Best Glamping near Lake Ariel, PA

Easy access from Rt 80 and located close to the Lakota Wolf Preserve. With tours leaving them campground twice a day on both Saturday and Sundays for the wolf preserve, I was glad there was camping so close. The camping selection of sites is excellent with Cabins, Glamping tents, primitive tent sites and of course RV sites. I choose to stay in one of the glamping tents and was pleasantly surprised at the space inside the tent even with a double bed and two other fold out couches to beds. Water is available at the site. A small lake for swimming and boating. And lots of trails linking you to the Delaware river water gap area.

My experience here was most enjoyable. I stayed in a yurt for the first time and it was also my first time camping since my teenage years. The yurt was most comfortable and the park is beautiful in the spring. Went hiking and was sure to bring my camera along. Got some beautiful shots too. Would highly recommend visiting and/or camping here!

NO FULL HOOKS ... BUT EVERYTHING IS WELCOME ... THEY HAVE YURTS ALSO ... THERE IS A LAKE AND FOOD STAND AND PADDLE BOATS ... I LOVE THE GROUP SITES ...

Campground has cabins and yurts, pull in sites for RV’s and strictly walk in tent sites. There is a beautiful lake and a very large pool. We went in early spring midweek, it was very quiet and exactly the get away we wanted.

This park has 65 campsites and a few yurts for rent. most of the sites are wooded and can fit a travel trailer or tent easily. The campground map is accurate and the some of the sites offer a bit of seclusion but most are pretty close together. I camped during the week and it was beautifully quite. It has a nice swimming area and lake access. The showers are older and a little dirty but they stay warm and have good pressure. They have a big sink inside to wash dishes out of the bugs at night and the staff was friendly. I camped in site 22 and loved it! We easily hiked around the Delaware Water Gap during the day and felt safe leaving our site here.

This is an amazing state park that has something for everyone. There is an environmental education center with programs, there is fishing and boating, and an amazing network if hiking and horse riding trails. There are several campgrounds, with tremendous variety for every camping style. There are standard car camping tent sites, RV sites, and yurts and camper cabins. For those who like more rustic options, there are hike-in sites that are beautiful and not far from the parking area. The campsites are nestled in a deep shady mature forest, and peaceful and quiet due to the wooded aspect and spacing of sites (at least for me, in September in a hike-in site not far from the regular campground). It is nice to have such a fine camping and outdoor recreation opportunity within an easy drive of the city of Clarks Summit, so probably a great weekend getaway for local folks, but a wonderful stopover for anyone on a road trip through northern PA as it is not far off Interstate 81. I was there only one day, but would like to be back to explore the trails!

The biggest draw to this state park (which no one in Pennsylvania I spoke with seemed to know about) is the 22 waterfalls! We saw 18 of them on a four-mile moderate hike, but if you want to see the additional four, you could make it a seven-mile hike. The trails are very well marked. 

We stayed in the large loop, which is a peninsula on Lake Jean. Many of the sites have lake views. The bathhouse was clean but not adequate for 73 sites. The campground was about ¾ full and there was often a wait in the bathroom. Showers looked reasonable but I did not use them.

There were many tent campers in this loop, which does not allow pets (the other, smaller loop does allow pets). There are no hookups at all in the park. The water had been tested earlier in the season and unsafe levels of manganese were detected. All water spigots were shut off and covered but we were told it was safe to wash our dishes and brush our teeth. However, the water for the dishwashing sink was turned off as well as the water in the restroom at the trailhead. Since we had a reservation, we received a phone call in advance of our stay letting us know about this.

There are trails to the beach, but we woke to rain the next morning, so we did not explore this. 

One trash/recycle area a distance away from the campsites which seems typical for PA state parks. Alcohol is strictly forbidden– we were warned that if a ranger saw any alcohol outside of our vehicle, we would be cited. Quiet hours are 9 pm– 8 am, which is more restrictive than other state parks, however, some did not observe these quiet hours (a guitar-playing singing camper thought he was talented, but I disagree!)

Campground Review:   

This was our first visit to [Hickory Run State Park](http://Hickory Run State Park ) & we loved it.  Hickory Run is in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. We had a full hook-up site in the back loop, pet friendly part of the campground.   The sites in this loop were spacious and more in an open area, but we were along a wooded area which gave us some shade.   It was a very quiet weekend for us as our loop was not crowded.   The bath houses in this loop are non-flush/pit toilets.   However, the other camping loops had shower houses and flush toilet restrooms.  The other camping loops were located within the wooded areas and the sites appears closer together.  There are pet friendly sites in the other loops as well.  Even though it was a very hot weekend and our site was in an open area, we had a nice breeze and shade from the wooded area behind our site.  The late afternoon sun did hit the front of our trailer, but we used this time for a nap or a went for a drive to explore the area.  

