171 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
State parks and forests surrounding Fort Loudon, Pennsylvania feature diverse camping experiences within the Appalachian foothills. Cowans Gap State Park Campground, located directly in Fort Loudon, offers tent sites, RV hookups, cabins, and glamping options from mid-April through deer hunting season in December. The campground provides water and electric hookups, showers, and boat-in access to the park's lake. Within a 30-minute drive, campers can access Twin Bridge Campground in Chambersburg and Ye Olde Mill Campground in Burnt Cabins, both offering year-round accommodations. The region's camping options extend into nearby Maryland with several established campgrounds along the Potomac River and C&O Canal.
Seasonal considerations significantly impact camping availability throughout the area. Most campgrounds operate from April through October, with a few offering year-round access. As one camper noted about Cowans Gap: "The sites are not crowded, with plenty of shade and privacy. The bathroom is close by, has showers and is very clean. You can walk or ride a bike to the beach." Cell service can be limited in some areas, with T-Mobile specifically mentioned as having no signal at Cowans Gap. Reservations are strongly recommended during summer months and weekends, particularly for lakeside sites which tend to fill quickly. Many campgrounds in the region require advance booking through state reservation systems or private campground websites.
Lakeside camping receives consistently positive reviews from visitors to the Fort Loudon area. Cowans Gap State Park features a lake with swimming areas, fishing access, and hiking trails circling the water. According to one visitor: "There is a beautiful lake across the road from camping area, which consists of a very nice hiking trail the whole way around, boating, fishing, swimming and in-season concession stand." Most state park campgrounds in the region maintain clean facilities with modern bathhouses, though some primitive sites in state forests may require campers to pack in their own water. The heavily wooded setting provides ample shade at most sites, with many campers noting the privacy between campsites as a significant benefit compared to more commercial campgrounds.
"Nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania, this gem of a campground."
"The bathroom is close by,has showers & is very clean. You can walk or ride a bike to the beach. The water is clean with sand on the bottom. Lakeside trail is short and easy."
from $20 - $48 / night
Check Availability"Stayed here two nights while visiting Gettysburg (short 20mi drive between the two). Stayed on Chinquapin Hill, each site has picnic table and fire ring and good space for camp."
"It’s a fantastic state park with great picnic areas next to the creek. You can also drive up the road to the dam where there’s a beautiful lake with fishing, kayaking, etc."
from $20 - $92 / night
Check Availability"This is a huge campground with mostly very large RVs situated on farmland. The sites varied. Some were in an open field, others by the stream with trees. We had Site C, which was right on the stream."
"Our kids love the creek and playing in and around it. Some activities, playground, mini golf etc. but more of a relaxing campground."
from $38 - $43 / night
Check Availability"Set right next to the river and you fish if you want to. DO NOT follow your GPS. Follow the directions on the KOA Website."
"Beautiful campgrounds situated near a creek. The campgrounds have a homey feel and were decorated nicely for fall & Halloween. The staff & hosts were incredibly nice & helpful."
"There is a food court in the swimming pool and a camp store right next to it. They play movies every night at the outdoor theater near the pool."
"This campground has tons of nice cabins and tent sites, all in wooded surroundings. There is a small creek to play in and a nice little hiking trail within the campground."
from $99 - $471 / night
Check Availability"Positives
- Big, immaculately groomed tent pads
* Mostly tent campers!"
"Our site was private and kind of faced away from most other sites. There was a hiking trail behind us that led to the lake."
from $23 - $29 / night
Check Availabilityfrom $22 - $95 / night
Check Availability"There is no privacy from adjacent campsites, but you are on the Potomac in sites 1 - 7.
