Best Tent Camping near Parkesburg, PA

PROS 

Reserved 328 days prior to arriving

$13.50 senior discount 

Immediately greeted by Loop C camp host who was extremely friendly and helpful 

Site C3 parking pad level asphalt 

Metal frame wooden picnic table that was moveable 

One hook lantern pole 

Metal fire pit which was cleaned out upon our arrival 

Some vegetation between sites provided a bit of privacy from neighbors sites 

Park is 21 miles from Valley Forge National Historical Park. Catch National Park Service 90 minute trolley tour at the Visitor Center. 

Shady Maple Smorgasbord...authentic Pennsylvania Dutch cooking…largest buffet in the USA…16 miles from French Creek SP 

CONS

$6.50 reservation fee for making my own on-line reservation 

Horrible signage along PA-345. Never saw very small sign when we where intensely searching 

Such a large overall park, but camping loop sites are jammed together

Pitiful low water pressure  in Loop C

Site sewer connection is high; needs to be knocked down to ground level 

Short length of site caused creative tow vehicle parking 

Loop C women’s toilet/shower building a big nasty mess Saturday 

Trash dumpsters are on the main road near the campground check-in station (not walkable) 

Noisy campground; 9pm quiet hour not enforced

Lots of barking dogs 

No wood sales in park 

No WiFi 

1 bar Verizon

Campground Review

This state park is tucked in the largest tract of forest that lies between New York City and Washington D.C. and it is absolutely stunning. The area is full of whitetail deer, raccoons, opossums and other abundant wildlife so be watchful when driving especially during dawn and dusk hours.

The park has tons of amenities from freshwater ponds to a fish to a staffed swimming pool. There are multiple playgrounds for kids to play on and plenty of green space to roam. There are four camping loops (A, B, C and D). Loop A, B and C are in close proximity to one another while D is a bit further away and may be used for overflow camping. Loop A offers simple sites with no hookups. Each site has a fire ring and grate of some sort, picnic table and flat space for pitching a tent. Some sites in this loop have lantern posts but not all of them do. Unfortunately, the flat spot in our site that was not gravel was low-lying and would have flooded in the rain (which was forecasted). We wound up pitching our tent on the gravel to avoid waking up in a puddle. Beware, there is a TON of poison ivy riddled throughout the grounds. Some of it looks like it has been sprayed but it is still rather abundant.

The facilities in loop A are VERY nice and look as though they have been remodeled recently. There bathroom has roomy toilet and shower stalls, nice sinks and is all tile (very nice, clean tile). Outside the bathroom are two dish sinks with both hot and cold water. It was nice to not have food caked in the bathroom sinks!

The sites in loop A are rather impacted and there was a fair amount of garbage littered about which was disappointing. However, the sites in this loop are nicely spaced and while the campground was busy, we felt like we had plenty of space.

We drove through the rest of the loops and found that Loop B was very packed and sites were on top of one another. This was a loop with full hookups so there were RVs and other vehicles everywhere. Loop C, which allows pets was also a bit of a mess. Part of it is just an open field that looks more like a parking lot, however, if you keep driving the loop you will find more normal sites in the trees. We didn't have our dogs this visit, otherwise we might have stayed in this loop.

All in all this is a great spot close to the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site (totally worth a visit). I would certainly recommend staying here and checking out the area.

Gear Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - today I am testing the Ledlenser MH2 Headlamp. This headlamp is interesting and will definitely be great for certain applications, though it will more than likely not be my go to light in the backcountry.

Pros:

1. When on the concentrated fish eye setting it is quite bright and would be great for point specific lighting needs. For instance, setting a bear hang in a tree where you need more focused and centralized lighting.
2. Several settings including a strobe mode as well as a red light setting (more about the red light in the con section below).
3. Seems to be well built and relatively durable. The strap itself is quite nice and comfortable across both the back and forehead.
4. Batteries held up well compared to some other models on the market but this may be attributed to the lower lumen (100) rating.

Cons:

1. When not on the fisheye/centralized setting, the light is not too bright. While the casting area is greater you definitely loose the brightness and any setting between the two doesn't yield great lighting results either. I would probably only use this for applications where I need light focused on one area.
2. The red light is relatively useless in my opinion. It would be ok for reading but due to it's positioning on the actual housing, it is difficult to direct in a useful direction.
3. The headlamp itself is quite heavy. After wearing it for an extended period of time I felt as though I would have liked it to be a bit lighter.
4. The headlamp requires 3 AAA batteries but only came factory sealed with 2.

Overall this is a nice little headlamp. I keep one in my car as well as in our car camping box as an extra light source around the campground. As I mentioned, it won't replace my backpacking go-to model but it certainly worth the investment if you are looking for a spare or heavier duty model for those instances when weight doesn't matter.

Thanks for the opportunity to check out your product.

We decided to stay a weekend at Susquehanna based on the reviews on the Dyrt and it’s closer proximity to home. We arrived and were greeted by super friendly rangers who gave us the lay of the land. We found the rangers to be very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife, plants, and trees in the park. They had two display tables full of flora and fauna by the check-in station set up for kids and adults alike to glean some knowledge. On one night while we were there, there was a program run by the rangers where kids could learn about some common native and invasive species.

