Looking for the best campgrounds near Emporium, PA? Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Emporium, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Emporium and user-submitted reviews.
$22 - $29 / night
"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!"
"There are a few nice scenic trails that go to the lake and through the woods. Some are kid bike friendly. The nature center is great! Kid friendly and fun!"
"Found this location while going to Elk State Forest for the elk bugling. Was very happy to find this location. Had clean bathrooms with running water and showers."
"We camped over Columbus weekend and got to see gorgeous fall leaves, brilliant night skies, and lots of elk right around the campground plus a bear that took a walk through the campground one evening."
$34 - $138 / night
"Very family friendly and pet friendly too. Staff is great."
"We set up our tent and allegany national Forest deer camp area, a snow storm came overnight 5 plus inches so we settled in, the place is absolutely beautiful just for the solidarity and the wonderful animal"
$20 - $130 / night
"For the most part, there isn’t a bad site (although we didn’t see any of the walk up sites, and I recommend not booking a site immediately next to the bathrooms since the ones without showers are more"
"Several sites have electric but most are for boondocking. The sites closest to the GORGEOUS reservoir are all primitive. All sites are back-in."
$51 - $65 / night
"Another shout out to both Jack & Debbie for warmly welcoming our South African Mastiff despite her intimidating size and appearance. We appreciated that we, the owners, would be judged."
"Located right on a main road but road noise really isn’t a problem. There no pool but they do have a game room that offers free games for the kids along with a playground and basketball court."
$20 - $87 / night
"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."
"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."
"There's also two beaches, over a dozen hiking trails, a restaurant, camp stores, a dump station, and more."
"We had electric and we close to a water pump so we could fill up our camper. The campground provides great metal locking bear prevention boxes at each site for your trash and cooler. So awesome!"
$22 - $57 / night
"A must do when camping in Pennsylvania. The Clarian river is great for kayaking . Multiple trails off of park."
"A Pennsylvania favorite, Clear Creek State Park is a beautifully maintained, scenic park, right on the Clarion River in the Clear Creek State Park."
$22 - $62 / night
"Easy access to camp ground. The check in process was just to drive to the site and set up which was different but very easy. The sites are private on the sides with some green space to play on."
"The distance between spots was good. Roads were a little narrow but manageable. Everyone was very friendly and with the exception of one neighbor, dogs were kept mostly quiet."
$12 / night
"No running water or electricity, but that’s what we were looking for. We had a big tent (10x14) and 2 vehicles, with plenty of room to spare."
"Cute little campground with a handful of drive up sites and many hike-in sites scattered along the beautiful Minister Creek in the Allegheny National Forest."
GuideNice 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.
GuideWe 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.
TravelerAbsolutely beautiful well kept campground situated between Pine Creek and the rail trail! Great facilities...there's even glamping tents!
GuideFound this location while going to Elk State Forest for the elk bugling. Was very happy to find this location. Had clean bathrooms with running water and showers. Campground was tucked away between two mountains and sat next to a creek. Staff was friendly. Plenty of camp sites. Have yearly campsites which is apparent since some of the campers have more permanent structures around or attached to them. Pets allowed. Not the best place for hammock camping but have a few sites with good trees. Out of the main path but nice place to stay.
TravelerThis is my favorite campground so far in PA.
For the most part, there isn’t a bad site (although we didn’t see any of the walk up sites, and I recommend not booking a site immediately next to the bathrooms since the ones without showers are more like “outhouse” toilets and can stink). The sites are private, flat, surrounded by trees, and have plenty of space. The ground is quite rocky though, so bring plenty of heavy duty tent steaks.
Highlights include: the reservoir (beautiful and clean! You can swim with your dog from the access points at the campground), quiet, friendly staff (a kind older gentleman helped us jump my car and refused to take any money as a thank you), updated/very clean showers, not buggy, reception is great (we have Verizon), plenty of room to social distance, and 2 trading posts about 1 mile away with milk, eggs, basic supplies, etc.
Cons: the bathrooms without showers aren’t flush toilets, and there is no campground office so you must see the hosts for any issues.
