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Best Tent Camping near Laporte, PA

521 Reviews

Loyalsock State Forest surrounds Laporte, Pennsylvania with multiple primitive tent camping options, including Rock Run Road, Dry Run Road, and Slab Run Road campsites. These established tent sites are situated within the forest's 114,000+ acres of public land, offering access to the Loyalsock Trail and numerous waterways. Additional tent camping can be found at Ravensburg State Park Campground near Jersey Shore, approximately 40 miles southwest of Laporte, which features tent-specific sites with raised tent pads in a wooded setting.

Most tent campsites in the Loyalsock State Forest feature basic amenities including fire rings and picnic tables. Sites typically have dirt or gravel surfaces with minimal grading. While some locations list hookups in their features, many primitive tent sites have no electricity or running water. Campers should verify amenities before arrival and bring sufficient water supplies. During peak summer months, sites fill quickly on weekends, especially those near water access points. Most locations are pet-friendly with proper leashing, and many require advance reservations through the Pennsylvania DCNR website or permit system.

Tent campers frequently mention the privacy between sites as a significant advantage. According to reviews, Ravensburg State Park offers "bushes and trees between the sites" that create a sense of seclusion even when other campers are present. One visitor noted that "most sites are spacious" with "nice raised tent pads" that keep tents dry during humid conditions. Sites along creeks provide natural white noise, though some campers report this can be surprisingly loud after heavy rainfall. The surrounding forest offers extensive hiking opportunities with trails ranging from short loops to multi-day backpacking routes. Fall camping is particularly popular when cooler temperatures and changing foliage enhance the tent camping experience in these Pennsylvania woodlands.

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Best Tent Sites Near Laporte, Pennsylvania (28)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Laporte, PA

12 Photos of 28 Laporte Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Laporte, PA

521 Reviews of 28 Laporte Campgrounds

  • Janet R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 29, 2024

    Salt Springs State Park Campground

    Unique park with unique natural features

    This park is technically a “state park” because the land for it was donated to the state for public use. However, once the state became the official stewards, there werent funds in the state budget to maintain it as a park. A lical group, the Friends of Salt Springs, stepped up and offered to maintain the park with funds raised by their group. The result is a small but unique property open to the public for day use (picnicking and hiking and fishing) along with 2 small rustic campgrounds. One campground has a large open mowed grassy meadow with level sites for car camping or small campers, no hookups are available but each site has a fire ring and picnic table. On the other side of the parks trout stream are seven secluded primitive hike-in tent sites along with three basic camper cabins. The Friends of Salt Springs makes a good effort to maintain these two rustic campgrounds, however it seems there isnt a ranger on site at night so a camper said the meadow campground can get a little noisy some nights. The hike in sites are relatively quiet and secluded though, and are positioned nicely along the stream, one site actually adjacent to a good swimming hole.

    The camper cabins are basic with bunks, bring all your own gear. They are fairly new and have electricity but no water or heat.

    On the grounds in the day use area are picnic spits, a pavilion, and an activity barn. When I was there, the barn was featuring a local quilt show.

    The special aspect of this park are the hiking trails through old growth hemlock forest, said to be the largest hemlocks in Pennsylvania. The trout stream also cascades through some some waterfalls, and there are gorges with unique geology.

    There is a village nearby with limited supplies, you may want to stock up on groceries before heading out to this somewhat remote park. There is, however, a local brewery, plus an odd coffee shop featuring both donuts and ammo, an unusual combination…..

  • Laure D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 19, 2020

    Locust Lake State Park Campground

    Serenity on the lakes

    Pretty campground with lots of lake views. We arrived just before dark which was good because the sites were not level front to back. Most sites had a slope but there were some level sites. You can kayak, canoe, paddle board, and fish on the lake. There are 2 boat launches. The store wasn’t much to speak of. Bath houses were clean. We walked around the lake on a paved level path. They advertise no alcohol. This is near the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine tour which we loved. It’s near the Yingling Brewery tour.

  • V
    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!.

