Best Glamping near Mount Carmel, PA

My girlfriends and I just stayed in the yurts for annual glamping trip. We reserved 3 of 4 yurts for first weekend in June...non peak season. Peak season requires minimum 5 day reservation, I believe. Yurts have 2 sets of bunk beds with one set having full size mattress on bottom. Yurts have heat and fans. Full size refrigerator, stove and microwave. No water but directly across from facilities with basin sinks outside for cleaning dishes, etc. Each yurt has a huge deck, 2 picnic tables and fire pit. Restrooms and showers are a hop, skip and jump from yurts and well maintained. Also each yurt comes with a moor skip to keep kayaks, paddleboards or canoes at lake. Beautiful lake surrounded by trails and includes beach area and playground. Dogs are allowed in the park but not in campgrounds (yurts and cabins). There is no tent camping here but is available at Locust Lake State Park, just a few miles away. Alcohol is prohibited. Must park in overnight lot after unloading.

This park has no tent camping. They offer cabins and yurts, but have no sites for people to set up tents. The main attraction for this park is their lake, which you can swim in, fish, kayak or drop in a boat. There is a playground for kids to play in that is well maintained. There are hiking trails in the back side of the park, from the main entrance. The visitor center is only open during the week. The cabins and yurts have electricity and running water. They are great if you want the outdoor experience while getting the option of a bed. If you want tent camping, check out locust lake state park which isn't far away.

My family and I stayed at Lake In Wood for 4 days. The campground is very well maintained , and the staff is very nice. There is a kiddie pool , as well as an indroor/outdor pool.The sites appeared to all be a very good size.  Even though the campground has a Gnome theme, there are plenty of things to do for all ages. The Gnome Cafe on site served great food as well. This cafe also has classic arcade games and pinball. The camp store was well stocked also. There is a spacious dog park as well. AT&T cell service was good, but Verizon cell service was not. The campground wifi was decent depending onthe time of day. This campground also has many interesting theme cabins. We saw a caboose, teepee, and a yurt. I do not know if there are others. Overall I think that this is the best campground that my family and I have ever visitied. We will definitely be back.

"Rocksylvania". According to hikers on the AT, this is what they call Pennsylvania, as they hike through this section of the state. And Blue Rocks Campground doesn't dissapoint.

This campground sits in the woods and rolling hills just below the Appalachian Trail. Nice huge campground. The RV sites are mainly situated at the botom section, and the tent camping is pretty much on the upper portion of the site. The tent sites are pretty spacious. There are also places to buy wood nearby (very economically priced) and the campground sells it also. Worse comes to worse, there is a lot of forage wood on the site as well.

There are plenty of hiking trails, and a "yellow blaze" trail that leads directly to the Appalachian trail (AT). Take a hike up to "Pinnacle Rock" on the AT, and you can catch a nice view. There are rattlesnakes and Copperheads in the area, so be sure to act like you've got some sense.

And not to be missed is the "Blue Rocks" river of rocks, which is situated on the campground, and the reason the site got its name.

 We had a great family camping weekend at Starlight and will definitely return in the future. Yes, it is quite hilly throughout the campground, but the individual sites are very level to park the camper with almost no blocks needed. 

We had two sites this trip with water and electric, but they do have quite a few full hook-up sites. Overall the sites were large, with trees between, providing additional privacy. Except for the Plateau sites, which have the amazing view, the rest of the campground had a great tree cover! Too often private campgrounds attempt to squeeze as many sites as possible and end up with campers on top of their neighbors, but at Starlight, the sites felt very secluded. Water pressure and electric were both great throughout the stay. There is no internet, but we had good cell phone service. 

The employees in the camp store are amazing and go out of their way to make you feel welcome! I felt everyone went above and beyond to help me from the reservation process through check-in. The camp store is well stocked and also serves hand-dipped ice cream. 

Starlight is a nice campground to relax or explore central Pennsylvania.

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.

While I suppose there’s no shortage of reasons as to why one would stop for a night or a week here at Pinch Pond Family Campground, we just so happened to stop by on our way to Harrisburg / Hershey and found this roadside campground so inconveniently located (more on this later) right next to highway I76. Whether you’re hauling a 5th wheel, driving an RV or looking to pitch a tent, Pinch Pond has you covered, figuratively – as they offer virtually any type of camping, from RV and 5th Wheel to tent / primitive as well as cottage rentals – as there’s no shortage of trees and shrubbery everywhere around the perimeter (although not within) this particular campground.

