Best Equestrian Camping near Swarthmore, PA

I’m sure one point in time this use to be a 4-5 star campground. It is a far stretch from that today.

PROS:

AT&T / Cricket cell service Paved loops good for bicycles

CONS:

The large pool you see in pictures, is not operating.

The kayak/canoe rentals is not operating.

It is prohibited to take a swim in the lake.

A majority of the campsites are small and stacked right on top of each-other. Ours, C15, was a rocky terrain making it difficult for our children to walk around.

Loop A has many parking pads that are on a significant sloop making it very difficult to level your camper/rv

The bathrooms don’t seem to be well maintained or cleaned.

No camp store

No place to buy firewood

THE WORST PART - The park rangers are on the boarder-line of harassment. They constantly patrol the area and seek out reasons to write tickets. We have witnessed them rummaging around peoples campsites when they were away from their sites. It doesn’t take much to do something wrong. Your vehicle tires must be on the pavement pad, they cannot be touching the grass. If your vehicle cannot fit it must go in “over flow parking” which isn’t close by. Any evidence of alcohol is surly a fine.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS: Hopewell Furnace Historical Site Birdsboro Preserve St. Peters Classic Auto Mall Museum Ryerss Farm for aged equestrians

This PA state park felt, upon first impression, very tightly spaced and had an overall crowded feel in loop C, the only dog friendly electric loop. The sites that aren’t ADA have more space between them than we did.  Our site C41 was full hookup as are several others (1-7, 39-47). This is an ADA site, there are several of them. Perhaps this is why it’s crowded so they could fit extra ADA sites? They are very level and have paved pads, but also a paved picnic pad, and paved fire ring pad. Non ADA full hookup sites appeared to be the nicest though they were narrow and some weren’t level side to side. There were a lot of rocks embedded in the ground around and on many sites. Non ADA sites have only a paved pad for the RV. The picnic table and fire ring were behind our RV and when sitting at them, we were within view of sites 37, 39, and 40. I felt like I was in a townhouse setting. Non ADA sites varied as to where picnic and fire rings were set. Also many sites looked like there was quite a drop off at the edge of the already narrow pad so that you had a big step down off your last RV step. Site C42 is ADA and is a nice, semi private, spacious site. Though I’d choose from sites  #1-7 next time. ALL parking pads are 45’ long.

Loop B has a mix of electric and non electric but doesn’t allow pets. That loop was more spacious and had trees between some  sites so it felt  more private. The sites appeared level. There are Yurts and mini cabins outside Loop C that had lots of space around them. Loop A is a pet loop but no electric. However, it’s closed now for what appears to be renovations. Loop D is non electric, no pets.

The campground had no vacancy on this particular weekend. One car allowed per site and most had to park perpendicular. Sites were short (45’ long). 2nd cars are $5 a night but wouldn’t fit in most sites.

The day use areas have frisbee golf, boat rentals, fishing, hunting, hiking, and a pool that overlooks the lake. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is adjacent to the park but was not fully open due to covid. It’s a large state park. The pool was nice looking but not open until Memorial Day. Boat rentals are available weekends in May and Sept. and daily all summer. These amenities were far from the campground and would require driving your car. Hiking trails were plentiful but most were labeled as “more difficult.”  Horse back riding is allowed on some trails. I didn’t see any trails that started at the campground loops. 

Overall, it’s an adequate campground but not my favorite.

Campground Review: French Creek State Park Campground is located in Elverson, Pennsylvania and sits adjacent to Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. There are 200 individual sites in four loops, some with full hookups for RVs, some with electric only but mostly primitive sites. There are also several cottages, cabins and yurts available as well.

For this trip, my husband and I camped alongside our friends, which included three other couples and their children, so we took up two electric sites for the tent campers and two full hook up sites for our friends with RVs. We stayed in Loop C, which is the only dog friendly loop in the campground, on sites 35, 37, 39,& 40. Thankfully, a short walk to the bathroom facilities for us tent campers.

