Best Campgrounds near Dushore, PA

Health kinda made it impossible to really do much. But the setting, weather, views, and timing made sitting around the fire with family more than good enough. It feels like you're in another world, or at least separated from the daily hassles and vexations of society, with a wall of a mountain between you and them. Only got to spend a few days, but without a doubt we will be returning to enjoy the serenity and time together, with nature. Definitely a good spot or you're searching for peace and quiet. Also there's pretty much zero cell service, which is a good thing in my opinion.

The campground is on a peninsula surrounded by a lake. The larger loop (non electric) sites are more spacious, level and shady. The smaller loop with RV hook ups are more barren. Sites are neat, tidy, and well stocked. Flush toilets. The showers are free but pressure was way too high and water not warm enough. Many families and young campers but CG was quiet at night. There is access to major trails including Ricketts Glen Falls. I did not have cell service with T Mobile.

I visited Ricketts Glen State Park last year, and it was an incredible experience! The natural beauty of the park is breathtaking, especially with the waterfalls along the Falls Trail– a must-do hike for anyone visiting. The trail is challenging but so worth it; the views are unmatched. I stayed in one of the campsites, which offered a nice level of privacy and had clean facilities, including showers and well-maintained restrooms. Lake Jean was also a highlight, with opportunities for kayaking and swimming, perfect for cooling off after a day of hiking. I'd recommend visiting during the week to avoid the crowds. Truly a perfect spot for anyone looking to escape into nature!

Retro Bowl Pro

Good Campground to visit the amusement park. Electrical hookup was a bit far from the camper, so bring an extension cord. Good atmosphere will be back, the kids had a blast.

This is one of the best camping experiences we've had. This state park has so much to offer and the campground is very nice. The campsites are really good, most of them fairly private and level. There are some pull through sites for big rigs but those don't have trees and are not private. We had a site with power for our small trailer and it was fantastic. The bathrooms were kept very clean and they had 4 showers so we never had to wait. There is absolutely no cell service, however, and we had to go all the way down the mountain to get texts or make calls. The trails are very well maintained. If you want to do the Falls Trail ( 21 beautiful waterfalls), it is quite challenging. We were glad to have trecking poles and hiking boots. It took us over 4 hours to do the entire hike. There is a nice beach for swimming, the lake felt clean and wasn't too cold in July. Lake Jean is nice to kayak and there are quite a few tent sites you can launch your watercraft from, as well as 2 public launch sites. I was worried about the weather because it was 98 degrees in NJ but as the park is up in elevation, we did not get over the mid 80's the whole time we were there and the mornings were quite cool. I definitely recommend this park. It does get very busy on weekends so if you can stay during the week it's much nicer.

Nice quiet sites, good wifi, clean bathrooms, drinking water and power at all sites.  Hosts are very friendly

Love being down here with the family.

This is our second stay here at this campground. The first was a quick overnight in April. The park was 99% empty and the tree frogs were amazing! Our stay this time in Mid-July is completely opposite. The park of course is packed! No issue there as it’s the middle of summer. However, a lot of the sites are small and a bit too close to your neighbor for comfort. I would not recommend site 19E! There’s a site behind it the wraps around. Essentially, a site within a site! Not fun to wake up to a phone conversation on speaker and crying babies right outside your window at 5:45 in the morning. Every morning. Not to mention the kid LEARNING to play a song on his yyguitar! All in all, beautiful grounds  of wildlife. Beware of the Park Rangers who enjoy writing tickets, though. 

The campground is mostly rustic with no hookups, but there are some electric and full hookup sites. Best ones don't have hookups. Have to do the Falls Hike. It's a fairly challenging hike and gets very busy on weekends and past noon, but its a must do.

This park is technically a “state park” because the land for it was donated to the state for public use. However, once the state became the official stewards, there werent funds in the state budget to maintain it as a park. A lical group, the Friends of Salt Springs, stepped up and offered to maintain the park with funds raised by their group. The result is a small but unique property open to the public for day use (picnicking and hiking and fishing) along with 2 small rustic campgrounds. One campground has a large open mowed grassy meadow with level sites for car camping or small campers, no hookups are available but each site has a fire ring and picnic table. On the other side of the parks trout stream are seven secluded primitive hike-in tent sites along with three basic camper cabins. The Friends of Salt Springs makes a good effort to maintain these two rustic campgrounds, however it seems there isnt a ranger on site at night so a camper said the meadow campground can get a little noisy some nights. The hike in sites are relatively quiet and secluded though, and are positioned nicely along the stream, one site actually adjacent to a good swimming hole.

The camper cabins are basic with bunks, bring all your own gear. They are fairly new and have electricity but no water or heat.

On the grounds in the day use area are picnic spits, a pavilion, and an activity barn. When I was there, the barn was featuring a local quilt show.