There is a lot to do in the state park.   Many hiking trails (44 miles of trails).  They are rated from easy to difficult.  We found the 2 trails we hiked - Hawk Falls and Shades of Death trails - where were rated "more difficult" were not bad to hike at all.  We hiked both with your 2 large dogs.   Both of these trails had a creek and waterfalls.

There was a large open field in the loop we camped in with a swing set on it.  This was nice for families with children.   There is a camp store which was loaded with anything you may need from grocery items, equipment, pans, and toys.   One thing of note - if you require firewood, look for local sellers in the area rather than the camp store.   It was $4.50 for a very small bundle of what we would use for kindling.  Park Staff were very friendly. 

We took a drive on 2 afternoons on a stone road through the woods to see the Boulder Field.  It was a beautiful drive.  We were on the lookout for bear, but only saw 3 deer.  There is also a lake for swimming.   Be aware that this area has a high bear population and all campers are required to keep food items in their vehicles or trailers when not at the site.  

We would definitely recommend Hickory Run for all types of campers - RV, tent, pop-up campers.   Lots to do for families. Or if you are like us and want to just kick back and relax, you can't go wrong. 

Product Review:  As a Ranger for the Dyrt, we get products to test from time to time - today we tested [Red Ledge Free Rein Jacket](http://Red Ledge Free Rein Jacket)   We chose to review this jacket because our first two camping trips this season, it poured!!  My husband got soaked while closing down outside and getting the trailer hooked up to head home.   But... as Murphy's Law goes, we haven't had rain while camping since receiving the jacket.   My husband was a good sport and "modeled" this jacket for me during a heat wave of over 90°.   My husband normally wears a 2XL,  which is what we ordered.  It appears to be true to size as the jacket fits him well, even in the length of the sleeves.

The day after we got home... we got our rain! While my husband was not available, I decided to put the jacket on and go outside and test the jacket during a heavy down pour and stormy afternoon. 

PROs:  The jacket is well made, but not heavy or bulky.  It has adjustable velcro cuffs on the sleeves so you can tighten the cuffs if you need.   It has 2 front zippered pockets with a mess lining.  It also has 2 zippered vents at the sides of the jacket.  The hood has a cord on either side for adjustments. 

Even though this jacket was 2 or 3 sizes too big for me, I was able to adjust the cuffs on the sleeves as well as the hood to give me a better fit.    I stayed dry!   The rain literally beaded up on the jacket, therefore the jacket did not get soaked through.    Once I came inside, I could shake out the jacket and the water drops would just fall off the jacket.   It dried quickly afterwards, but honestly because the rain never really saturated the jacket, "dried" may not be the correct word.     Overall I was impressed with the quality of the jacket and how the water just rolled off it.     I would recommend Red Ledge to anyone looking for rain gear that is lightweight, durable and, most of all, Works!!

CONs:   At this point, I really can't say I could find anything wrong with this jacket.