  • Amy R.
    Jul. 16, 2019

    Pine Cradle Lake Family Campground

    RV/tent campground in a beautiful setting

    This is a gated campground that we stayed at 6/30/19-7/04/19. We are NOT an RV. We own a Napier tent that hooks to our truck so that we can sleep up in the bed. However, due to it being a holiday week, the tent sites were completely booked and they only have 4(which also have water& electric). The tent sites are located in the back of the campground behind the sports field within the trees. I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see them but they have them pictured on their website. They let us book an RV site and it was rough setting up on a gravel RV site but we understood that we were not within a normal tent element and placed an extra tarp under the tent. The campground is located at the top of some beautiful and scenic driving through farmland in Pennsylvania and you will be 30 minutes from anything like shopping or small town amenities(we drove to Walmart after setting up to get our perishables since we drive up from Virginia). Our site had water and electric, was a drive through spot for a typical RV with a section to the side of the drive through for the fire pit and picnic table. We were located right next to the shower/bathrooms/playground and had some tree coverage and shade. A lot of the RVs in the campground are permanent sites and our neighbors never showed so we had a quiet buffer but it was not a noisy campground. It appeared that they cleaned the bathrooms twice daily and we were impressed with the cleanliness of the bathroom/showers. There were 4 in the building so we never had to wait. The staff were friendly and helpful. They had a store right next to the pool area that offered common items and RV'er might need with a small grocery area as well which included bundles of wood($6 honor system after hours) and Ice($1.78 per bag). We were allowed to run an account which we paid at the end of our stay. Our campsite was required to be paid at check in. The campground is 18 acres with gravel roads, a sports field, fishing, horse shoes, bocce ball, multiple playgrounds, a rec center with some games, claw machines etc. a splash pad and salt water pool. You will be doing a lot of walking or bring your bicycles like we did. They offer scheduled activities for holidays etc and various weekend activities. You can rent non electric boats and they offer catch& release fishing without a PA license in the lake. My son caught 2 sunfish :) They have guidelines for visitors and quiet hours(my cousin came to visit us in the evenings as she lived close by). We enjoyed camping here even if we were on an RV site. We booked site 211 which had the little bit of tree coverage and was located right next to the showers/bathrooms/playground with a quick walk to the lake for fishing. Most of the other available sites in the road ahead of us had no tree coverage but closer to the lake had more trees and shade. OR, just get an actual tent site :) but they are all the way at the back of the campground, furthest from the lake so I actually preferred our site.

  • T
    Aug. 18, 2022

    Ricketts Glen State Park Campground

    Impromptu trip that we don’t regret!

    This trip was a bit impromptu so we assume most of the good sites were picked over. The site we stayed at was the perfect size for two people, not the biggest site in the campground but we had a bit of a buffer between our neighbors so we weren’t on top of other people. We were located at a bit heavily trafficked area because we were near the entrance of the campground and the restrooms. The state park was beautiful and had a lot of things to do. I recommend doing the Falls trail and to get onto Lake Jean. They have a concessions by Lake Jean that doesn’t only sell food and drinks but some ice and bundle of wood. Definitely bring a hammer because it’s near impossible to stake down your tent by hand because the turf is hard. Would definitely come again and do the primitive group camp option if I can. No cell service (Verizon) but if you drive 10 miles north up towards Lopez we were able to get a signal. This was a nice way to end summer!

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 17, 2019

    Ricketts Glen State Park Campground

    Waterfalls!!

    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!)

  • Jackie F.
    Aug. 22, 2021

    Frances Slocum State Park Campground

    Good stay, great site!

    The goods: We had site 44 in the Stony Point loop and it was by far the largest campsite on the property. We had a thick covered wooded area to our right and a huge grassy area to the left. Was also an easy back in site as there’s an adjacent road (to parking and the amphitheater) right in front of it. All sites only have electric and only certain allow pets. Dump station had easy access and bathrooms, weren’t great but wasn’t the worst I’ve seen either.

    The not so good: mosquitoes and ticks can ruin a good trip, come prepared! Others in the campground were not honoring the quiet hours rules or the no alcohol rules. Some guy walked right in front of our site and threw up in a wooded area close by. Around the lake people leave their fishing bait and tackle on the ground so please be careful with your pups! Also, DO NOT take your pups to the water. There is a weird bacteria or algae currently growing in the lake, it’s completely visible. There are advisories around about it too.

  • Jennifer F.
    May. 10, 2020

    Worlds End State Park Campground

    Great campground

    I've been coming here every year for a while now. Overall, it has everything you'd want in a campground. They have one of the cleanest bathrooms I've seen yet while camping. The campsites are a good size. Certain sites have more privacy than others, I'd recommend the higher loop if you can. However, some of the sites on the lower loop are close to the road but the road noise isn't too bad. They have designated sites for pets. There are also primitive free sites that are first come first serve. In the colder months, they even have cabins you can rent out. Plenty of hiking and swimming nearby. We always hit up the Forksville General Store for breakfast before we leave. The food is sooo good. I recommend getting the sausage links. Also, the stars are incredible here! I usually come in the fall in October/early November. It's my favorite time to come because it's not extremely packed with campers and the leaves are beautiful. If you come in the fall, make sure you bring a cold weather sleeping bag or heater because the temp does drop. Seriously, a great campground you wont be disappointed!

