Are you in need of a campground near Mount Gretna, PA? There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Mount Gretna camping trip.
$50 - $60 / night
"Thousand Trails Hershey is huge! Sites were first come, first served which was a little weird for us but wasn’t a problem. Sites came with full hook ups, picnic table and fire pit."
"For me, there are definitely some decent pros and cons for this private campground near Hershey Park. "
"There were trees in the back along the creek that shaded the picnic table a little. This part of the campground is quiet. In the front area it’s very close together and crowded."
"This campground has a little something for everyone, from full hook up sites neatly stacked next to each other, to quiet patches of grass next to the river."
"campground so inconveniently located (more on this later) right next to highway I76."
"Main drawback is noise from road and shooting range nearby. Fortunately our dog wasn’t bothered by the sound of gunshots and it’s only during the day."
"decent wooded surrounding with about 6 tent sites offering 15 amp electric and running water."
"This is my 3rd stay with a Thousand Trails campground and haven't been too impressed and wasn't expecting too much when we drove in. I was pleasantly surprised when we did."
$45 - $279 / night
"Nice chairs, fire pit, and picnic table. The bath house was extremely clean and very nice. The pool was nice, but being that it was the end of June, the water was freezing! I couldn't get in!"
"A little pricey and strict for vistors, they need to leave by 10 and can’t bring their pets."
"Pet friendly and you can access the Appalachian trail from campground. Lots of great food and places to go in the area. They have a river that is great for kayaking or tubing."
"Connects to Swatara State Park via Appalachian Trail. Has playground, creek, pocket park, miniature golf, bike and canoe rentals and a splash pad."
$20 - $89 / night
"The lake is large and gorgeous. There are a lot of lake side campsites which are amazing. The hosts are all very friendly."
"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."
"I got an amazingly large site with a nice fire pit and picnic table. The site was very level so that was great! Nice indoor and outdoor pools! Cable TV isn't free, but I never use it anyway."
"We first had a 2 point site near the river, but when it rains the sites get flooded with runoff from the campground.
We moved to a full hookup on the Delaware section."
"Tent sites are lined up along the water which is great for fishing (especially when you need to stay close to the littles sleeping in the tent). Lots of benches lined up along the water."
"Close to all shopping and local activities and restaurants. Cozy and friendly here."
"Comes with picnic table and fire ring with grill. Lots of fishing, hiking, and kayaking around. Recently redid the visitor center and it’s beautiful. Will definitely be back."
"The campground, as all PA State Parks, was well maintained. Here are the caveats however. The "pet loop" was clearly geared towards RVs etc."
LegendSite Details: We stayed in the Dragonfly camping cottage (quick weekend trip without the husband, and I’m not quite up for towing and setting up the popup by myself with 3 kids!). It was a standard rustic-type state park cabin, with one double bed, one single twin bunk, and one regular set of bunk beds, so it sleeps 5-6 comfortably. There was also a sturdy dining room table with chairs and an oscillating fan inside. Electricity/lights and heat, but no AC. Very clean inside. The cabin also had a really nice front porch, picnic table, and fire ring, and was situated with a beautiful lake view. The area we were in contained both rustic cabins and yurts (which looked really neat).
Facilities/Overall Park: Multiple bath houses were scattered among various loops, and each one we visited was very old, dim and drab, but they were also spacious and reasonably clean. Showers all had old rust and water stains. However, it was nice that there were so many of them, because this is a very large state park with multiple camping loops. Most tent and basic RV sites were shaded and private, while the newer FHU sites were more open (but still nicely spaced). Hosts and rangers were nice, but not very helpful or proactive when they needed to correct a reservation mistake they made (but it worked out in the end). There is a beautiful lake with a really nice day area in the center of the park, with a great playground and concession stand. The lake is popular for fishing and swimming, although there is oddly no sand beach; swimmers just entered the water straight from the grass.
Surrounding Area/Attractions: Not much going on in the immediate vicinity, but Harrisburg, Amish country, and Hershey are all doable day trips from the park. We were here just for the Hershey RV show, and it was an easy 40-minute drive.
Overall, this was a very pretty park with site options for every type of camper, but certain elements are in need of updating. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to make this park a destination, but it’s a nice option as a base camp for visiting the RV show or other attractions (with a much cheaper price tag than the private CGs closer to the action).
GuideMy 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.
GuideWhat a wonderful place! The resort is spacious, scattered throughout the woods. The RV sites are comfortable with all the amenities. And the customer service is impeccable.
We stayed during a few weekdays in October and we almost had the whole place to ourselves. We stayed in one of the cabins, which had 2 beds and a bunk bed, sink and toilet, refrigerator, microwave, dining table and sofa. There was also a front porch with picnic table and fire pit.
Honestly, the beds were not very comfortable and way too small for a couple to sleep in one. It was a VERY dark walk to get to the bathhouse for showers. And the fire pit had no grill, so we ended up having to use the stoves of some RV camping friends for meals. Otherwise the stay was great.
I would strongly recommend camping there in the summer months or during weekends in the shoulder season if you have social kids like mine. There were tons of things to do there for adults and kids alike. The activities — such as putt-putt, jump zone and the playground ended up being kinda boring for them without others to share it with. Obviously that would change with crowds. And advance reservations are a must — this place books up fast!
I would highly recommend staying at Merry Meadows, especially if you have an RV and a group of friends to join you!
GuideLarge 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.
RangerMostly an RV campground, but does have a few campsites and cabins. Campsites can be on top of each other and can be very rocky or muddy. We actually broke quite a few tent stakes just trying to get our footprint down.