Things to do nearby (last 5 pictures): the Kinzua Skywalk Bridge free- an old train bridge that was partially destroyed by a tornado in the early 2000’s. The bridge is handicap/stroller accessible, pets are allowed. There is a small indoor museum & gift shop, and a hiking trail along the wreckage. If you hike, wear good sneakers, the path is rocky and VERY steep. The hiking path is not recommended for small children). Bathrooms on site.
The Kinzua Dam free - beautiful. Handicap/stroller accessible, pets permitted. Bathrooms were closed due to social distancing.
Rimmrock overlook free- just a small distance from the parking lot. NOT stroller/handicap accessible, and there are rock steps, however we saw numerous families with small children go through the path with no issues. Pets permitted. Bathrooms on site.
Nearby towns of Kane and Ridgway looked cute, but we didn’t spend time there due to our efforts to social distance.
GuideStayed in the modern camping section. Easy access to camp ground. The check in process was just to drive to the site and set up which was different but very easy. The sites are private on the sides with some green space to play on. Lots of extra places to park extra cars or bring a second vehicle with a boat.
The kids had fun riding the bikes around the loop and taking the short cuts cut in around the loop. We had fun walking to the foot bridge to go fishing.
The camping area was very quite both mornings and evenings. We saw the park rangers drive through multiple times per day.
The bathrooms were clean. There are no shelfs in the showers (except for a bar of soap) but they had hooks to hang your clothes.
The racoons were a fun surprise on our last night! We left the grease trap from the Blackstone out and the they found it. We did not see any bears though we heard they are there.
We had smoke from Canadian forest fires so haze in the pictures is smoke not haze or rainy days! The walking trails are great. You can see the largest white swamp oak in Pennsylvania!
Definitely check out Penns Cave too.
LegendCampground Review: Red Oak is located in the Alleghany River area of Wahyrren County PA, near the Kinzua Dam. It's a private campground with all kinds of amenities: a pool, gameroom, store, brick oven pizza shop, cermanics hut, activity center and large playground. They host activities like "yard sale weekend" and "mini-carnivals". A large portion of the campground serves as a seasonal campground for campers and other recreational vehicles, and has an adorable little side trail of newer "tiny home" style cabins available for rent. These areas are beautiful, quiet and treed, with large sites including ample space for campfire parties and hammocks. The owners live on site and are very gracious hosts and shop keepers!
The "tent" and daily camper camping area centers primarily around a very large open space, which houses a field, a little kids play area (many huge sized Legos for fort building mini-golf, horseshoes and an inflatable jump pad). This was amazing for my kids and they enjoyed every minute of their camp experience, however, for the adults, we found it a bit busy. Quiet hours are not really enforced, and bands of wild and (let's face it) thrilled, kids played until all hours of the dark night, illuminated at the playground by a bright street light. They are very dog friendly. Campers themselves were fairly quiet and non disruptive, but make no mistake, this is an activity campground focusing on kids and activities. The pool is sunny and well kept, with an added bonus of a lifeguard on duty. Bathrooms were very clean and newer, and the lack of showers didn't seem to be a problem, as most of the campers here use their own RV stalls, and so we never found a wait, which was nice.
Area: this area is unique. It's near a small industrial town on the banks of the Alleghany River, where you can find basic dining and stores for convenience, and is only about 25 mins from the Kinzua Dam Recreational Area which is lush and green and beautiful. Aside from the dam, which is one of the largest in the country, the accompanying reservoir is beautiful. Boating, fishing and relaxing are abundant on this beautiful quiet lake in the mountains. There's a small public beach, park area, and boat docks. The recreational area and surrounding forest include several trailheads for exploring, and mountain hikes at the top of which you can overlook the dam and reservoir. One hidden gem is a small parking area and trailhead just past the dam on the reservoir side, called Bent Run Waterfalls. A short hike in reveals a set of fairy-garden like waterfalls stepping down the side of a mountain that overlooks the reservoir. It's beautiful, and we even let the dog and kids play in their little pools of fresh water. This area is often uncrowded and a gem of the area.
