Best Cabin Camping near Gilbertsville, PA

I can't say enough good things about PA's DCNR. This cabin was just as excellent as our stay the night before at Hill's Creek State Park. The only thing I wish the DCNR would do is expand the dog friendly cabins. While we managed to get one of the dog friendly ones here, they are limited in number and Hill's Creek had no such cabins.

The camping cabins and yurts are somewhat grouped together in the middle of the campground area. We chose to stay in a yurt, as we were on a business trip to Philly, but wanted a couple days outside before heading home. There looked to be some nice tent sites as well. Lots of hiking trails to explore!

This is a solid, inclusive campground. Good hookups. Playground, pool area with 2 pools, a water park, and 2 hot tubs. Mini golf was free. Everything else has a fee. Water hours are limited to 11am to 7pm even in 90 degree weather. Store has good hours open until 10. It’s large and their website states there are day passes, so it it very crowded in the water park. People were nice. I’m gluten free so no food options, but a place delivered as we forgot a food bag at home. My grandson got stung by a wasp or bee during laser tag which was a downer at the end of our trip.

This park is all for the kids. This will be our second year going. So much to do for the kids. Our first year we did a birthday package where they brought a cake to the camp with Booboo for my daughter. They have the pools and playgrounds and fishing. Also the bonus of the hot tub being dropped off for two days. We do not rent a golf cart as it’s dam dam expensive. So we make sure to get close spots so we can walk. You can bring pets but we choose not to as we are not at the camp much. We do go fishing while we are here and my daughter loves this place

We had stayed in this canpground about 5 years ago and we loved it. We returned this year with my 12 and 14 year olds and a 12 year old friend. The kids were bored. The only improvements in the 5 years is they took out tent sites and replaced them with cabin rentals. The go carts are old. The air pillow was flat. They took out the pool table. Hardly any games in the game room. We were very disappointed. They really need to ass something new to make it.more teen-friendly.

Beautiful lake for all water related activities. Trails are nice, although not as well-marked as some other places we’ve been. Excited to go cabin camping here in January!

West Chester KOA This is a really nice KOA not too far from downtown Philly. The campground is located in a beautiful part of the Pennsylvania countryside with rolling hills which meant the roads getting there are narrow and windy. A bridge nearby the campground was washed out earlier by a hurricane so we had to take an alternative route going about thirty minutes out of our way. (Make sure you check their website for directions!) There is a lot to do in the surrounding area like visiting the historical sites in downtown Philadelphia, Valley Forge, or exploring Amish country. 

This is a typical KOA with lots of amenities and activities for kids– swimming pool, jump pad, miniature golf, volleyball, butterfly garden, gem mining, playground, store, dog park, nature trail, etc. There is a large pool area with pavilion but it was closed during our stay since we were there early in the season. The campground is right on the Brandywine River which is a slow meandering pretty river that is great to get your feet wet or go for a paddle. Canoes and kayaks are available for rent if you have time and as there is very little current in the river you can paddle out and back without any trouble. There is a nice, short nature trail which was nice to walk our dog and she enjoyed getting wet in the river. 

The campground is hilly which means that a fair number of sites are not level. Our site (#27) was level for our RV but the patio sloped downhill and we could not use our picnic table or find a level spot for our chairs. Some sites are “premiums” with paved patios, Adirondack chairs, fancy firepits, BBQ grill, and tables and chairs with an umbrella. These sites are really nice, but you pay a lot more for them. Some sites are located adjacent to the river with nice waterfront views, but beware some might be muddy. There are lots of camping cabins and a couple of glamping tents. 

Overall, the campground is very clean with no trash lying around and the grass was mowed and trimmed. The 50-amp electric was good as was the water pressure. The sewer connection uphill from our site so it did not drain properly. There is basic cable but since you are so close to Philly there are plenty of over-the-air channels. The Wi-Fi at our site worked well. Garbage is picked up at your site. The surrounding area has plenty of restaurants, shopping, and interesting things to see and do.

The first thing to know is that Thousand Trails sites are a first come, first serve. Meaning you have to arrive early in order to get the best spots. They don't reserve sites for you. For everyone complaining about driving around and not finding spots, if you get there early enough aroung 1 pm, you wont' have a problem.

This campground is located behind two farms and behind some woods, so you won't be able to see it from the main road. That is great because there was no traffic noise around. When we arrived to the gate house, the woman there was very helpful in recommending sites area for us. We chose a pull through site for our 30 ft TT since we are newbies (our 4th trip). There is ample space between you and your rv neighbor and no real obstructions to park. The trees are not in the way of the parking space. Each site had a lamp post so that at night, you could easily see where you are parked but they place them low to the ground so as not to add to light polution. The roads are a mix of gravelled area and asphalt. They have an overflow area for those with extra cars and those with tow dollies. This keeps the campground from looking like a junk yard.

As for the entertainment, we arrived too early for the pool to be open but they do have an indoor hot tub for those 16 years and older that is open. The store hours are a bit strange, with some days being open until 2pm on some weekdays. Their store has a good supply (just the essentials) but their best selling item is Hershey ice cream (so good!) They have a tennis court, mini golf, basketball court, and you saw many kids out witth their bicycles. There is even an arcade center for the kids and a rec center with a pool table.

The campground is very safe at night, no noise disturbances at night and we had no problems having our kids wander around by themselves. The batthrooms are nice and are designated shelters in case of severe weather. The pond is not suitable for swimming and has no swimming signs around. Nature decided to reclaim the area and the fish have an abuncance of kel to live in. It is a wonderful fishing and boating area.

