Best Cabin Camping near Olanta, PA

We stayed in 3 of the cabins for 4 days at Yellow Creek State Park (not the campground). It was beautiful. Right on the water, clean, and private access to the lake. Dog friendly cabins were available. We cannot wait to come back.

This place will literally scam you out of every dollar they can! Don't use the hot tubs....and you'll still be charged for dirty water. Also, watch for cameras. Pretty bad that the cabin was cleaner when I left then when I showed up. Yet they charged$100 for dirty hot tub water when I made sure the filter was clean and no foam existed when I left. After stating they were getting a bad review for scamming me out of money they threatened to post some bullshit video of a dirty hot tub filter, which I find hilarious considering it could not have been the same filter since I checked it before I departed. I am not the only one complaining about this nonsense...read all reviews from all sources and take pictures to prove everything cause it seems they like to dirty shit themselves just to make a quick dollar. They will be nice to your face, then scam you out of your money, and after they charge your card they become ignorant liars.

Beautiful facility- typical Pa mountains, abundant green trees, water...nice Campground AND cabin rentals are really nicely situated. Water was thick with weeds & lilies but ok nonetheless. Great day trip spot.

Long drive (almost a mile) into the campground from the main road. You follow the creek into the campground where it also meets the Clarion River. Lot of crayfish to catch in frigid cold Clear Creek and great tubing in the Clarion River. Cabins, RV and tent sites available. I’ll be honest, the tent only loop l, sites 43 and higher are not that great. Nothing flat and very difficult to find a good spot on them for a tent. But they are also the most private sites. Clear Creek State Forest is just next door and offers lots of hiking and biking trails. Farmers Inn is just outside of the campground with great food and Cooks Forest is a short drive away with go carts tubing and canoeing and kayaking.

The park is on the scenic Clarion River and offers tent camping, some sites are paddle in only, RV sites, small and larger rustic cabins, and even a couple of yurts. It’s very well maintained, including the restroom/shower houses which were very clean. The upper loop tent sites are a bit more secluded and there is plenty of space for the larger cabins. The smaller cabins are more clustered but we enjoyed staying in them on a couple occasions. Be sure to bring kayaks or inner tubes for lazy hours on the river. There are kayak rentals nearby also. The Clarion River is full of wildlife including bald eagles hunting the river and an occasional black bear nearby.

Be sure to visit Beartown Rocks that is close by. It offers a nice view of the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.

We have tented and RV'd at Clear Creek. A must do when camping in Pennsylvania. The Clarian river is great for kayaking . Multiple trails off of park. Biking and breweries close by. if you have RV/travel trailer do NOT recommend the non-power sites, they are not level enough, you may really have to bring up the trailer. There were wonderful campsites hosts when we there

Pros; excellent location, great friendly people, clean and stocked bathrooms which include showers. Some sites are separated.. great camp hosts

Cons…a few sites are really close, however not a bad thing here as we got to meet a lot of great people, so for us it was kind of a Pro.

This campground is great! I’ve stayed here many times. Normally I use a tent but I’ve stayed in their cabins too. They are much nicer than your average campground cabins.

my mom and I stayed in a cabin for Christmas. friendly staff. only compliant was the animal hair in the cabin and the wood was covered in snow, making it hard to start a fire in the fireplace. we look forward to going back soon!

UPDATED reviews for rustic and modern cabins.

March 2020, Modern Cabins: Before COVID-19 hit PA we stayed in one of the modern cabins. Wow...everything was seemingly quite new and it was extremely comfortable. Nice bathrooms, nice kitchen, etc. One of the best things about Black Mo is how isolated it feels and it's never crowded in the off-months. The Moss Hanne is still a thrilling trail even in the winter months and there's been a lot of beaver activity since we last visited including a very impressive dam. 

October 2019, Rustic Cabins: We stayed in one of the rustic cabins on a cold October weekend. Very charming small cabins with robust woodstoves. Although we probably could have been more careful, there were unfortunately some very bothersome mice who kept us awake each night...and were seemingly not very afraid of us! The construction of the rustic cabins is such that there probably isn't much you can do about mice getting in. If this doesn't bother you, these cabins are really cute and cozy.

July 2019, Tent Camping: As far as camping goes, the loop area is a bit cramped for my taste, but if that doesn't bother you it's fine. Clean bathhouse and convenient outdoor sink for washing up after dinner. Overall one of the best PA parks and well maintained.

I really have to address some of these other reviews, though:

"Water was thick with weeds& lilies but ok nonetheless." Wow! Pitcher plants, sundews and water lilies are not "weeds." They are unique to bog environments and don't grow in other places. The vegetation in the lake is what makes Black Mo black, so picturesque and unlike other PA parks!

"The overall area has nothing to do. And I mean NOTHING. We drove 45 minutes to Altoona to see the famous Horseshoe Curve but there’s literally nothing else around for miles and miles. Not even an ice cream stand, or not one we could find. And, since there’s no cell service, we couldn’t figure out any options either." Like many state parks in this part of the world there is no cell service, so you need to bring a real map (Purple Lizard) and look a few things up on the internet ahead of time. Black Mo is literally ten minutes from Philipsburg where there is surely an ice cream stand, 25 minutes from State College, which has tons of touristy offerings…I could go on but really this is laughable.