Normally site 35 would have been way too small for our usual gear– a behemoth 9X15 tent- but it was a perfect fit for the tent I was reviewing on this trip. Our friends, who have the same large tent as us, stayed on site 37 and had plenty of space to pitch it, but many of the sites surrounding ours were very rocky and left little option for a larger than normal sized tent so keep this in mind if you have a large family sized tent. I’ve included a few photos of the surrounding sites for future reference. The bath/shower house in this loop was adequate and includes two dish washing stations outside. The showers had good pressure and hot water. It was cleaned often throughout the weekend, however it is definitely in need of an update.

We also checked out the other loops for future use and found Loop A to have very spacious, less rocky sites, however, there was little shrubbery between each site, making them less private than the sites in Loop C.

There are two lakes in French Creek, Hopewell and Scott's Run and each contain many species of fish. We spent Saturday afternoon fishing but not catching anything at Scott's Run. It’s a beautiful location and it was still a fun way to spend the day with the kids away from the site.

We found several places nearby to purchase wood, besides the supermarket and a nursery in town, there are a few residents that sell it right on their front lawn so be on the look-out en route to the park entrance.

Generally, we camp in the off season, and usually have the whole place to ourselves, so I had some concern prior to arrival that every site in every loop was booked for the whole weekend and expected it to be noisy, however, I was pleasantly surprised. It was quiet and our neighbors were respectful of the quiet hours and our space. It was a wonderfully peaceful weekend for us all and we will definitely visit again soon.

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Product Review: Wenzel Ivanhoe 6 Tent

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I am occasionally offered the opportunity to test new outdoor products. For this trip I tested the Wenzel Ivanhoe 6 Tent https://wenzelco.com/ivanhoe-6/.

Generally, my husband and I use a larger ez up tent, but I liked this tent specifically for the design which is reminiscent of the tent my parents used when I was a child and figured it would be a good option for shorter weekend trips, rather than our 9X15 ez-up.

The set up was relatively easy, although one person might have some difficulty. It held up well during an evening thunderstorm, but for a small seam leak near the door. We believe this is a result of the fact that our site was slightly uneven and that particular corner was not as evenly pitched with the other corners of the tent which resulted in a bit of a gap in the roof.

The airflow is great, with the small vent in the rear, two side windows and the full screen door. There are also two smaller vents at the top- though neither seem seem to add that much airflow,- perhaps a design flaw or more likely the uneven ground it was pitched on.

I love the fact that there are awnings over the side windows, but in order for them to be effective one must stake out three guy lines on each side, plus the one on the front and the back. Knowing this I had purchased some small lights to hang on the lines to prevent tripping on them at night and it worked out perfectly.

The front doors are secured closed from wind and rain by velcro strips, rather than the standard ties. There are four side pockets and a handy troubleshooting guide sewn into the interior wall for any issues you experience while in use, such as leaking, condensation, or a faulty zipper.

I am very happy with this tent. For the two of us it was the perfect size for our ten inch high queen size air mattress and some minimal gear. The peak height was just over 6 foot, so we were both able to stand upright without issue.

I understand why it is so difficult to get a reservation at Lums Pond.  I don't know if it's the host campers or the management, but they're definitely doing something right.  

I have to say, Jim, the host camper by us was fantastic.  As it was our first trip after a long winter, I managed to forget to put the anode back in our water heater.  I went over and sheepishly asked him if I could borrow a 1 1/2" socket.  He not only lent us a socket, but asked if I needed help, and if I had teflon tape (which I did) and was willing to lend a hand.

The site was fairly level, side-to-side, so I really only needed to level front to back.  That was a bonus.

Our daughter really enjoyed the playground (which was excellent, by my standards). The only complaint I have is that the kiddie swings seem to be modeled after the seasickness machine that they had on Mythbusters (https://archive.org/details/MythBusters..Season.3..480p576P..DVDripHDTV..X265HEVC..O69..FIXED/Mythbusters+-+S03E26+-+Seasickness+-+Kill+or+Cure.mkv).  I could only go on the swing with her for a little bit before I started to turn green.  Other than that?  She fought us about leaving the playground, and really would have been content if that was all we did.