Price 2023: $10 w interagency pass Usage during visit: Light during the week. 40% full on weekends.""We stayed at campsite 1 which had nice views of the river and a pretty good distance from neighbors. Closest site to the drop toilet and day use area portapots (very clean!)."
from $20 - $40 / night
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ScoutWow, the weekends were fun. They were quite a bit of people there and my kids had a good time. The weekdays were different story we were told we had to be quiet. We had a lot of craziness go on
ScoutFriendly staff, well shaded, good size site 23 with easy in and paver patio and sturdy furniture
ScoutWe stayed at site #146 in Hosack Run. The campground itself is a small, pet friendly loop and has very nice bathrooms/showers that were very clean and appeared fairly brand new. There is a very small playground in the loop (just swings and seesaws) and Caledonia State Park itself has lots of nice hiking and history. It sits about 20 minutes outside of Gettysburg National Battlefield. The campsite itself (#146) was pretty abysmal. It is extremely small and looks like it was once the parking lot for the restrooms. You can still see the remnants of the painted yellow parking lines on the asphalt. Our small, 12 foot pop-up barely fit with just enough room for our tow vehicle. Also, your neighbor (site #144) sits right on top of you. Lastly, we stayed during a rainy Memorial Day weekend and learned that our former parking space of a campsite sits inside of a bowl in which all other campsites drains into creating a small lake around our firepit. The one plus side was that it is extremely close to the facilities. There are lots of other nice camp sites in this loop, but this was not one of them. I would choose this site again if I was extremely desperate to camp here and no other sites were available. 5 stars for the park, trails, and locale. 1 star for the campsite.
RangerGreat park, alittle close together than I like. I wish I had picked 1-12 sites by the creek, but I don’t think I had much choice when I booked anyway. Bathrooms were clean. My site was more of an rv and I felt like I was at the neighbors for supper.
RangerPool, campgrounds area is so great. Don’t forget the bbq place up the street, it is so good! Getting the the bathrooms from my site will be more of a challenge once the campground fills up. Showers were a tad colder than I like but once the summer comes I would t mind it, I guess?
Finished some of the App trail from there
TravelerWell kept, clean facilities, easy to work with camp staff, we stayed at site 51 a full hook up site mostly level with a gravel pad short walk to the restrooms
RangerProbably my favorite due to the Store, the store employee and the App Trails. Will be back. My site was next to the amp trail which I didn’t particularly like, but my site was beautiful. WiFi available at Camp Store
RangerGreat Park, showers were cold and after the App Trail, A hot shower would have been awesome. Beautiful park though. My site was a little bit uneven but it looks like the park has been through an upgrade recently.
GuideThe sites are close together. The park was not full Mother’s Day weekend. It is a very nice park. The bathhouses were clean. The amenities were good although we didn’t utilize them. The national historic site was very close and we walked over day 1 rode our bikes day 2. The C&O canal is accessible but you must walk your bike across the lower town bridge and carry it down the stairs. This section of the trail was very good and we completed 38 miles.
Fort Loudon sits at 623 feet elevation in the Appalachian foothills of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. This area experiences four distinct seasons with warm, humid summers averaging 83°F and cold winters with temperatures typically ranging from 22-38°F. Fall camping seasons bring vibrant foliage displays across the region's state parks and forests, with many campgrounds remaining open through late autumn.
Fishing access: 10 minutes: McCoys Ferry Campground provides riverside sites directly on the Potomac with a boat ramp. "Basic site along the Potomac River. No showers and just a vault toilet and a few porta-johns. Boat ramp and easy access to the CO canal trail for easy hiking and biking," notes Jeremy C.
Biking on rail trails: The Western Maryland Rail Trail runs alongside McCoys Ferry Campground, offering flat, paved riding suitable for all skill levels. One visitor mentioned, "The C&O canal trail is steps away," making it convenient for cyclists staying at the campground.
Halloween festivities: Cowans Gap State Park Campground hosts special Halloween-themed weekends with campsite decorating contests during fall. "We went to Cowans gap last full for a Halloween weekend and the children loved it. We even won the campsite decorating contest," shares Danielle W.
