Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Homeacre-Lyndora, PA

In the past 5 years, I've made 13 trips to Raccoon Creek State Park and spent 16 nights in a tent there. It is my local state park and I can tell you lots about it.

The D loop is really great tent camping at Raccoon Creek State Park. It's tents only, no RVs. So it gets a really fun, party vibe on Saturday nights during the summer. There's a trail right to the beach near the D loop, so it's a great place for families to go with pets. The sites are big, wooded, and all close to the bathroom.

The C loop, however, doesn't take pets (which stinks). When we have our dogs with us, we gravitate towards the C loop. It's fine, but it's not as fun as the D loop.

When we don't make a reservation and we have our dog, we end up in the F loop. It's not our preference (but--let's be clear--even the worst site in the F loop is better than NO trip!).

Cooks forest is absolutely gorgeous. I look forward to returning as there are a lot of hiking opportunities we missed. We stayed in the pet friendly area, which was nice. There is a pet trail through the woods that was really great to take our dog rather than walking around the campground. Our site was right next to a drinking water spigot and a path to the bath house. The sites near ours were in a wooded area, which felt more private than many of the other sites we saw. There was a fore pit and a picnic table. Our fire pit was behind where the camper was parked, which also felt more private. There is no alcohol permitted in PA state parks, so alcohol is prohibited in the campground as well. It was a great spot, and we look forward to returning.

I started camping at Raccoon back in the 60's as a little person with my family. Hadn't been for several decades, but finally got back with my husband and cats the past couple of years. Great park ony a 1/2 hour outside of Pittsburgh. The campground has something for everyone - RV sites with electric (although I wouldn't recommend bringing your 40' rig...sites can be a tad on the smaller side) or secluded sites just for tenting. Restrooms are clean and well maintained. Two loops allow pets F and B, but only some sites in F have electric, so be sure to check if that is what you need. There are many hiking trails that are not too strenuous or you can take a 10 mile trip around the lake. Lots of birds for viewing, particularly near the beach. You can put in your kayak or fish on the shore at the fairly large lake. Boats do require a launch pass which you can obtain from the park office. And don't miss the Wildflower Preserve if you are there in May or late summer! Great place to take the family and relax in nature!