I took her older cousins to  the fishing pier, and we didn't even get a nibble, but I think it was too cold for panfish that close to shore.

The trails were well marked, and the day we took a hike, we ended up on the equestrian trail that runs all the way around the pond.  It was a long, but easy hike.

The bath house was absolutely immaculate, and the design made even my public-bathroom-phobic sister-in-law comfortable and at ease.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip, and I hope to go back soon.

General: Four loops with a total of 200 campsites. Two of the loops allow pets (A, C) and two do not. Loop D offers no hookups while Loops A-C offer a mix of no hookups, water/Electric, and full hookups. We had no problem securing a site on a weekday in October with no reservation. There are also two yurts and three cottages. 

Site Quality: We chose a non-electric site in the B Loop, so this review focuses on this loop. There are abundant trees separating the sites. The pads were paved and B12 was very long. A picnic table and fire ring complete the site. Because the loops are on a slight slope, not all of the sites are completely level, something that would be difficult to determine if making reservations ahead of time. 

Bathhouse: Pennsylvania state parks get high marks for their modern, clean restrooms and this park (at least the B Loop) was no exception. Hot showers were no additional charge and generous in size. 

Activities: 35 miles of hiking trails. Be aware that the Hopewell Lake Loop is not very well marked (it appears to be a work in progress) although blazes on trees are abundant for most trails. Canoes and kayaks are available for rent during the summer season, and there is a boat dock for your own boat for fishing (either from a fishing pier or on your boat). There is a huge pool available from Memorial Day through Labor Day (there is an additional fee for this). Some of the trails allow horseback riding. Nearby Hopewell Furnace is accessible via hiking trails, or you can drive there. Other activities include orienteering and disc golf. Make sure you wear blaze orange during the fall hunting season as you will hear hunters! 

In general, it is obvious Pennsylvania invests in its state park campgrounds and the price is reasonable ($27 for a non-electric site during the week with a $4.50 senior discount). My only complaint is that the dumpsters are a hike from the loops, but this is a minor complaint.

This is a nicely laid out campground with 4 loops and many site choices - non-electric, electric and full hookup sites (water, sewer and electricity); a couple yurts; and 3 camping cottages. (There are cabins elsewhere in the park.) We just showed up on a Wednesday in early October but I'm sure you'd need a reservation on a weekend.

Activities

• See the photo that shows 35 miles of hiking trails. It's an excellent brochure! Some trails are hiking only; others allow mountain biking in addition to hiking, and there are equestrian trails.

• Boating and fishing

• Swimming pool by Hopewell Lake

• Disc golf

• Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is on your way to the campground.

The Sites

• See photo of the campground map along with typical site photos.

• 4 loops: no electricity in A and D, mix of electric and non-electric sites in B, and a mix of full hookups, electric and non-electric sites in C. Loop C is the only loop open all year with no guarantee of access in the winter.

• Asphalt pads are all supposed to be 45 feet.

• The sites looked level but many of the pads in Loop A were just a bit downhill as you back in. That means our heads are downhill for sleeping unless we turn our teardrop trailer, so we just looked until we found a level site. If you're into leveling a camper, it's not a big deal. We can adjust our back end, but we don't mess around with anything else. It is what it is!

• There are water spigots around the loops and recycling/trash disposal and a dump station on your way in/out.

• Site map shows some ADA accessible sites.

New Restrooms Are Worth Noting

• See photos.

• Push button showers. You can't adjust the temperature and you have to keep pushing the button every 30 seconds or so. I guess this saves water.

• Two utility sinks outside the restrooms are a good addition.

Pet Owners: Pets are only allowed in loop C.

A Couple Warnings

• PA state parks do not allow alcoholic beverages at all. That's what they say.

• Hunting is permitted in most of the state park. That would put a real damper on my hiking at certain times of the year because the hiking trails run right through these areas.