All in all, it was a lovely campground.

My husband and I have stayed here several times, but the last time was the best! We stayed 2 nights in Cabin Z for our anniversary getaway and we loved having the whole place to ourselves. The pit latrines were clean, the water spigots worked fine, and there was plenty of wildlife to see roam through the surrounding areas. It was home away from home.

We stayed here for 3 nights while visiting family In Philadelphia. It is a 20 minute ride into Philly and Uber was was quick and responsive.

*note- this does close for winter and reopens in April but call park for exact closure dates because they do change.

This is a nice KOA with full hook ups, tent sites,cabins, and even glamping cabins. There is a pool that is open Memorial Day- Labor Day. They also have a catch and release pond and we found a pickleball court at a nearby city park.

We did Chinatown and walked part of the Schuylkill River trail which we accessed by parking near Fairmount Park. This is a great area to explore with gorgeous views and easy access to the River trail. (There are rentals for everything here- kayaks/bikes etc)

IF we had a car with us- we would have considered taking the ferry from Camden’s Ferry Terminal next to Wiggins Park to Philly. (This is also near the Adventure Aquarium and the battleship New Jersey) Here is a link to information about the ferry-

https://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com/places/riverlink-ferry

This is a great location for exploring Philadelphia.

Happy Camping! Pamela and Keith

The cabins are full electric with heat and are well appointed. It was an excellent fall trip location for a family with young children. I said there was a sense of deja vu because the cabin, even it's placement relative to the lake was near identical to the cabin we had at Hills Creek State Park the month before.

We have been coming to Jellystone in Quarryville since our son was 1. My best friend has been coming there longer which is how we heard about it. Neither of us will be coming back. We rent the cabins and every year the quality and cleanliness of the cabins, as well as the facilities and grounds have declined. We stayed this past week and had a skunk living under our cabin. One of the managers, Cindie stated this was a problem weeks ago also. The skunks were fighting all night under the cabin and spraying. The smell came through the AC vents all night. We contacting the front desk. It took hours for someone to come out. They literally handed my husband an AC filter to change himself and the old one was disgusting. We were offered a choice of 2 cabins far from our friends. One had broken air conditioning and the other only one bed which wasn’t sufficient because we have a child. We decided to stay at our cabin but to sleep in our friends cabin because of the smell. We asked for some compensation due to the fact that we could not use our cabin other than to hold our luggage. We were offered a credit but we explained that that was not sufficient enough. That we should receive it back in cash and honestly, we should receive three nights stay because we only stayed in our cabin one night out of the four. We continue to get the runaround from the GM Jerren and Cindie. Nobody gets back to us and they make up stories. After being promised we’d speak to Jerren by check out, One story was that Jerren wasn’t there and had family issues then it was that he was in meetings all day then that Cindie was on the late shift and she would get back to us yet didn’t. Nobody gets back to us, which I pretty much knew would be the case. This is extremely unprofessional! It is unacceptable that we are being lied to by management and that no one gives us a straight answer. Management has lied to us saying they would resolve this numerous times and yet they have not. The water park was broken for 2 days. The pools are dirty. The bathrooms are dirty or gross. The jumping pillow had a hole that was patched and letting out air. It has really gone downhill these past few years. I would not recommend staying here for the money you pay.

This State Park has 4 camping areas, plus group camp areas, primitive cabins & “modern” cabins. It is very spread out! Campsites range from FHU to dry camping. The FHU sites tend to be the nicest (level, grassy, larger). Some of the dry campsites are very rough, others have large areas to set up multiple tents. I can’t recommend the dry sites for RV’s, as they tend to be short & not very level.

Took the kids and had a wonderful time. Cabins are a little expensive but beautiful.

On the app it lists RV and tent camping. Contact at office they only have cabins. Please correct this!

Very family friendly park. Cabins, RV, Tent - full amenities. Lots of things to do. A little pricy, but worth it especially with kids.

This state park is close to Philly but has some wonderful tent sites. There are also cabins and yurts but they aren’t dog friendly. Lots of nice trails.

Quiet family campground. Nice play area for kids. VERY clean! Overall, a nice place. Not much to do nearby, and not many food options without driving 15+ mins. Small pool and jacuzzi. Sites in the back section of the campground have a little more space but we had a lot of ants and mosquitos being close to drainage and the woods. We will stay here again.

This park has no tent camping. They offer cabins and yurts, but have no sites for people to set up tents. The main attraction for this park is their lake, which you can swim in, fish, kayak or drop in a boat. There is a playground for kids to play in that is well maintained. There are hiking trails in the back side of the park, from the main entrance. The visitor center is only open during the week. The cabins and yurts have electricity and running water. They are great if you want the outdoor experience while getting the option of a bed. If you want tent camping, check out locust lake state park which isn't far away.

The town really does smell like chocolate. This is a resort style park that we went to with scouts to ease them into tent camping. The sites are packed in like sardines and it’s pretty chaotic. Pros: close to the amusement park, cabin options, various park extras (early entry, coupons, package deals), pool, extensive store & gift shop, sports fields, etc. easy to remember loop names. Cons: very packed, lots of kids, not too quiet, train tracks right next to many of the sites and cabins, no park shuttle, not for nature experience. If you are ok with this kind of “resort” as a cheap place to stay while in Hershey, it’s ok.

A small koa but very nice, I stayed in a cabin for my MTB race weekend. Great! Pool is a tad small. Restrooms very clean and good looking tent sites.