Best Cabin Camping near Grampian, PA

This park is a little different and has some fairly interesting history. There are some old ruins as well as an old quarry site. The grounds are open to hunting and we were surprised by a bird hunter and his dog who was running around off leash, creating a little havoc for us while walking our two dogs on the trail. If you visit in the fall, be sure to bring some hunter orange if you plan on exploring the trails.

Now onto the cabins- these are quite nice! They have nice bathrooms with hot showers, a common area with a lot of furniture, a kitchen with large table and full sized appliances. The cabin we stayed in was pet friendly and had two rooms, one with a full size bed and a second one with 2 sets of bunk beds. The heat was quite efficient and kept us warm on some cold nights. 

These cabins are not equipped with any type of consumables, cookware or linens. You really need to bring everything if you're planning on actually using the bathroom or kitchen. There is toilet paper though :) We chose to stay here due to its proximity to several National Park sites in the area and it was perfect for us! We will be visiting another state park with similar cabins next year, too!

This campground is located on the east side of Pennsylvania and offers a beautiful view of Lake Raystown. The campground has over 200 sites to choose from, and many of them are right on the water. There are also plenty of activities to keep you busy, including swimming, fishing, kayaking, and canoeing and my favorite thing to do Mt Biking. Raystown lake is also a really nice boating lake. The lake is a natural beauty with so many coves and inlets for the biggest of boats to enjoy. They do have a camping resort on the other side of the lake which makes it nice for anyone looking for rustic cabins or cabin rentals. 

 There are 50 miles of single track mountain biking at this campground. They are some of the best flow trails on the East coast and are the# 1 trail system in Pennsylvania. This is a family friendly campground and has so much to offer. There are volleyball nets, playgrounds, kayak and paddleboard rentals. The kids took a kayak over to an island and spent the afternoon cliff jumping with a 10 ft and 25 ft cliff to launch off of. The sites here are some of the nicest we have ever seen. They are all big and private with stunning views of Raystown Lake. There are steps down from your camper to a pad with a fire pit and area for a tent. You are literally 10 feet away from the water as you enjoy a sunset while sitting around the fire. The lake is a great place to kayak, paddleboard, or just relax and enjoy the view. We love coming here and spending our weekends on the lake. All tent sites are equipped with picnic tables and most sites are electric. looking for other epic reviews check out the top ten campgrounds in PA https://www.longdaycampingco.com/post/10-best-campsites-in-pennsylvania-gorgeous-sites-to-enjoy-the-outdoors

General: 73-site campground; most have electric hookups, and some are FHU. Pets are only permitted at selected sites. There are also 20 (13 rustic and 6 modern) cabins. Cell service is extremely limited to non-existent (Verizon). 

Site Quality: Pads are gravel and most appeared to be level. Site 70 was at the end of the loop which is why we picked it. A picnic table, fire ring, and lantern hook complete each site. 

Bathhouse: As has been our experience in all PA state parks, the bathhouse was pristine, and the shower (for no additional cost) was clean with plentiful hot water and was very much appreciated. 

Activities/Amenities: Coin-operated laundry. A playground is in the campground and there is an additional one at the swimming beach. The swimming beach is open from mid-May to mid-September, from 8 am– sunset. Electric motorboats are permitted on Moshannon Lake. Boat rentals are available in season. Permits are required. 24 miles of hiking trails, including two trails directly from the campground to the lake. In the summer, there is a camper store/concession stand. Hunting is allowed in season. There are 4.3 miles of mountain biking trails. 

I used to think Oregon State Parks were the best, but Pennsylvania State Parks have them beat by a mile. We have yet to be disappointed by the amenities(especially the clean bathrooms) offered at the half-dozen state parks we have visited so far.

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.