x 6ft. it was big enough for our 2 labs to fit into when we fed them. The site wasn't hard to level our RV but overall the sites are hilly and in fact the whole park is on a hill.
The owners and workers were friendly and great hosts! We love what they're doing there.
One last tip: if traveling from the Altoona area, go out through Martinsburg over Cove Mountain Rd - it saves you 30 minutes to an hour.
TravelerOur first time at Cowans Gap and we loved it. 5 nights, 6 days with no cell or wifi to stress us out. Biking, Hiking, sitting around a campfire, very nice. Site 14 was ok, small. Weekend kids were noisy. Bathrooms and showers very clean. Firewood always available. Easy access to dump station. Coming back in July to a site we scout out. Looking forward to our next visit.
GuideThe drive in was exciting. Lots of sheepish hills and turns. As long as you go slow, you'll be fine. Leaving on the other hand was terrifying. Being the down hill version of the drive in.
A note on cell service. There is none. NONE. No AT&T, no Verizon, no TMoblie. They campground doesn't have WiFi either.
If you were planning on going out to do stuff off the state park, there's nothing nearby.
We brought our kayaks and had a nice day paddling around the lake.
Guide
As a rule we always try to stay in parks if possible. Really like the layout here, and the k9s love it. We couldn’t see the lake from the camper, but in the woods we could see the lake and the camper from the same spot.
Guide
Driving in I got a little worried I was getting lost, but I drove on. I arrived on a Wednesday evening. I had my pick of campsites, because I was the only person there!
The water was off, but I was prepared to wilderness camp later in my trip so, that was no big deal.
It was so secluded, I heard nothing but nature for over an hour before a plane flew over.
If you have a trailer, I do not recommend this spot. there is a very tight hairpin turn on the way in. My six foot long trailer barely made the turn!
ScoutThis place was awesome! We were there for one of the first weekends of the season, and we enjoyed every bit of our trip. Not only were the staff super friendly and helpful, but we were lucky enough to get a full-hookup site right on the lake. Quiet, peaceful, everything you want on a spring trip. We really got to witness the owners' kindness when we left for a hiking trip and a sudden windstorm caught our awning and broke one side of it, sending most of the awning itself up on the roof. The owner and his son got right to work fixing it: One got up on the roof and the other worked from the bottom to set it right and wire the broken arm to the side of the trailer so we could drive home. They also folded up our chairs and put everything we had outside in a neat little pile. I've been camping for nearly 40 years and have never witnessed that kind of pro-activeness. It's exactly what you SHOULD(but don't often) get. We will absolutely be back.
Scout
We loved the swimming and fishing in this park. Awesome Sandy swim beach and roped off area in the water made it great for keeping an eye on the kids while they swam. We had site 59 and are tent campers. This site was on an incline so the cots we brought were pretty miserable to sleep on. This spot was in its own little wooded cubby hole so it gave us a little more privacy but we thought that a lot of these sites were much too close together. We plan to scope out other sites to find a more level and more private option. Overall we really loved the park itself and will be back!
ScoutLoved this campsite. I was the only tent site in a 3 tent space so I had my privacy as I was the only one booked. They had beautiful hiking trails in the area that I did not have to drive. The kids from the camp grounds came to play on the playground while I was in and out. Only thing that was disappointing was the fact it was on a highway and all night I could hear the trucks driving. Over all it was beautiful just not the peaceful getaway from trafic you need. Major plus for the showers though. I want to add the call center after 5, help was so amazing and she took care of me so well after I was having a rough time getting there. Very genuine people.
Scout
We showed up after dark and it was a bit hard to find our way to our site—advise arriving during the day! Great little campground. Very quiet. Nestled between a hillside and a stream with a great sound of running water. Several walking/hiking trails directly from the campground. Clean and convenient restrooms. Large sites.
Guide
The campsites are beautiful, even though there were a lot of people when we went we felt like we had a lot of privacy from our neighbors. We stayed in the ridge loop, so not waterfront but within the campground there were so many things to do (huge mountain biking scene). The whole grounds were very well maintained, and the bathrooms and showers were some of the nicest I’ve seen at a campground. Highly recommend!
LegendBooked for 5 nights to have an opportunity to explore the Bedford, PA area. Great access to Flight 93 Memorial, local covered bridges, Fort Bedford Historic Fort, and many other attractions. Loop D was quiet with ample space between sites that provided privacy. Bathhouse was clean and used for showers. Dump and water fill station easy to access on your way in or out. Verizon signal good enough for streaming.
TravelerWe stayed on a primitive site in our van, it was only for one night but we wished we'd booked more, the facilities are great and everyone is friendly. It feels homey, would definitely come back if I have the chance 🥰
Ranger
Nice size campground. Lots of stuff for the kids to do and all inclusive. Big fishing lakes. Pool could use a heater.
GuideGetting to the park had some sharp turns and windy roads. Small campground but nicely equipped. 2 bath houses were dated but clean. Nice playground at the campground and also one at the beach. Small camp concessions with a few camping items as well as ice cream cones. Great hiking and a beautiful lake for kayaking. Site 22 is a full hookup. Utilities worked nicely. However, our picnic table had seen better days. The site sat down off the road but once you were backed in the spot it was pretty level. This site also had a separate tent pad located down a few stone steps. Verizon and AT&T cell service were basically non existent. Every once in a while a text would come in or send but very spotty. Sorry I failed to get a pic of the site in the daylight. It was spacious and we had plenty of room for our 30' trailer, truck, and easy up over the table. 6+ chairs around the fire pit, cooking ring could have been better. Grassy area for cornhole or playing.
Scout
My 9 year old and myself got a tent site with electric for two nights and had a great time. The sites were all level and were well-shaded. The pool area and bath house were clean and maintained. The camp store was a great asset for small items left behind, plus prices were great for ice and firewood. We will be back!
Guide
We do a lot of dispersed camping but we spoiled ourselves with this spot. It was $50 for a tent site but I have never used a cleaner camp shower or seen so many amenities on a campground. They were also very accommodating of our late check-in as we travel across the country.
ScoutNice place and no connection so make sure you have a photo of the park map before you get there.
The site I had was definitely smaller than I expected but it still worked. Make sure to double check that before you book.
Camp was relatively quiet. There was the occasional dog barking or kids playing but that is generally expected with a high number of campsites. The privacy of our site was pretty good and we had nice shade.
The bathrooms were relatively clean and accommodating.
Overall nice place, quiet and friendly campers and staff!
Scout
Great setup location. Easy in and out, full utilities. Separate tenting area near bathrooms Water is easy access, pool is heated. Rates are reasonable, store is basic Come here every year, worth the trip.
Guide
Beautiful campground. All wooded sites with shade all day long. Quite/peaceful setting. Great for sitting and listening to nature. Good hookups. Very rough road to get to campground. 15 minutes from 8000acre Raystown lake. Good for canoes/kayaks from Aitch boat ramp.
Tent camping near Duncansville, Pennsylvania offers a chance to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying various outdoor activities. With several campgrounds in the area, you can find the perfect spot to pitch your tent and unwind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Duncansville, PA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Duncansville, PA is Nancy's Boat To Shore Campground (PA) with a 4-star rating from 3 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Duncansville, PA?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near Duncansville, PA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