Product Review:
As a Dyrt Ranger, I get the opportunity to review items from time to time. This trip we tried out the Belmont Blanket! First off, let me say that it was unseasonably cold and windy in the evenings for August, so this blanket ended up being a welcome addition to our trip. Deceptively thin and easily packable, this LARGE blanket unrolls to a really usable size of 5'x6' - and has a unique construction. It's outside layer is a soft brushed waterPROOF shell, which seriously works. It blocked out the wind and sprinkling rain of one of our campfire nights. I'll never use a poncho again. The interior of it is a VERY soft brushed fleece, which is shiny and actuallly feels more like a ultra-soft pelt. Its construction is wildly durable, and hand made (by someone who actually signed a little note inside the box!). Being so big, it was able to completely wrap around me, including a hood, and was shareable between myself and 2 kids seated next to me in chairs. Then I brought it home and popped it in the washer! Like new! This blanket is well worth the cost, but I likely wouldn't have known that had I not gotten the opportunity to try it out throughout Dyrt. I even used it over my bed while camping to keep the damp out and the warmth in, and it worked perfectly without unnecessary weight. This is an item that we have since gotten far more use out of than just camping. It's been to the beach, park, and even back yard and we just roll it up and keep it out at this point. I'd highly recommend the investment in this top of the line "adventure blanket". It's also kind of beautiful, with its bold colors and leather hook-loop and strap. Overall - we're huge fans of this über-functional blanket!
LegendPROS
Senior discount $18
Able to reserve 334 days prior to arriving
Campground quiet but can hear PA 150 road noise
Great night sky viewing
Nice privacy from side neighbor's campsite
Asphalt parking pad
Large gravel around pad to include firepit and utility hook up
Grass around gravel, but was mid-calf high
Metal fire pit which was cleaned out upon arrival
Lantern pole
8 miles off of Interstate 80
Firewood for sale at the campground; $6 bundle
Park is good proximity to Penn State University and Central Pennsylvania
Country Pride Restaurant Milesburg (TA truck stop off of Interstate 80) has some terrific food!
4 bars Verizon
CONS
$6.50 reservation fee for self made online reservation
One day while away from our campsite, park personnel mowed mid-cafe high grass at and around our site and the mowers threw grass all over our table with a table cloth, chairs, trailer, driveway...you name it...it was covered with grass. Why the mowers didn’t direct the mowed grass AWAY from our items is beyond me. What a mess!!!
Check-in clerk at park office was disturbed we checked in with her. Told us just to go to site. Could not tell us if site was vacated. We had to ask for a park map and directions to campground/campsite since this was first time visiting
Site MO45 unlevel from side to side
Site MO45 NO shade as was the case with most of the FHU campsites
Metal frame wood top table in bad condition
Need pathway from upper campsite to toilet/shower building…have to wade thru mid-calf high grass if you don’t walk on the roadway
Toilet/shower facility lit up like a Christmas tree
Toilet/shower facility cleaned on Wednesdays only, according to sign on door
No WiFi
GuidePetticoat Junction campground is nestled in the PA Grand Canyon with Pine Creek on one side and the Rails to Trails on the other of the campground. This ideal location provides a nice tranquil environment with opportunities for active adventures. It had been several years since our last stay at PJC, but the new owners have done amazing improvements and upgrades to many areas of the campground which are greatly appreciated. Everyone we interacted with(owners/employees) were friendly and gave us the feeling that they were glad we chose to stay with them.
There are a variety of camping options from season sites, primitive sites, cabins, glamping tents, and RV hook-ups for water and electric(along the creek). We stated in one of the water/electric hook-up sites along the creek, which was wonderful. Very flat and larger than average in size, which was nice not being on top of your neighbor. Water pressure was very good and the WIFI signal was better than many campgrounds we have stayed.
The location of PJC is perfect for fishing, floating/kayaking, and biking/hiking the rails to trail. There are many nearby hikes throughout the canyon for the more adventures travelers. The office has biking/tubing/boating rentals for its campers. Additionally the firewood for sale is priced well and is very good quality, not the cheap smoky pine found in most places. If you need a break from civilization to reset and relax, I highly recommend PJC!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Emporium, PA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Emporium, PA is Sinnemahoning State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 9 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Emporium, PA?
TheDyrt.com has all 24 glamping camping locations near Emporium, PA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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