Best Tent Camping near Highspire, PA

Tent Camping Reviews near Highspire, PA

823 Reviews of 14 Highspire Campgrounds

• 

  Rick W.

  Traveler

  Aug. 15, 2022

  Colonel Denning State Park Campground

  Tent camping sites

  Walk in sites have picnic table and fire ring. Tent pads are level and smooth. Showers and restrooms are close to sites. Strongly recommend...

• 

  Craig F.

  Guide

  Jul. 1, 2019

  Gifford Pinchot State Park Campground

  Fun Camping and Lake Activities

  We had a wonderful stay at Gifford Pinchot State Park! 

  The camping area at GP is separated into A loop and B loops with approximately 300 sites. All sites had a paved pad, varying in size depending on the location, with tent site being smaller. Most sites have electric and there are 22 full hookup sites in the camping area. Both loops are peninsulas into the lake, which is convenient to launching boats directly from many sites. Loop A is closer to the designated swimming area with a sandy beach and playground. B loop is closer to many of the hiking trails and also several boat launch areas. It is nice that the camping area and amenities are separated from the public day use area. At the entrance to the camping area there are three dump stations. 

  During our stay we were at a full hookup site which was very spacious and often hard to find in PA State Parks. Our site was#299 and for some reason the entire site was paved/blacktop, which was different than all the other sites where the pad was paved and the picnic table area was gravel/grass. While this site made it easy to level our camper, it became quite hot in the afternoon/evening after the sun had baked it all day.

  Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed GP and couldn’t believe we hadn’t visited before because it is a great state park. Wood is available for purchase at the campground hosts’ sites and ice at the park office. As with most PA state parks, quiet hours are at 9:00PM, which is a bit early, and there is no alcohol allowed in the park. We look forward to returning to GP in the future.

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• V

  Valerie M.

  Scout

  Jul. 11, 2018

  Knoebels Campground

  Clean, quiet, inexpensive, fun place to camp!

  Knoebels campground is situated next to Knoebels amusement park and offers sites for tent campers and RVs, as well as cabins.

  There is electricity at every site but not water. There are fill stations throughout the campgrounds. Most sites are level and shaded. There are nice sturdy wooden platforms for tent campers.

  The bath houses are clean and well maintained. There are outside sinks with mirrors, laundry facilities, shower stalls, and toilet stalls. Or if you prefer there are also traditional bathrooms with showers.

  Quiet hours are enforced between 10p and 8a.

  Each site has a fire ring and picnic table. Wood is available by the bucket near the check in building. Sites are inexpensive and are all a short walk, or free shuttle ride, to the park!.

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• K

  KENNETH

  Scout

  Sep. 1, 2021

  Codorus State Park Campground

  Nice campground for primitive tenting

  Large campground but only 15 sites dedicated to“roughin’ it” tent camping. However, those sites are isolated from the others. The tent sites were in very good condition, spaced well, and fairly private. Most sites have plenty of shade and grassy, though a few are dirt only. Many sites within walking distance from the lake(no swimming) and set up for you to store and launch your kayak or other boat. Water, bathrooms, and showers a little distant but everything clean and in excellent condition. Ice and firewood available on the grounds. There is also a small store but I didn’t see it because it was open for very limited weekend hours only. Otherwise, major grocery stores are only a few minutes’ drive. Definitely going back…!

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• S

  Sean F.

  Guide

  Jun. 2, 2023

  Pine Grove Furnace State Park Campground

  Camping at the AT Halfway Point

  Great small campground in South-central PA.  Sites are nicely spaced except for a few that are tucked into a few odd-shaped places.  I stayed in site 21, which was on an outside loop with a lot of space.  Campground seems very well maintained and the hosts were very friendly and active.  I wasn't there on a busy night, but nice to know it is a place where the hosts are trying to keep a relaxing atmosphere.  Nearly everything is in the woods so there's lots of shade during the warm seasons.  There's a fire ring, picnic table, lantern hanger and generous tent pad.  There's also room in many outside loop sites to set up in the woods.  Very quiet and relaxing evening.

  Bathrooms feel very modern and there is a combination of a traditional shower/bathroom center and a separate bathroom only area with 4 private bathrooms (though now showers).  Showers were clean and had hot water, though when you press the button for water, it only runs for about 10 seconds.  So you really have to just hold the water on while you shower one-handed.  I think there was a 1-car per site rule while I was there.

  Firewood is on-site for $5 for a six-piece bundle, with kindling available.  Wood lit right up for me.  The park has a general store, swimming lake, Appalachian Trail Museum, Park office and a few other historic buildings so there's a lot to do.  Just take note that everything closes at 4 PM.  The park is just north of the halfway point of the AT and is a popular place for hikers to stop and take a slow or zero day.  The museum is interesting if you have any interest in the AT and very knowledgeable host.

