Best Tent Camping near Ralston, PA

My family of 4 tent camped here for the weekend. Everyone at this campground was so friendly and nice. The staff really tried to make our stay comfortable. I noticed there was always a staff member driving around in a golf cart, checking on things. The bathrooms were very clean and maintained the whole weekend. The firewood sold at the camp store was only$5 for a large bundle and burned very well. Some campgrounds seem to sell "wet" wood that is hard to light. My only negative comment would be this is more of an RV park. If you do tent camp you should know you will be out in the open, no trees around your site and NO privacy. I will say the tent sites are huge and you can park 2 cars at each one. We made the best of it. We stayed in site 404

Rustic campsites, pretty quiet, great lake nearby. We enjoyed it over a three day weekend doing tent camping with our two bulldogs.

I chose this campground because the photos of the pool/splash pad looked fun. It turns out the tent site we had was the most wooded and cozy site we have camped in all year. So much room for tents/hammocks. Trees galore. The tent sites were right behind the athletic field where they did activities the weekend we were there (bounce house). The restrooms were fantastic too, the buildings held two complete rooms with a toilet sink and shower in each. It’s the only shower camping this year my 4yr old wasn’t afraid of because we had the whole room to ourselves.

Tent camped here one night, perfect for a quick little stopover. As other reviewers mention, it’s right near a road so you hear car (and horse & buggy!) noise — would try to get a spot further away from the road if possible. Pretty clean bathroom, easy self-registration process, and not too many folks!

Rickett's Glen itself has great camping and amenities with cool tent sites and also cabins and it's located next to gorgeous Lake Jean and the ever so fun waterfalls hike. Sullivan County as a whole has so much adventure and fun to offer!

Stayed in a tent site. Wooded areas. Private and quiet. Great, challenging hiking trails with over 1000 feet elevation change. Beautiful views!! Lake is well maintained though no lifeguard was present. Bathrooms were cleaner during the morning hours as this state park gets VERY busy.

We go here every year. Electric hook up, and very nice tent sites along creek. Does get crowded on nice weekends but mostly families. A short drive down to pine creek rails to trails. Beautiful ride through creek canyon. Nice little store at entrance, and several hikes from park.

We stayed at a tent site, T35 and it was wonderfully secluded. The site itself was fairly uneven and rocky so we had to always use caution when walking around the site but it added to the rugged experience. There are 3 sets of vault toilets around the one way loop and they seemed clean but definitely smelled like vault toilets do. There are usually a lot of spigots around the campsite to get water but right before we left for our trip I got a notification that there was a waterline issue and there would be centrally located water. It ended up being a big portable water truck near the first set of vault toilets on the loop. The primitive campsite is a mix of RV and tent sites and has a good mix of both. The tent sites are definitely more secluded and situated back in the woods, you do have to walk a small path to get to your site and the parking is on the road. We really enjoyed our long weekend kayaking, swimming in the lake (there is a really nice beach on the other side of the lake) and just generally relaxing at our campsite. The rest of the park is situated about a 10 minute drive across the lake. Firewood is very accessible and some right at the beginning of the loop (cash only). Overall we really enjoyed the campsite as well at the State Park, it has a lot to offer.

I would recommend this campground. It's very peaceful and relaxing. Tent site was a good size. We had water and electric. Pricing was reasonable. The pool was very nice.. along side the river is nuce to be by.. Campground employees as well as other campers were a delight to be around. It's neat that there is a restaurant in the campground too.

I love this campground and have stayed there in both the summer and the Fall. We kayak on the lake ( our own kayaks, but at a beginner level). The Falls Trail is challenging and beautiful, especially in Autumn, and can also be accessed with appropriate ice gear during the Winter. We love to tent camp and choose campsites by the lake. It is a State Park; it’s clean; I feel safe. No alcohol.

We booked a tent site, and there was only one small patch of grass where we could set up our tent. But the people next to us were in a big group and already had their tents set up very close to our grass, and we didn't feel comfortable camping that close to people. My brother had an RV site, so we went down to his and set up our tent there and it was much nicer. The fire pits are very nice, and the hiking trails in the park are great.