General: 73-site campground; most have electric hookups, and some are FHU. Pets are only permitted at selected sites. There are also 20 (13 rustic and 6 modern) cabins. Cell service is extremely limited to non-existent (Verizon). 

Site Quality: Pads are gravel and most appeared to be level. Site 70 was at the end of the loop which is why we picked it. A picnic table, fire ring, and lantern hook complete each site. 

Bathhouse: As has been our experience in all PA state parks, the bathhouse was pristine, and the shower (for no additional cost) was clean with plentiful hot water and was very much appreciated. 

Activities/Amenities: Coin-operated laundry. A playground is in the campground and there is an additional one at the swimming beach. The swimming beach is open from mid-May to mid-September, from 8 am– sunset. Electric motorboats are permitted on Moshannon Lake. Boat rentals are available in season. Permits are required. 24 miles of hiking trails, including two trails directly from the campground to the lake. In the summer, there is a camper store/concession stand. Hunting is allowed in season. There are 4.3 miles of mountain biking trails. 

I used to think Oregon State Parks were the best, but Pennsylvania State Parks have them beat by a mile. We have yet to be disappointed by the amenities(especially the clean bathrooms) offered at the half-dozen state parks we have visited so far.

There is a ton of things to do. Beautiful cabins

This park is a little different and has some fairly interesting history. There are some old ruins as well as an old quarry site. The grounds are open to hunting and we were surprised by a bird hunter and his dog who was running around off leash, creating a little havoc for us while walking our two dogs on the trail. If you visit in the fall, be sure to bring some hunter orange if you plan on exploring the trails.

Now onto the cabins- these are quite nice! They have nice bathrooms with hot showers, a common area with a lot of furniture, a kitchen with large table and full sized appliances. The cabin we stayed in was pet friendly and had two rooms, one with a full size bed and a second one with 2 sets of bunk beds. The heat was quite efficient and kept us warm on some cold nights. 

These cabins are not equipped with any type of consumables, cookware or linens. You really need to bring everything if you're planning on actually using the bathroom or kitchen. There is toilet paper though :) We chose to stay here due to its proximity to several National Park sites in the area and it was perfect for us! We will be visiting another state park with similar cabins next year, too!

I prefer the campground just up the road but I have stayed here at the resort in cabin.

Nice waterfront at the lower edge of the resort. The cabins were set up above and kind of overlooked down to Raystown lake. You can hear the power boats zipping up and down the lake but it wasn’t annoying.

many roads to explore and a great little restaurant inside the resort if you need tI eat. We had breakfast there and it acceptable.

We stayed at one of the cabins before COVID-19 hit PA and shut down all the parks. The main part of the park has a nice little lake and we saw herons during our visit. At night there was fairly decent stargazing despite its proximity to Altoona's light pollution. 

There's an easy disc golf course, which was a nice little amenity. 

Several interesting hiking trails and the often-photographed limestone kilns are cool to see.

The cabin itself was overall very nice, but the bathroom was surprisingly run down. 

I would imagine this is a very nice park in the summer, greener months.

Clear creek is a nice quiet relaxing family camp place. Swimming was nice. There is a playground near campsites and cabins if you would like one.

Stayed in camper, tent, yurt, and cabins. Always a clean and up kept park. Lots to do in the area. Don't get caught boozing. There pretty strict.

Actually I am a work camper, have worked here for 11 seasons. Nice Sites, both RV and tent as well as cabins. I know my opinion is biased, but I keep coming back because it is so great

I live nearby so I'm a bit biased towards the park. Definitely one of my favorite places to day hike. The trails are well maintained, and the scenery changes every few steps. Lush hardwood forest; plenty of shade for summer hikes. Not crowded at all in the off-season.

We stayed in the Indian Cabin #I11.  There are 4 twin sized bunk beds but be forewarned, the springs and mattresses were ancient during our stay.  There is a small table, a refrigerator, electric stove and oven, and there is heat.  The windows do not open very much so bring a fan if you're camping in warm weather.   The bathhouse is clean and the showers are hot. 

The cabins can be difficult to find in the dark, but they are located just behind the campground offices.  If you pull around to the rear of the building and look across the creek that is there, you cannot miss them.

Great 3 night stay! It’s what I expected for a rustic cabin. Comfortable enough and close to everything the area has to offer. Gas log fireplace did give me a huge headache which I overcame by leaving one window open. I do recommend bringing a fan for cooking and air flow.

This has become a very popular campground and reservations fill quickly. We usually try for an entire family outing here once a year in October. Very nice, clean campground on the river. We have stayed in sites and a cabin, but never one of the yurts. Family friendly and not overly crowded.

We come here every year for a family reunion and always rent one of the cabins. We love coming here. The park is huge and there are lots of things to do. You can go to the beach, kayak, hike, or go outside the park to explore some caves or a bat church. We will continue to come here every year!

My family and I stayed here one night during a motorcycle trip. We rented 1 of the cabins they have on the property and it was great all of us fit comfortably we were able to have a campfire out front and sit at a picnic table. They have a nice little store there's trails you can hike to beautiful area and a great place to camp.

I’ve been going here since I can remember and every time I see the trip coming up on the calendar I get excited. The cabins are always very clean with comfortable living spaces and great theme. The campground has very spaced out camp sites for privacy and really incorporates the forest around it. Plenty of hikes and activities to do during the day. Cooks forest has always been one of my favorite places.