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• 

  Laure D.

  Legend

  Sep. 6, 2021

  Muddy Run Recreation Park

  Older but great day use area

  We visited the day use area but drove through the campground for future reference. The campground offers a lot of sites (189 sites). 148 sites have electric and water. Some sites are monthly rental only. They also offer seasonal sites. There are 38 tent only sites as well. There are 3 primitive group sites. There are paved parking pads, picnic tables, charcoal grills, and of course a fire ring in each. No sewer hookups but we saw 2 dump stations. There are laundry facilities and bathhouses. $35 a night or $185 a week. Use of the day use area included is awesome. Plenty of playgrounds, disc golf, boat rentals, an observatory (closed due to covid for now), snack bar that is open 8-5 or 6 daily for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, and a splash pad (free!) for water fun open 10-7 daily but shuts down Sept 6. All this is all nestled around a 100 acre lake. You can fish, or rent boats (kayak, paddle boats, canoes, or rowboats with electric motors) on the lake. Tons of fun here!

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• 

  PhiladelphiaKaley R.

  Guide

  Jun. 1, 2018

  Gifford Pinchot State Park Campground

  Basic amenities and activities for the average camper

  Large campground with electric RV/camper sites as well as non-electric tent sites. Several bathroom and shower facilities. Lake-side sites are available and each site comes equipped with a picnic table, fire ring, and parking spot. Friendly staff, decently maintained. There were several planks missing from our picnic table and the parking spot was a mud hole. Some pet friendly sites are available as well. A snapping turtle stopped by for a visit at our campsite and ended up laying eggs! Quite a sight to see, there is plenty of wildlife around to enjoy during your stay.

• C

  Colls G.

  Scout

  Sep. 8, 2021

  Deer Run Campgrounds

  No COVID-19 Precautions in 2020 and Tight Spaces

  We took a chance in September 2020 and decided to make plans to camp for two nights so we could get some hiking in nearby at the Pine Grove Furnace State Park. You're greeted by a sign on the front office door that says "Masks are optional," so that tells you all you need to know about camping here during the COVID-19 crisis. Check-in is easy enough and you are given a card to hang on your mirror that has a barcode to scan to get access to the campground. Then you drive to your site. The signs/directions posted are...not very helpful, and you can easily find yourself face-to-face with someone driving a golf cart from the opposite direction or kids running around through the road, so be very careful. We picked a tent site (218 or 219) as far away from everyone else as we could get. A bunch of the tent sites border the woods, and I definitely recommend snagging one of those if you're able. The tent and RV sites are absolutely crammed together. We started setting up our tent and were somewhat pleased with the amount of space we had from a big family in the next site because we could all enjoy our respective spaces without getting in each other's way. Then another car pulled up and signaled that there was ANOTHER site between us. There wasn't even 10ft between our tents; you could hear everything. The RV/camper sites looked even more snug, so I can't imagine trying to maneuver there. Our tent site was one of the flatter and less rocky ones that I could see. Each site is provided with a fire ring (more like a fire pit/contained cauldron) and picnic table, which was great. I will say that from what we saw, the grounds are kept very clean. The bath house near the tent site is cleaned daily, however not always at the posted hours so I would say to assume it is half an hour before the posted time. There are 2 showers and toilet stalls in each bathroom. Here is where we were the most unhappy about masks being optional: not a single other person that we saw over 3 days was wearing a mask while in the enclosed bathrooms. There are hand dryers, so particles are flying all over the place. There was a concert that ended while I was showering and it was a line of people to get in and the dryers were constantly blasting; I basically held my breath while I was in there. The campgrounds are clean and easy to find off of the main roads. However, if you're looking for a place to stay outside during the COVID-19 situation, look elsewhere.

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• 

  Nate & Erika L.

  Guide

  Jun. 21, 2021

  Muddy Run Rec Park - PPL

  Good Family-oriented Campground

  This campground is a good campground to go to if doing all the things is what you’re after. There is so much to do. A splash pad, a lake with rentals, several playgrounds, hiking nearby, disc golf, and lots of activity. The campsites themselves however are fairly close together and open with little privacy. We were looking for a little more privacy and relaxation, so we didn’t use many of those amenities. We lucked out with a lot that was slightly more secluded on the end of a road, but paid for it with a very sloped lot that made sitting at the picnic table or camp chairs a bit of a struggle. Also just for anyone planning a trip, make sure you have a long hose for water hookup. Water pumps were spaced pretty far and we needed at least a 100 ft hose to reach. I don’t want to give a bad review, this is a great campground for more of that resort-style feel where kids and adults alike can make new camp friends, but it just wasn’t what we were looking for on this trip!

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