We hiked the Green Trail, which had a sign saying it was ‘very difficult’, but we found it to be no problem for our crew of seven kids aged 3-10 and four adults. We only passed one other hiker. We saw some champion trees, lots of deer, and had some run ins with more than a few spotted lantern flies. One ranger told us they have nine champion trees in the park, we’d love to go back and hike to find the others.

With only two loops, the sites were fairly spaced out with lots of trees between them. We had a spacious electric site for our pop up and camped with friends who had a nice level, secluded tent site. We hardly ever heard any neighbors and all was quiet at night. Each loop shares a bathhouse, and there are some portable toilets spaced around the loop, too. The facilities were cleaned every morning. They even have a large laundry utility sink in the bathhouse should you need it. The only downside we found was that showering at prime time (around 8 or 9 pm) led to very little hot water. A small price to pay for good camping and hiking!

General: 132-site campground with a mix of no hookups or water and electric. Six of the sites are “field sites” – on grass. Our site was chosen for us. 

Site Quality: Varies. Sites 68 and 69 are next to the field sites and aside from having electricity and water and a faint gravel camper pad, there is not much to distinguish them from the field sites (which have electricity but no water). Our site was almost level but in order to reach the electric connection, we were sloped slightly downhill side-to-side. The FHU sites are wooded but close together.

Bath/Shower house: Clean with soap and paper towels. The shower had nice hot water. 

Activities/Amenities: The pool is open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult. There is also a separate kiddie pool. We were there the Thursday after Memorial Day and had the pool to ourselves. Other amenities include laundry, a game room, golf cart rentals, and sports equipment (basketballs, volleyball, soccer, football, horseshoes, bocce ball, ping pong) are available. Propane fill-ups, firewood, a camp store, and a dump station (including on-site for a fee) are all available. Free WiFi, although not the strongest signal. 

Had we not needed an electric hookup for our computers, I would have much preferred the primitive sites – they are private and shaded but they are a hike to the bathroom. There is one vault toilet in this area. Our site had no shade, and it was a very hot day when we were there. I was surprised at the lack of camping options in this area.

Stayed in B-08 on mid October and had a great trip. The site was non-electric and it seems most of the outer side of this loop is basic camping with the inside of the loop having power. The other loops offer full hookups but opting for this area kept us from being surrounded by massive RV's. Easy back in spot for our car, partially shaded, decent brush cover between sites and able to keep tent about 20 yards from the road on a crushed rock pad. I will say this site has a little bit of slope but nothing that affected our sleep. The fire ring is very high sided and if you're not sitting on a higher camp chairs you kind of miss the fire. Picnic table was sturdy but easy enough to move lnto place to fit our needs. Tons of hike mg within the park including some historic sites at Hopewell Furnace like the blacksmith shop and old residences. Checked in a. It before the stated 3pm time without issues. Very few rangers seen during stay but it is after labor day and most of the seasonal attractions like the pool etc were closed for the season. Very clean bathrooms with easy to use dish sinks on the outside. Overall for a trip that within 75 minutes of Philly you can't go wrong for a quick jaunt out of town.

I booked a tent site as my first introduction to the park. Setting up a reservation was incredibly user friendly, park staff was fantastic at getting us checked in, and the camp store was well stocked and priced. 

Our site, however, left something to be desired. The sites were all very close together, and the tent pad areas were fairly small. You can drive right up to your site and park there, which is incredibly convenient in terms of unpacking and set up. Around our site was pretty loud with neighbors at all hours, regardless of quiet hours, and balls being kicked into our tent pad area from surrounding visitors. There were some bottle caps and garbage on our tent pad upon arrival.

I think if you had kids and were looking for a "not so quiet" get away into nature, this would be a fantastic spot. There were larger and more private sites on our loop, and if I returned I would prioritize getting one of those. There are also more loops than the one we were on. 

The firepit had an adjustable height grill grate, and there was a picnic table at each site. Firewood ran $5 a bundle at the camp store.  Ice and potable water was also available. 

There was a nearby dumpster that was easy to use. Disappointed that there did not seem to be a recycling receptacle. Bathrooms were nice, the handicapped shower was very spacious. No shortage of hot water. 

We hiked all available trails from the trail map, though it seems there were more than listed, and a portion of the park is closed following previous tornado damage. We saw an abundance of herps, gorged ourselves on pawpaws, and generally foraged and tracked a ton of interesting wildlife. The trails themselves were pretty, but the rankings somewhat misleading. The "hard" trails would be hard in comparison to a flat gravel path, but in terms of general hiking, were comfortable with only a couple mildly steep or narrow points. I am unsure if the ranking system is for general hiking or in terms of ADA accessibility, however. If accessibility, it makes a lot of sense. For hiking? Less so; I'd rank the trails as a normal difficulty for their 'hard' trails. 

The beaches were lovely! We did not get the opportunity to kayak, swim, or fish, but are hoping to do that sometime in the future. Was still relaxing to sit out with a book and watch the water.

I do feel like we explored most of what the park had to offer, so while I would be happy to return it feels less urgent to do so. I think I would be better equipped to pick a site (or explore a cabin!) the next time which would resolve my minimal issues. Given the relaxed atmosphere of the trails, close amenities, etc. I think this would be a good choice to bring friends who are new to the camping scene, or for families.