Best Tent Camping near Picture Rocks, PA

Tent Camping Reviews near Picture Rocks, PA

485 Reviews of 45 Picture Rocks Campgrounds

• 

  Laure D.

  Legend

  Sep. 19, 2020

  Locust Lake State Park Campground

  Serenity on the lakes

  Pretty campground with lots of lake views. We arrived just before dark which was good because the sites were not level front to back. Most sites had a slope but there were some level sites. You can kayak, canoe, paddle board, and fish on the lake. There are 2 boat launches. The store wasn’t much to speak of. Bath houses were clean. We walked around the lake on a paved level path. They advertise no alcohol. This is near the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine tour which we loved. It’s near the Yingling Brewery tour.

• V

  Valerie M.

  Scout

  Jul. 11, 2018

  Knoebels Campground

  Clean, quiet, inexpensive, fun place to camp!

  Knoebels 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!.

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• 

  Amy R.

  Guide

  Jul. 16, 2019

  Pine Cradle Lake Family Campground

  RV/tent campground in a beautiful setting

  This is a gated campground that we stayed at 6/30/19-7/04/19. We are NOT an RV. We own a Napier tent that hooks to our truck so that we can sleep up in the bed. However, due to it being a holiday week, the tent sites were completely booked and they only have 4(which also have water& electric). The tent sites are located in the back of the campground behind the sports field within the trees. I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see them but they have them pictured on their website. They let us book an RV site and it was rough setting up on a gravel RV site but we understood that we were not within a normal tent element and placed an extra tarp under the tent. The campground is located at the top of some beautiful and scenic driving through farmland in Pennsylvania and you will be 30 minutes from anything like shopping or small town amenities(we drove to Walmart after setting up to get our perishables since we drive up from Virginia). Our site had water and electric, was a drive through spot for a typical RV with a section to the side of the drive through for the fire pit and picnic table. We were located right next to the shower/bathrooms/playground and had some tree coverage and shade. A lot of the RVs in the campground are permanent sites and our neighbors never showed so we had a quiet buffer but it was not a noisy campground. It appeared that they cleaned the bathrooms twice daily and we were impressed with the cleanliness of the bathroom/showers. There were 4 in the building so we never had to wait. The staff were friendly and helpful. They had a store right next to the pool area that offered common items and RV'er might need with a small grocery area as well which included bundles of wood($6 honor system after hours) and Ice($1.78 per bag). We were allowed to run an account which we paid at the end of our stay. Our campsite was required to be paid at check in. The campground is 18 acres with gravel roads, a sports field, fishing, horse shoes, bocce ball, multiple playgrounds, a rec center with some games, claw machines etc. a splash pad and salt water pool. You will be doing a lot of walking or bring your bicycles like we did. They offer scheduled activities for holidays etc and various weekend activities. You can rent non electric boats and they offer catch& release fishing without a PA license in the lake. My son caught 2 sunfish :) They have guidelines for visitors and quiet hours(my cousin came to visit us in the evenings as she lived close by). We enjoyed camping here even if we were on an RV site. We booked site 211 which had the little bit of tree coverage and was located right next to the showers/bathrooms/playground with a quick walk to the lake for fishing. Most of the other available sites in the road ahead of us had no tree coverage but closer to the lake had more trees and shade. OR, just get an actual tent site :) but they are all the way at the back of the campground, furthest from the lake so I actually preferred our site.

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• T

  Theresa R.

  Scout

  Aug. 18, 2022

  Ricketts Glen State Park Campground

  Impromptu trip that we don’t regret!

  This trip was a bit impromptu so we assume most of the good sites were picked over. The site we stayed at was the perfect size for two people, not the biggest site in the campground but we had a bit of a buffer between our neighbors so we weren’t on top of other people. We were located at a bit heavily trafficked area because we were near the entrance of the campground and the restrooms. The state park was beautiful and had a lot of things to do. I recommend doing the Falls trail and to get onto Lake Jean. They have a concessions by Lake Jean that doesn’t only sell food and drinks but some ice and bundle of wood. Definitely bring a hammer because it’s near impossible to stake down your tent by hand because the turf is hard. Would definitely come again and do the primitive group camp option if I can. No cell service (Verizon) but if you drive 10 miles north up towards Lopez we were able to get a signal. This was a nice way to end summer!