The special aspect of this park are the hiking trails through old growth hemlock forest, said to be the largest hemlocks in Pennsylvania. The trout stream also cascades through some some waterfalls, and there are gorges with unique geology.

There is a village nearby with limited supplies, you may want to stock up on groceries before heading out to this somewhat remote park. There is, however, a local brewery, plus an odd coffee shop featuring both donuts and ammo, an unusual combination…..

This is an amazing state park that has something for everyone. There is an environmental education center with programs, there is fishing and boating, and an amazing network if hiking and horse riding trails. There are several campgrounds, with tremendous variety for every camping style. There are standard car camping tent sites, RV sites, and yurts and camper cabins. For those who like more rustic options, there are hike-in sites that are beautiful and not far from the parking area. The campsites are nestled in a deep shady mature forest, and peaceful and quiet due to the wooded aspect and spacing of sites (at least for me, in September in a hike-in site not far from the regular campground). It is nice to have such a fine camping and outdoor recreation opportunity within an easy drive of the city of Clarks Summit, so probably a great weekend getaway for local folks, but a wonderful stopover for anyone on a road trip through northern PA as it is not far off Interstate 81. I was there only one day, but would like to be back to explore the trails!

I really enjoy this app. It was really helpful when we visit Arizona, and of course my local area. I recommended to the beginner camper or to the Pro campers.

This is a fantastic campground! The tent sites are right on the creek. The grounds, the little store/coffee shop and the facilities were pristine. The owner and all the employees were as friendly as they were accommodating. I can't say enough good things. I'll definitely be back.

The sites are just pull offs along the road. the road isn't heavily traveled so it's not too bad. The problem was the night that I stayed there it had been raining non stop for several day and the whole campsite. was several inches of mud. there wasn't any grassy areas to park near. All in all not a bad place in dry conditions. it was reported to be free with a permit but the permit was about $15

First off, if you are going to visit all the falls, bring shoes that you can walk in and that are smart for wet and moist surfaces.  Flip flops will not work for this.  We had tennis shoes on and that wasn't our best choice, however we don't own hiking boots....might be something we get in time, especially if we go back here.  The many falls are breathtaking!  We had a very nice site....no electric, clean bathhouses, very quiet.  This one was far for us, but we had a very enjoyable time there with our friends!

The area is beautiful and I would like to stay in the winter when many of the activities are available and it is warmer.  I am just learning about using a travel trailer and the staff was of great assistance.  They were easy to reach and were genuinely interested in my stay and plans.  They have a dog park which my dog loved.

Two things:  (1) You're in for quite a climb getting up to the campground; and (2) there is no cell service, at least for AT&T.  It was also difficult to find, as Google Maps directed us to a parking lot at a trail head that was a good distance away from the campground.

But we loved the campground.   We had a quick overnight touch-and-go, and really wish we could have stayed awhile.  Will definitely stop in when passing this way again.

Tent camping in the large loop area. 

Escaping the Maryland summer heat, the cooler temperatures in Ricketts Glen State Park was perfect. This park offers a variety of activities. Hiking along the Falls Trail being a highlight. The Large Loop is closer and banks along the lake, where there are two separate beach areas perfect for swimming. Kayak rentals, fishing are some of the great water things you can enjoy. 

The campsite was perfectly sized for us - tent campers and close but not too close to the clean restrooms. A water spigot was handy across the road. Behind the restroom building is a dishwashing station. While there are showers there, the hot water was actually...cold.

There is a great small camp store if you need last minute items, and the concession stands at the furthest beach sells firewood and ice cream.

There are cabins available to rent, which looked really comfy. All linens, etc need to be brought along though.

Beautiful waterfalls surrounded by autumn color.

This campground offers full-hookup sites on the small loop section. You may also bring dogs to the small loop section. The Large Loop section is more geared for boondocking smaller trailers and tent campers. No dogs are allowed in that area.

Dogs are allowed on the trail, but are required to be on 6-foot leashes at all times.

The restrooms were clean and convenient. I found the hot water in both the small and large loops to be tepid at best.

Site 135 was perfectly level which made setting up camp easily. The water spigot was hard to operate as it was stiff. So bring along some WD 40 just in case.

The Falls trail is a hard/difficult trail. Although the loop is just 4.1 miles around, there are many stone steps and steep inclines. Bring hiking poles to help with the descent and ascent, along with snacks and water.

Spent one night on our way to Maine. Due to heavy traffic, arrived near dusk, no real clear directions or check-in process. Also did not realize sites have no water and you have to fill with potable water. Luckily we had a very nice neighbor looking out for us and provided us with great directions and advice. Compared to other state parks, PA needs some improvements. Rotting picnic tables and overgrown, muddy sites.