Best Cabin Camping near Ford City, PA

Cooks forest is absolutely gorgeous. I look forward to returning as there are a lot of hiking opportunities we missed. We stayed in the pet friendly area, which was nice. There is a pet trail through the woods that was really great to take our dog rather than walking around the campground. Our site was right next to a drinking water spigot and a path to the bath house. The sites near ours were in a wooded area, which felt more private than many of the other sites we saw. There was a fore pit and a picnic table. Our fire pit was behind where the camper was parked, which also felt more private. There is no alcohol permitted in PA state parks, so alcohol is prohibited in the campground as well. It was a great spot, and we look forward to returning.

We stayed here on a busy weekend. The sites are good sized, have a picnic table and fire ring with grill. The bathrooms need to be updated. There are a lot of cracks and crevices where bugs hide and lots of chipped paint. I didn't shower, so no commentary on the warmth/pressure. Look at the campground map before you book your site if being close to a bathroom is important; ours was across the campsite behind us but we had to step in a rock set in the stream to get to it without walking around the loop. Plenty of trees and shrubs for privacy. Lots of firewood both in and outside the park. It's a decent drive to Clarion PA to a Walmart, but there are small camp stores close by.

General: This Park is spread out along the Clarion River and, as such, is deceptively large. There are electric and non-electric sites, as well as cabins. On a Friday night in late October, it was nearly full. One man we spoke with said he raised his kids coming to this campground and that it is often challenging to reserve a site unless done far in advance (I believe I reserved about three months ahead of time). 

Site Quality: The sites vary in size and quality. All have either rock or grass “driveways”. A picnic table, fire ring, and lantern hook complete the site. Some sites are tucked in among large pine trees, some are directly on the river, and the non-electric sites are up a hill away from the river and shaded. 

Bathhouse: The one at the very end of the campground was modern and very clean. The showers looked very clean, but we did not use them. 

Activities/Amenities: Several hiking trails, a disc golf course and, in-season, a swimming pond and canoeing. Unfortunately, we woke to rain the next morning that looked like it was going to stick around for a while, so we did not get to explore as much of this park as we would have liked. 

Conclusion: Our stay was nice but brief and it would be nice to return.

A Pennsylvania favorite, Clear Creek State Park is a beautifully maintained, scenic park, right on the Clarion River in the Clear Creek State Park. The Park offers movies on an outdoor screen, regular nature talks and walks and has an onsite museum. The park has tent sites, RV sites and cabins. Clear Creek runs through the campground and is a perfect spot for a BBQ or Picnic. It also has a designated swimming beach with sand. There are multiple hiking trails leaving the campground. There is a general store just 5min from the park, plus multiple private firewood options on the road in. The park also sells firewood bundles. The Clarion is a crystal clear, shallow, rock bottom river perfect for a cool off, fishing or kayaking. There are two kayaking/tubing companies in Cook Forest to hire watercraft to float the river. Both floats don’t go as high as Clear Creek State Park so you won’t float past the campground, with the longest being 9 miles. The facilities are always clean, with large shower areas and always fully stocked with tissue. All sites have fire rings with adjustable grills. The best un-powered RV site is site 40– private and waterfront. The best powered-RV site is 39– private and waterfront. There are also two very private tent sites that are waterfront(classified as Kayak In tent sites) numbered CR-001& CR-002. Both waterfront, shaded with fire rings. Excellent tent sites! Note you can only book them for 1 night at a time. No phone reception at this one! They welcome furry friends at selected sites!

The park is on the scenic Clarion River and offers tent camping, some sites are paddle in only, RV sites, small and larger rustic cabins, and even a couple of yurts. It’s very well maintained, including the restroom/shower houses which were very clean. The upper loop tent sites are a bit more secluded and there is plenty of space for the larger cabins. The smaller cabins are more clustered but we enjoyed staying in them on a couple occasions. Be sure to bring kayaks or inner tubes for lazy hours on the river. There are kayak rentals nearby also. The Clarion River is full of wildlife including bald eagles hunting the river and an occasional black bear nearby.

Be sure to visit Beartown Rocks that is close by. It offers a nice view of the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.

I live nearby so I'm a bit biased towards the park. Definitely one of my favorite places to day hike. The trails are well maintained, and the scenery changes every few steps. Lush hardwood forest; plenty of shade for summer hikes. Not crowded at all in the off-season.

We stayed in the Indian Cabin #I11.  There are 4 twin sized bunk beds but be forewarned, the springs and mattresses were ancient during our stay.  There is a small table, a refrigerator, electric stove and oven, and there is heat.  The windows do not open very much so bring a fan if you're camping in warm weather.   The bathhouse is clean and the showers are hot. 

The cabins can be difficult to find in the dark, but they are located just behind the campground offices.  If you pull around to the rear of the building and look across the creek that is there, you cannot miss them.

This campground is deceptively big! The nightly RV sites are close to the park entrance and are relatively flat. The campground hosts themed events, game nights and arts& crafts. There is a swimming pool and playground for the kids. It also has a small café that sells baked goods and coffee. On Saturdays they sell amazing Armish Donuts! 

Further into the campground the sites turn to more permanent sites. Further up the hill are more cottages and camping. This campground is steep in parts and too large to walk efficiently. There is a fenced dog run area and a beautiful lake. All sites have fire rings. There is an onsite laundry, WIFI, onsite dump station and propane refill station. 

You can also buy ice and firewood. The campground is gated. Lots to do at the campground and lots to do in the surrounding area. They welcome all furry friends!

We 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.

Our first visit to this campground and we actually found from using this website! We wanted a secluded site and close to Pittsburgh. 

We arrived around 7pm and there was no check in, we drove around for a while trying to find a spot with a fire ring per some helpful campers. There are two really nice spots by the water which were taken, and we only saw one other in the woods (the other 2 were hidden by a large group of people).

We ended up finding a flat spot with some tree cover what was far enough from our neighbors but about as close as a bigger campground. Would be good for larger groups. Ton of flat land for tents but saw some people with smaller campers. Firewood is $5 a bucket and clean and dry. Bring a table cloth for the tables. 

Portapot close by but full bath rooms and showers by main lodge. Lots of tent platforms that overlooked into the woods which would be fun, for a smaller 4 person tent though. 

As another reviewer stated, there was a super loud group Friday night but Saturday was very peaceful and quiet and we met the owner who checked us in and apologized for the loud group and said he was still getting the campground ready for the season. The price is the same for either spots. 

Short walk down cheeseman road to trail entrances to McConnells Mills State Park. Short drive to hells hallow or the covered bridge. 

Overall we had a great time and will be back!