The campsites available are primitive or have water and electric and bathhouses / restrooms are located in a few spots around the park.
Fire rings are at each site, but appear to get moved a lot.
The camp store sells firewood for $5 per cord and has other necessities, including coffee.
Some cabins, like those in my photos, are brand new and have everything you would need to set up house minus linens, towels, toilet paper , paper goods and toiletries.
Would definitely revisit.
ScoutKnoebels 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!.
LegendThis PA state park felt, upon first impression, very tightly spaced and had an overall crowded feel in loop C, the only dog friendly electric loop. The sites that aren’t ADA have more space between them than we did. Our site C41 was full hookup as are several others (1-7, 39-47). This is an ADA site, there are several of them. Perhaps this is why it’s crowded so they could fit extra ADA sites? They are very level and have paved pads, but also a paved picnic pad, and paved fire ring pad. Non ADA full hookup sites appeared to be the nicest though they were narrow and some weren’t level side to side. There were a lot of rocks embedded in the ground around and on many sites. Non ADA sites have only a paved pad for the RV. The picnic table and fire ring were behind our RV and when sitting at them, we were within view of sites 37, 39, and 40. I felt like I was in a townhouse setting. Non ADA sites varied as to where picnic and fire rings were set. Also many sites looked like there was quite a drop off at the edge of the already narrow pad so that you had a big step down off your last RV step. Site C42 is ADA and is a nice, semi private, spacious site. Though I’d choose from sites #1-7 next time. ALL parking pads are 45’ long.
Loop B has a mix of electric and non electric but doesn’t allow pets. That loop was more spacious and had trees between some sites so it felt more private. The sites appeared level. There are Yurts and mini cabins outside Loop C that had lots of space around them. Loop A is a pet loop but no electric. However, it’s closed now for what appears to be renovations. Loop D is non electric, no pets.
The campground had no vacancy on this particular weekend. One car allowed per site and most had to park perpendicular. Sites were short (45’ long). 2nd cars are $5 a night but wouldn’t fit in most sites.
The day use areas have frisbee golf, boat rentals, fishing, hunting, hiking, and a pool that overlooks the lake. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is adjacent to the park but was not fully open due to covid. It’s a large state park. The pool was nice looking but not open until Memorial Day. Boat rentals are available weekends in May and Sept. and daily all summer. These amenities were far from the campground and would require driving your car. Hiking trails were plentiful but most were labeled as “more difficult.” Horse back riding is allowed on some trails. I didn’t see any trails that started at the campground loops.
Overall, it’s an adequate campground but not my favorite.
RangerCamping here is a delight. Its a secluded, public campground that has been owned and ran by the same family for generations.
They have almost 400 sites, ranging from tent sites, to pop ups, 5th wheels, rv's and even 5 rental cabins. You can stay a weekend, or a month... Every site has a fire pit, picnic table and a trash can provided. Back that up with every site has electric, water, as well as basic cable. Every site means exactly that, even your tent site will have full amenities.
There is a pool with a smaller children's pool as well as a bath house. Clean, nice hot/cold showers, general store, coin laundry, private pond (occasionally stocked), badminton, horseshoes, golf cart friendly, A large pavilion with a large flatscreen display and community firepit is there for general use or for rental, There is wifi by store and surrounding area, non denominational services.
Many campers are here"semi-permanently" and have landscaped their sites even including custom decks, some people I met have been coming here faithfully over 30 years. Its a a very friendly, know your neighbor type of camping. There has been structured entertainment,(bingo, shuffleboard, etc) in the past as well as dj's and bands on occasion.
Literally in the middle of nowhere, but 10 minutes from town, 15 from a Walmart and fast food, as well as 2 local hospitals. Local you can find multiple state parks, Historical sites, and other local attractions.
Open from the 2nd week of April until the 3rd week of October, weather permitting. All guests must be signed in,
RangerThe first time we decided to visit Knoebels resort, we decided to camp at the nearby Lake Glory Campground/Knoebels Campground. We rented a cabin and a family we were traveling with, also rented a cabin.
The cabins were clean, as was the bathhouse, but the cabins were right on top of each other, with NO division at all. It was more like a neighborhood on a quiet street. In some ways, it was nice that all of the children in the area where able to play together and all of the adults could watch them- but there was just NO privacy or feelings of seperation at all.
The fire rings seemed old, and you could hear every single cough, laugh, etc from your neighbor. It was also a fairly decent walk to the bathhouse- though the bathhouses were large and well kept.
While we didn't stay in the tent or RV sites, it looked like a fairly similar sense of privacy in those sites. It basically looked like tents were just randomly placed in open spaces of grass.
Firewood was for sale at the entrance, and it was "fill a bucket for $5". So basically, whatever you could fit and carry on of their metal pails, cost you $5. If you take your time, you can get a good amount of wood for that.
The insides of the cabins had a large queen size bed and then a loft bunk. There was a nice built in shelf with electric and even a good amount of hooks and cubbies for storage. Of the camping cabins we have stayed in, this was the largest and most functional. That said, there was a ceiling fan for air circulation at the top and it was LOUD. I had to sleep up top, since my sensory-senstive child couldn't handle it- just a head's up, in case you have a similar issue.
Overall, if you're looking for a dirt cheap way to stay near the local amusement park, this will do. Personally, when we returned this year, we just rented a hotel. We didn't enjoy the "camping" experience here at all.
Cabin camping near Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania, offers a perfect blend of outdoor adventure and cozy accommodations, making it an ideal getaway for families and nature lovers alike.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Mount Gretna, PA is Thousand Trails Hershey with a 3.9-star rating from 21 reviews.
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