48 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Several state forests surround Renovo, Pennsylvania, offering multiple tent camping options including Tiadaghton State Forest and Susquehannock State Forest. Both forests maintain primitive tent sites along forest roads with varying levels of accessibility. Patterson State Park Campground provides a small tent-friendly campground with approximately 8 sites arranged around a gravel loop, while Colton Point State Park features walk-in tent sites that require short hikes from parking areas.
Most tent sites in the region feature basic amenities including fire rings and picnic tables. Several campgrounds offer vault toilets but minimal other facilities. Tiadaghton State Forest sites typically include picnic tables and designated fire areas with nearby toilet facilities. Patterson State Park provides a manual water pump, though most forest camping areas require bringing your own water supply. According to a camper at Patterson State Park, "It has a really nice water well with a manual pump. Restroom is the typical hole with no flush, but is very clean." Road noise can be a factor at some campgrounds, particularly Patterson which sits close to a roadway.
Walk-in tent sites at Colton Point State Park offer increased privacy compared to drive-in options. Tent campers at Colton Point appreciate the secluded nature of these sites, which require carrying gear short distances. One visitor noted, "I loved that you can pick your own tucked away spot within the camp area but yet still close enough to other people." Most forest campsites in the region remain uncrowded, especially during weekdays, allowing tent campers to experience quiet nights. Patterson State Park sees limited visitation, making it suitable for those seeking less populated tent camping areas. The region's tent campsites generally provide good tree cover for shade and natural separation between sites, though privacy levels vary between parks and specific locations.
from $10 / night
Check Availabilityfrom $10 / night
Check Availabilityfrom $10 / night
Check Availability"Not much privacy from site to site but that’s fine. You can still observe the stars, but difficult for telescopes since trees cover Polaris in most of the sites."
"Many consider Patterson State Park an over flow Park for when the famous “Dark Skies” Cherry Springs State Park or the large Lyman Run State Park with its lake for swimming, boating and fishing gets full"
"The campsites are private and you get to hike in (varying amounts of distance.)"
"I love the walk in sites. They take a small hike so don't over pack! There is so much that this park has to offer. So many hikes, so many scenic overlooks. I highly suggest this parks Turkey trail."
from $10 / night
Check Availabilityfrom $10 / night
Check Availabilityfrom $10 / night
Check Availability"It's our favorite place to tent camp. It's rarely busy and it's first come first serve."
"Nice and shaded! No one there but us in site 6, not even a ranger checked on us. Has modern toilets and shower. Most sites are spacious. They have nice raised tent pads."
from $10 / night
Check Availability
GuideBeautiful primitive campground (tent only). Get a site on the outside towards the water. They are spaced out and peaceful. Has restrooms (no shower), picnic table, and fire pit at each site. Short walk to creek and beautiful pond.
TravelerI throughly enjoyed my time at Bald Eagle State Park. We stayed at a tent site, I believe 58 in the rustic camping section. The rustic section was located around a large loop with each site ranging in a few feet from the car-friendly loop to about the 50 foot walk where our site was located. While this is a primitive site, planning ahead you can place yourself near the vault toilets. If there was running water in the bathrooms– we didn’t find it! There are several water pumps located around the loop and we used that for washing dishes. Our site had space for two tents with a nice fire ring and picnic table. The fire ring was actually one of the best I have experienced– featuring a grill grate with adjustable levels for exposure to heat. The site also had a hook for keeping food or garage elevated from critters. Hammock lovers: we had plenty of trees to easily string our hammock near the picnic table/fire ring. Now the trains. An active railroad sits about 75 feet away from several of the rustic sites. We noticed the 7 p.m. train on Saturday evening. What we didn’t expect was being awoken at 5 a.m. to a freight train blowing through full steam– really gets your heart pumping– did not need coffee that morning. The rustic area also has access to a trail that loops about two miles near the lake and rustic campground. It was a fun place!