Over Labor Day Weekend, September 2-5, 2016, Scott and I traveled to Ricketts Glen State Park which is part of the Pennsylvania State Park System.
Ricketts Glen is off of Interstate 80 between Williamsport and Bloomsburg, PA. Off of Interstate 80, if you take the Bloomsburg exit, it is only two turns to the park. On our way there (traveling from Pittsburgh, PA) we followed Google Maps directions and it took us off an earlier exit (exit 212B) and through the back country. It was a nice drive through the middle of nowhere, but there were several turns and the turns were not clearly marked. On our return, we stayed on 487 and picked up 80 in Bloomsburg (exit 232). Whichever route you travel I suggest having it planned in advanced, or carry a hard old school map as cell phone reception is very spotty once you get off of 80 and once you are in the park area there is very little reception. At least for AT&T. The entranced to the park is off of 487.
Ricketts Glen State Park includes the Glens Natural Area which is designated as a National Natural Landmark. Although this is a wonderful designation and the area deserves it, this designation makes the area a tourist attraction with international interest. Being we were there over a 4-day weekend it was VERY crowded. The Highlight of the Park is the Glens Natural area that is home to over 21 named waterfalls ranging in height 11 feet to 94 feet and they are quite spectacular. There are several hiking trails located within the Glens Natural area (26 miles) ranging from the easiest 1 mile hike The Bear Walk Trail to the most difficult, The Falls Trail System which is a 7.2 mile loop trail. Hike this trail and you will get to view all 21 waterfalls. This is the trail we hiked on Saturday. We are early risers and knew it was going to be hot and crowded so we were on the trail by 8:00am. Good thing because by 11:00am it was a packed house. If you stay at the campground, drive over to the Lake Rose Trail Head. If you are early enough you will have no problem parking there. The campground is about a mile from the trail head and believe me, if you do the entire 7.2 mile loop you will not want to hike back the 1 mile to the campground. We witnessed several grounds doing this and they looked completely miserable.
The trail starts off as a nice wide graveled trail….do not let this fool you. If you read the park brochure, believe what it says and be prepared for the hike. When the trail to the falls actually starts it is very steep and very rocky, and remember if you go down, you must come back up. You basically hike down the falls and hike back up them. IF you have trekking poles, take them, your knees and back will thank you.
That being said, as I mentioned earlier, it was very crowded for Labor Day. Lots of international travelers and many, many people that did not know the first thing about hiking. It had to be in the uppers 80s the day we hiked and most people were not even carrying water. Very few had the proper footwear on (hiking boots are a must), some were in flip flops. This is not a trail to hike in flip flops. As well, many people were carrying babies and had children under 5 on the trail. Again, really not a good idea. The rocks are wet and slippery. A park ranger we spoke to said they had done 12 rescues this year. I can see why.
If you are properly outfitted you will have an amazing time on this trail. The waterfalls are beautiful and you can get right up close to them and in them. The sign at the trail says no swimming, but you can wade in the water and stand under the falls.
The other highlight to this park is Lake Jean. This is a beautiful lake that sits next to the campground. The campground has a few sites where you can put your boat right in from. There is a beach and a picnic area located at Lake Jean as well as a boat rental place and concession stand. There are 2 boat launches on the lake and Motorboats and non-powered boats are permitted. We had our kayaks with us and fished from those. Lake Jean is very clean for a lake. This is due to the fact that the lake was drained in 2015 and refilled and restocked. Although this has cleaned the lake, the fishing has been affected. The lake is stocked very well. We got a ton of fish in all parts of the lake, but they were all very small. I would think in five years this lake will produce some great fishing opportunities.
Our accommodations for the weekend were at the parks campground. We had spot 35 and it was a great spot. As far as PA State Park Campgrounds go, this site was very spacious. We had a nice flat area for our tent and our pop up tent. We also had a grassy area were another tent could have been placed as well as a shaded area where we hung our hammocks. The best part was that we could put our kayaks in the lake right from our camping spot. If you are looking for this type of site, look at sites 32-37. These sites are also located on a dead end so car traffic is light.
The Campground was clean and the bath house was clean as well. Scott did mention that the men’s room was not so pleasant, but we chalked that up to teenage boys (there were a lot of them there). The showers were clean and did produce hot water if you let it run for a little while.
Prior to staying at the campground, we had heard that the Park Rangers were very strict. I didn’t see any issues with them and I felt that their presence was similar to all the other state parks we have visits. I would say the standard rule is that if you act like an idiot, you will be treated as such.
You can check out Ricketts Glen State Park through the PA State Park website www.dcnr.state.pa.us or check out their app, PA Pocket Ranger. I have found the app to be very helpful, however, I do not get reception at most of the parks.
http://www.sanddtravelingdinks.com/2016/09/12/camping-and-hiking-at-ricketts-glen-state-park/

We had a great time despite cold wet weather. Our site was probably one of the worst in the place but we were able to scope out others that we would prefer for our next visit. We didn’t have a view of the lake, instead we were in someone’s back yard lol. It wasn’t a big deal. The site was well maintained and flat which were the most important. Most of the sites seem to be on the smaller size when compared to other campgrounds we’ve been too. That said we had plenty of space, it was just very close to the next site. We were on the far side of the lake which is not really within walking distance of the beach, pool and store. We knew this going in and were totally OK with it. I seemed less busy where we were as far as cars and people which is what we were looking for. We hopped in the car and drove the 2 mins to get to the beach. There was always parking. If you stay closer to those things it would be easy to walk & ride bikes to the different activities. The bathrooms were the cleanest we’ve ever experienced at a campground. *The showers are coin operated. The staff were so accommodating and everyone was super nice. There is a lot for younger kids to do and the grounds are pet friendly which was a huge plus for us. My kids really loved having a pool to swim in,in addition to the lake.

My take always:

• Get a site on the lake.

• You won’t have a ton of privacy but you’ll have space for your stuff.

• If you don’t want to drive during your stay, camp on the side w/ the beach and pool.

• The store has a huge selection of necessities, so no need to worry about forgetting things.

• This is a great place to bring an RV.

• Great for families. It would be a great place to camp with extended family.

• Pet friendly. They have a beach for swimming with your dogs