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• J

  Joanna H.

  Traveler

  Sep. 19, 2021

  Poe Paddy State Park Campground

  Great little campground

  I’ve stayed here twice for camping trips. It’s a great small campground that has basic amenities. The experience is likely highly site dependent, as there are a few distinct areas to stay depending on your needs and luck. There is NO cell service and park rangers do “rounds” but aren’t stationed at the site. There are a couple of water pumps, several well-maintained pit toilets, and an emergency phone. It’s about 20-30 min to gas. There’s no camp store here but about 3.5 miles away at Poe Valley there’s a store, real bathrooms and showers, kayaking rentals, etc. There’s a guy that sells firewood just past Poe Valley. The Poe Paddy sites I prefer are well-shaded, fairly large, surrounded by trees, and private (but you’ll be able to hear a couple neighbors). Dogs are only allowed in the RV loop, which is intense gravel, so be sure you have a good sleeping pad if you’re tent camping. The campground is in the middle of the dense Bald Eagle State Forest with lots of hiking opportunities. The creek that runs through Poe Paddy is awesome for wading and people also tube it when conditions are right. Get a Purple Lizard map for best enjoyment of the area.

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• 

  Danielle

  Guide

  Apr. 12, 2021

  Bald Eagle State Forest

  Dispersed Site #13; Pretty, loud, not accessible for pop up campers

  Husband and I set off for a weekend of boon docking at Bald Eagle State Forest in our little pop up camper. We stayed at site #13, which is a dispersed site- not in the campground. 

  Picture a lovely large, round grassy meadow surrounded by trees at the end of a long gravel road. Picnic table, fire ring, one pretty tree in the center, and a babbling brook down below the site. It looks so perfect! Now picture large boulders preventing any wheeled vehicle (including a light little pop up) from rolling into said field. Add in that the I-80 interstate is so close that you can see trucks through the trees in some places- not to mention hear them all.night.long. Would we camp here again? Nope. We would not. Would this be right for some? Probably yes- especially tent campers, loud groups, and those who feel safer with road noise in the background. 

  This site was not listed as"tent only", and I suppose being able to set up on the gravel road did work. But I was majorly bummed we couldn't set up at the back of the actual site itself. The road set up was not nearly as nice. You can see in my photos the size of the site, and the boulders, and where we ended up setting up. 

  I will also mention that the road getting here involved a hairpin turn (from Long Run Rd. onto Ransaires Rd.) that large set ups would not be able to make. We made it work and we had a great trip.

  Not what we expected, but we still had a good time. We will try again at Bald Eagle State Forest, but would not choose this site again.

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• 

  David A.

  Scout

  Aug. 23, 2025

  Tiadaghton Campground — Tioga State Forest

  Tiadaghaton State Forest, PA

  Roadside site 1/4 mile from the nearest site. You can drive right to the site on Hackett Rd. Very secluded and peaceful. Picnic table and fire ring, but no water or latrine.

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Oct. 17, 2019

  Ricketts Glen State Park Campground

  Waterfalls!!

  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!)

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• 

  Jackie F.

  Legend

  Aug. 22, 2021

  Frances Slocum State Park Campground

  Good stay, great site!

  The goods: We had site 44 in the Stony Point loop and it was by far the largest campsite on the property. We had a thick covered wooded area to our right and a huge grassy area to the left. Was also an easy back in site as there’s an adjacent road (to parking and the amphitheater) right in front of it. All sites only have electric and only certain allow pets. Dump station had easy access and bathrooms, weren’t great but wasn’t the worst I’ve seen either.

  The not so good: mosquitoes and ticks can ruin a good trip, come prepared! Others in the campground were not honoring the quiet hours rules or the no alcohol rules. Some guy walked right in front of our site and threw up in a wooded area close by. Around the lake people leave their fishing bait and tackle on the ground so please be careful with your pups! Also, DO NOT take your pups to the water. There is a weird bacteria or algae currently growing in the lake, it’s completely visible. There are advisories around about it too.

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