Best RV Parks & Resorts near Mars, PA

Tomlinson Run is a small state park situated in the northern panhandle of West Virginia nestled between eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Plenty of things to do there including but not limited to…. Mini golf, hiking trails, biking, swimming, fishing, paddle boats, parks for the kids, and of course the camping. The campsites here are mainly gravel pads with the exception being the asphalt handicapped spots (2). Most spots are 30 amp with a few 50 amp (new for 2021). The park also has a few primitive spots available and some yurts and cabins to rent. I have a 38’ fifth wheel and the spots are tight for it (even the couple pull thru). Campground facilities are clean but dated. They state new facilities are coming soon. The campground is at the top of a hill and the spots are wooded and shaded. I would consider the camping to be spaced generously (room to stretch out). They have a small camp store and information available. A breakfast is available during peak season for a small fee. They do have water and a dump station available (free for campers to use).

This campground is deceptively big! The nightly RV sites are close to the park entrance and are relatively flat. The campground hosts themed events, game nights and arts& crafts. There is a swimming pool and playground for the kids. It also has a small café that sells baked goods and coffee. On Saturdays they sell amazing Armish Donuts! 

Further into the campground the sites turn to more permanent sites. Further up the hill are more cottages and camping. This campground is steep in parts and too large to walk efficiently. There is a fenced dog run area and a beautiful lake. All sites have fire rings. There is an onsite laundry, WIFI, onsite dump station and propane refill station. 

You can also buy ice and firewood. The campground is gated. Lots to do at the campground and lots to do in the surrounding area. They welcome all furry friends!

This is a large state park offering electric only sites

The sites are set amounts the forest and there are several loops to choose from. Loop F is pet friendly. All sites are within walking distance to amenities 

Amenities are quite run down but functional 

Wildlife is beautiful and its a short ~10min drive to the beach area of Raccoon Creek lake. 

Two (2) dump station spots and fresh water taps location throughout the park 

NOTE: Many sites are not level, you will require blocks/timber to level out campers. Tent campers should choose their site using the photos on the state park site. 

All sites have a paved car space.

General: 50-site (all but six with electric hookups) campground plus two yurts and three cabins. Two sites are handicap accessible. 

Site Quality: The sites have gravel pads (except the handicap-accessible ones which were paved). The sites were completely covered with leaves when we were there which made it challenging to determine where the actual (narrow) pad was. Sites appeared to be level. A fire ring and wooden picnic table complete the site. 

Bathhouse: A little dated but clean. Two of the stall doors did not latch properly. Didn't use the shower so cannot comment but there was a sign indicating it took a while for the water to warm up.

Activities/Amenities: There is a small camper store, laundry, and a playground. In season, there is lake swimming and a boat dock. There is a fishing area, mini-golf and disc golf, and several short hiking trails. Unfortunately, since we arrived late afternoon and had to depart early the following day (and were camping off-season), we could not take advantage of any of these things. What we lose in activities, we gain in a quieter camping experience with fewer crowds, which is generally preferable for us!

After getting off I80, our RV GPS wanted to take us on a wonky route, so we followed Waze and the campground’s(CG) web instructions that took us across the causeway on N. Hermitage Rd, then a right turn off on Birchwood Rd, which led us to take a left turn back across N. Hermitage Rd to get back to the Shenango Rec Area turn. Once we got to the CG, check in was quick and very easy. Just happened, our next door neighbor/camp host checked us in and told us we could get water off their site so we proceeded straight to site 199 that’s a back in with electric(50/30 AMP) only plus one of the better spaced sites in the CG. We had to maneuver a couple of times to get into the 90 degree site but the road was wide with no obstacles to prevent swinging into the site. We quickly found out that our 50 AMP connection had issues and after reporting it, a maintenance crew came within 20 minutes and fixed a bad breaker. We got 3 bars on Verizon and a handful of OTA channels. Due to the amount of mature trees, satellite would be iffy depending on your site. There are no FHU sites(camp host sites have electric& water). Electric sites are centrally grouped within the loops and spaced closer together than most COEs. The majority of the sites within this CG are dry camping and they too are fairly close together. The sites right on the lake were all dry camping. With all the dry camping sites in this CG, its nice that they allow generator use during non quiet hours. Quiet hours here are 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. There are water spigots periodically located within the loops and the CG map identifies where they are. There’s also a two-lane dump station located near the entrance but there is no potable water. There are signs stating no alcohol in the park, but people were openly drinking. We also noted that the contractors who clean the restroom/shower facilities start early in the morning and close the facility while cleaning, which was inconvenient for the dry campers just waking up. If we were to stay at this CG again, we’d come during the week and get a dry camping site on the water.