Whether or not it’s true that this is the only family fun campground located between Hershey & Lancaster, what I will attest to is that this is one very all-inclusive campground that offers no shortage of outstanding amenities. Even before you arrive to the main office, you will appreciate the gated surroundings that ensure drive-by traffic doesn’t ruin your experience here. Once you park in front of the main office, you’ll spot the community pool right in front and once inside the office, you’ll be immediately greeted by two of the most hospitable desk staff. Here, you’ll check-in, get directions and may return to purchase any of the sundries, treats, ice cream and souvenirs that this place has ... or make your way back to the game room where you’ll find arcade games.

In addition to offering up laundry, super-clean and well-kept restrooms with showers, there’s also WiFi throughout the campground as well as select ethernet ports (both for a fee, which is a bummer), designated dump stations and dumpsters, soccer field, propane refill tank, kid’s playground and even a barn. Clear in the back of the property, you’ll find a small fishing pond. Scattered throughout the grounds are picnic tables and in-ground fire rings with grills. Should you be driving an RV, the slots are level and feature small stone surface with all of the typical hook-ups (30 / 50 electric amp, water, sewage and Cable TV). Oh, and if you don’t have an RV, 5th Wheeler or even a tent, no worries, as there are also 7 or so cottages that you can rent.

Downsides? Well, let’s come back to that ‘inconvenient’ proximity to interstate 76. For starters, while it is RIGHT NEXT to the highway, it’s not a simple or EZ path to navigate as you’ll have to basically get off the turnpike and essentially drive around a 5 square mile bit of PA Dutch countryside just to arrive back right next to the highway, but on the other side where Pinch Pond Family Campground is at. Maybe driving completely out of the way to arrive here encourages transient passerbys to stay away, but one thing is for certain – you’re not going to get away from all of that highway traffic noise. Second, you’ll note that while most of Pinch Pond is divided into little neighborhoods, for the most part, the entire campground is completely wide open so there is very little privacy apart from a few select locations (where I make recommendations in the Insider’s Tips section). Next, and I really wished someone had let us know this before we agreed to stay, but there’s a shooting range near the property, so at all hours you will hear target practice going on, especially in the wee early hours. Lastly, while the pricing feels pretty affordable for full hook-up (30 / 50 amp) @$57-$67 / night and 20-amp+ water hook-up@ $54-$64 / night, I thought the pricing for primitive (read: no electric or water hook-ups) @$52-$62/ night to be akin to highway (yes, pun intended because you’re right next to one here!) robbery.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) While it irked me a bit that Pinch Pond likes to ‘pinch pennies’ by offering early arrivals / late departures for $3/ hour, in a crunch, providing that accommodations are available, it’s not the worst option to take advantage of if you need some extra time; (2) If you’ve never visited an Amish community, you should definitely take advantage of this very unique location by exploring Lancaster County where you can find a number of horse & buggies to take a trip in to take in the absolutely gorgeous Pennsylvania Dutch countryside in a very unique way; (3) From a foodie standpoint, take my word for it, there is VERY little around these parts and what you can find nearby are local joints, which we loved BTW, including: Mount Gretna Hideaway, Gus’ Keystone Family Restaurant, Kountry Kitchen Family Restaurant, Forklift & Palate Restaurant as well as Mount Joy Family Restaurant; (4) If you are traveling in these parts with kids, there’s a handful of really great places to check out like the most obvious nearby location being Hershey Park, Chocolate Factory, Gardens & Museum, but there’s also Laserdome located just due south of Pinch Pond Family Campground by about 20 minutes or just due east is a really cool Wolf Sanctuary that is a refuge for these four-legged friends complete with guided tours; (5) IMHO the best campsite locations are actually the ones designated for primitive tents as they are all located in the rear of the property and therefore quieter and more removed from the rest of the somewhat crowded campground – for RVers, I would recommend sites #102–120, again, in the far rear or sites #308– 317 along Angler’s Way; and (6) If you are thinking about staying here during the Renaissance Faire, which apparently is a VERY BIG thing in these parts, you are going to want to book your spot as soon as possible.

Happy Camping!