  • Heather G.
    Jul. 20, 2018

    Hickory Run State Park Campground

    Campground and More

    I love everything the campground and state park has to offer. Bolder field is a great way to spend the day, and the campground has a great price for the sites. Showers and bathrooms are close by to the basic tent campgrounds, and the sites are large and easy to set up.

Guide to Laporte

Loyalsock State Forest near Laporte, Pennsylvania offers primitive camping across 114,000 acres of public land at elevations ranging from 800 to 2,100 feet. The forest experiences distinct seasonal changes with cold winters and moderate summers. Tent campsites throughout the region vary in terrain from creek-side locations to ridge-top settings with limited or no facilities.

What to do

**Creek exploration: Loyalsock Creek and tributaries provide swimming holes during summer months. At Riverside Acres Campground, campers can fish in the Susquehanna River. As one visitor notes, "The river in front of first row sites is 200 m broad. Eagles fish here. You can too. Good beginning or end for a canoe trip."

**Hiking trail variety: From the 59.3-mile Loyalsock Trail to shorter day hikes, trails accommodate various skill levels. Ravensburg State Park Campground offers "hiking trails; short and long that take you to beautiful views along the creek with a couple of places deep enough to swim," according to a camper named Laura.

**Wildlife viewing: Early mornings provide opportunities for viewing deer, turkeys, and various bird species. At Riverside Acres, visitors report regular eagle sightings along the water. One camper suggests bringing "a chair to watch the moon on the river" for evening wildlife observation.

What campers like

**Natural water features: Creeks and streams throughout the region provide ambient sounds and recreation. At Ravensburg State Park Campground, Laura mentions "you can set them [hammocks] up right by the creek, which is my favorite part."

**Natural privacy: The forest setting creates separation between sites. According to Traci F., "There are bushes and trees between the sites and it feels very private. Sometimes it can feel too secluded but the park ranger drives through a number of times."

**Hammocking opportunities: Many sites feature suitable trees for hammock camping. One reviewer at Ravensburg noted "There are plenty of trees that are good for hammocking" making it popular for this camping style.

What you should know

**Road noise varies: Some sites experience traffic sounds despite remote locations. At Ravensburg State Park Campground, KK notes it's "right near a road so you hear car (and horse & buggy!) noise — would try to get a spot further away from the road if possible."

**Water noise levels: Stream-side sites provide continuous background noise that changes with rainfall. Sarah C. cautions, "If you camp on the sites by the river, be prepared for lots of noise from the rapids. It had been raining quite heavily all day, so this may have impacted the volume levels."

**Navigation challenges: Forest roads can be confusing without proper directions. Sarah C. advises, "make sure they're taking you to the park via Rocky Road. Mine did not, and I ended up down a seasonal road that did not end at the park entrance."

Tips for camping with families

**Raised tent pads: Some sites offer elevated platforms that help during wet conditions. At Ravensburg State Park Campground, Becky notes "They have nice raised tent pads. It's very humid so many picnic tables have green moss."

**Group camping options: Adjacent sites can accommodate larger family gatherings. Laura mentions Ravensburg is "good for large groups (you can get sites in a row) or just you."

**Clean facilities: Maintained bathrooms provide basic comfort for families. Traci F. reports, "The bathrooms are clean and we've never run into any issues."

Tips from RVers

**Limited RV facilities: Most primitive sites lack hookups despite listings. At Riverside Acres Campground, a reviewer noted "Second row has water/electric, shade trees and lawn frontage... Inland row has sewer hook ups and the bath house."

**Access road considerations: Forest roads may present challenges for larger vehicles. Some campgrounds require navigating steep terrain, as Sarah C. observed, "You will be driving down into the valley, which can feel very steep at times."

**Advance planning essential: Limited RV-suitable sites mean booking ahead is necessary. One Riverside Acres camper warns, "Spoke to the owner 6 weeks prior to our intended stay... Called to confirm 2 weeks out as instructed."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Laporte, PA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Laporte, PA is Rock Run Road (Sullivan Co) Campsites — Loyalsock State Forest with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Laporte, PA?

TheDyrt.com has all 28 tent camping locations near Laporte, PA, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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