This state park is beautiful and I consider it a semi-hidden gem. It's our favorite place to tent camp. It's rarely busy and it's first come first serve. They have tent pads which are nice but we have a 10x20 tent so we pick a site that the pad is flush with the surrounding ground. There are bushes and trees between the sites and it feels very private. Sometimes it can feel too secluded but the park ranger drives through a number of times. They are always very friendly. There is no electric but there are spots to get water even placed throughout. The bathrooms are clean and we've never run into any issues. There is some nice hiking here and lots of nature to explore.

Great place to stay, lots to do in the area including other state parks and forests. Hiking, swimming, taking in the views. Small streams mean tons of bugs, but not much worse than the rest of PA. We stayed in the cabin in winter but we've also done a day visit in the summer. Really pretty tall pine trees in a lot of the campgrounds. Didn't stay in tent sites but they seemed rather spread out for a state park campground. Everything clean and well cared for.

Lots of hiking within and near the park, easy to moderate, and every trail is lush green with tons of waterfalls! Very memorable views, pretty standard (clean, nice) facilities. Sites are mostly pretty close but wooded so privacy isn't bad. Many are right on the lake and crazy beautiful. Everyone was respectful and quiet (including the scout group). I tent camped here after backpacking nearby, showers were on the cold side but most welcome. I think the campsites are closed in winter but this park is known for ice climbing. Also lots of accessible cabins right on the water. Follow the bear rules...one was spotted a few days before I arrived.

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.

First if you have a pet your sites are limited to the pet loop which we has in, site are single car parking and any other car must be parked in a wooded parking area a bit sketchy but no issues, sites are small two tents or one big tent, campground is kept very clean and bathrooms where very clean as well, it offers great trails to the Glenn they are well maintained and kept. Trails are good even for novice hikers. One bad thing was when we stayed there’s was a power outage leaving us with no hot showers..

Tent camping in the large loop area. 

Escaping the Maryland summer heat, the cooler temperatures in Ricketts Glen State Park was perfect. This park offers a variety of activities. Hiking along the Falls Trail being a highlight. The Large Loop is closer and banks along the lake, where there are two separate beach areas perfect for swimming. Kayak rentals, fishing are some of the great water things you can enjoy. 

The campsite was perfectly sized for us - tent campers and close but not too close to the clean restrooms. A water spigot was handy across the road. Behind the restroom building is a dishwashing station. While there are showers there, the hot water was actually...cold.

There is a great small camp store if you need last minute items, and the concession stands at the furthest beach sells firewood and ice cream.

There are cabins available to rent, which looked really comfy. All linens, etc need to be brought along though.

I don’t understand how anyone can say the owners are rude! I just don’t get it…they have been outstanding since they took over and have made some great improvements! That aside, I love this campground! It is my escape away from technology and my time to be one with nature. We tent camp and love the sites as they are right on the creek, a few have direct access to the creek if you have kayaks which is awesome! The views to be had are amazing and lots of hiking in the area, well known for trout fishing, and kayaking! 

The campground is clean, organized, has rules, and is quiet! The rules are enforced, which makes it better for everyone! 

We try to make a trip up there annually, weather permitting, sometimes twice a year. Never had a bad experience and am grateful for the time we get to spend up there!

The owners do a fantastic job keeping the campground shipshape. Restrooms/showers are immaculate any time of day. Heated swimming pool and the splash pad for kiddies is spotless as well. Nice, pull-through on gravel pad withfull-hookups that can take large rigs. Lake is lovely for fishing/kayaks/canoes. Seasonal campers are tidy. Only a few tent sites with water & electricity tucked into woods. Larger pull-through sites don't get a lot of shade, but there are back-in sites for shorter campers in wooded sites and shaded lake front, as well. Campground store sells ice-cream & nachos and supplies. Campground is pretty quiet during the week, but fills up on weekends with guests using own (or renting) golf carts. Activities on weekends. The campground sits atop one of NEPA's "rolling hills" in quiet, rural farming area. Cell service is spotty. Local winery/cafe just down the road for tastings and lunch. Row boat, paddle boat rentals.