Trail connections: Caledonia State Park Campground offers direct access to the Appalachian Trail and numerous connecting paths. "We enjoyed our stay here very much. The trails were very enjoyable and we hiked about 15 miles with sections of the Appalachian trail," reports Andres C.
Creek access: Twin Bridge Campground offers creek access where children can play and swim during hot weather. "Our favorite campground. The most relaxing setting. Our kids love the creek and playing in and around it," explains a reviewer named Jwalker.
Fall foliage viewing: Cowans Gap State Park Campground shines during autumn months with spectacular leaf colors. "Absolutely amazing fall color on the lake and great drives surrounding. Bathrooms are clean and hot showers," notes Michael W.
Digital disconnection: Some campsites near Fort Loudon provide a true break from technology. At Cowans Gap, "5 nights, 6 days with no cell or wifi to stress us out. Biking, Hiking, sitting around a campfire, very nice," according to Tom R.
Wildlife viewing: Greenbrier State Park Campground offers opportunities to observe native wildlife in natural settings. The park features educational displays about local species, with one camper noting, "The nearby trails are great and the lake is a good place to swim or laze on a warm day."
Train noise: McCoys Ferry Campground experiences regular train traffic at all hours. One camper notes, "The train comes through twice overnight and it is loud but still got a decent night of sleep."
Cell service limitations: Several campgrounds have limited connectivity. At Cowans Gap, a camper reported, "You are totally off the grid as far as cell, WiFi, and TV signal. Be prepared to be out of communication during your stay."
Varying shower availability: Facilities differ significantly between campgrounds. At McCoys Ferry, only portable toilets are available, while Twin Bridge Campground offers standard bathrooms with showers. One visitor at McCoys noted, "Portable bathrooms were clean. I packed water so didn't see if the pump was working."
Early arrival recommended: During peak summer weekends, parking at recreation areas fills quickly. A Greenbrier State Park visitor advised, "Campers have to drive down and park their cars in the parking lot by the lake EARLY or you won't get a spot."
Water park options: Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park in Williamsport provides extensive water recreation facilities. "What an amazing campground for adults and kids. The kids were never bored and had so much fun. Us, as adults, were also never bored," shares Mary.
Mining activities: Some campgrounds offer special activities for children. One parent noted about Hagerstown/Antietam Battlefield KOA: "a petite campground in a lovely setting. my kids were obsessed with the goats and the little mining table."
Firefly viewing: Caledonia State Park Campground offers a unique natural phenomenon. "We chose this park for the nice pool (short walk from campsites) but loved the synchronous firefly show we saw in July!" according to Stephanie S.
Concession options: Several campgrounds provide food service during peak season. At Cowans Gap, visitors can find "snack and bathing facilities close to beach," which helps when camping with children who need quick refreshments.
Site selection: At Caledonia State Park Campground, RV sites vary in quality and privacy. "Not sure about other sites - some sites appeared not to have tent sites and steep parking. All the full look-up sites appeared very nice," reports Ross P.
Honey wagon service: Twin Bridge Campground offers a convenient alternative to full hookups. "Big spacious sites, and a honeywagon to make things easier (there weren't any full hookup sites the I saw besides the long term spaces)," notes Angela K.
Site surfaces: Many campgrounds have specific pad types that affect setup. At Greenbrier State Park, one camper mentioned, "Big, immaculately groomed tent pads," while others noted that some sites require additional equipment for stabilization.
Narrow access roads: Some campgrounds have challenging entry points. At McCoys Ferry, campers are advised: "As you travel towards the end of McCoys Ferry Road, make sure to stay right, as to pass through the tunnel." The reviewer adds, "The tunnel you pass under is train tracks."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular campground near Fort Loudon, PA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Fort Loudon, PA is Cowans Gap State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 31 reviews.
What parks are near Fort Loudon, PA?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 20 parks near Fort Loudon, PA that allow camping, notably Raystown Lake and Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park.
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