RangerThe upper campground has a rustic feel, beautiful views and is a great location for wildlife encounters. While it has some amenities (electric on a few RV sites; scullery area near the pit toilets; showers available at lower campground), these grounds are away from the bustle of the outside world. We are tent campers, and without the need for hookup and never having been there, we reserved site 45--but do not recommend it for its challenging slope. When a loud, disrespectful family set up nearby that first night for a long weekend, we spoke with the camp host (helpful, amenable Jim), who suggested we ask about site 71, the most removed of all the sites. Went to the camp office and obtained it for the rest of our week-long stay--and it was perfect. (While it had a hookup that we didn't need/use, we did pay extra for it--but well worth the seclusion.) Super quiet back there and totally private. Some of the rustic tent sites looked lovely, too (did not note best site numbers; sorry), but we cannot recommend #71 enough. If you're an RV camper, however, the sites with the vista views overlooking the reservoir are amazing, if not somewhat close together.
We wanted to encounter wildlife; went looking for it and found it! Everything seemed to be about an hour or more away on winding roads, but that was okay; love the meandering. We went to:
Pennsylvania is gorgeous!
We also enjoyed meeting Julie at the Lock Haven Visitors' Center and had our only meal out at Deb's in Cross Fork. For ice cream treats (a weakness): Ice Shack near Lock Haven; Old Bull Cafe in Benezette; the kiosk at the top of Pine Creek Gorge.
A very restful, quiet week in early June was just what we needed, and Kettle Creek State Park Upper Campground was wonderful.
LegendPROS
Senior discount $18
Able to reserve 334 days prior to arriving
Campground quiet but can hear PA 150 road noise
Great night sky viewing
Nice privacy from side neighbor's campsite
Asphalt parking pad
Large gravel around pad to include firepit and utility hook up
Grass around gravel, but was mid-calf high
Metal fire pit which was cleaned out upon arrival
Lantern pole
8 miles off of Interstate 80
Firewood for sale at the campground; $6 bundle
Park is good proximity to Penn State University and Central Pennsylvania
Country Pride Restaurant Milesburg (TA truck stop off of Interstate 80) has some terrific food!
4 bars Verizon
CONS
$6.50 reservation fee for self made online reservation
One day while away from our campsite, park personnel mowed mid-cafe high grass at and around our site and the mowers threw grass all over our table with a table cloth, chairs, trailer, driveway...you name it...it was covered with grass. Why the mowers didn’t direct the mowed grass AWAY from our items is beyond me. What a mess!!!
Check-in clerk at park office was disturbed we checked in with her. Told us just to go to site. Could not tell us if site was vacated. We had to ask for a park map and directions to campground/campsite since this was first time visiting
Site MO45 unlevel from side to side
Site MO45 NO shade as was the case with most of the FHU campsites
Metal frame wood top table in bad condition
Need pathway from upper campsite to toilet/shower building…have to wade thru mid-calf high grass if you don’t walk on the roadway
Toilet/shower facility lit up like a Christmas tree
Toilet/shower facility cleaned on Wednesdays only, according to sign on door
No WiFi
TravelerI’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.
GuideHusband 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.
ScoutRoadside 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.
GuideNice campground, wooded sites and most were okay for tent camping however some required your tent to be set up a small distance from the fire ring. Clean showerhouses and bathrooms. Big Lake and a few miles of hiking and biking trails right from the campground.
The Iron Ore mines from the past have left the creek water stained red which is why its called the Red Mo with the locals.
GuideAdults and Children alike will love the park office / Wildlife Center at Sinnemahoning State Park. Learn about this buildings green construction (LEED)geo thermal heat, rain water harvesting system, recycled materials and more! Step inside to view elk bear birds and other wildlife! Learn about the building of the dam and the early days of the CCC camps. If you can get the children out of the office or bring yourself to leave ... make a souvenir penny on your way out before walking across the parking lot and around the corner to visit the arch tree. This park is a long narrow park with a road running through it that is perfect for a bike ride or stroll. On one end is a wildlife viewing area, the other end offers great fishing and a boat launch. Between is a picnic day use area and a 35 site campground with a dump station, a modern restroom with flush toilets and showers. The restrooms and some campsites are ADA accessible. Electric hookups are available and each pet friendly camp site has its own picnic table, lantern hold and fire ring. Elk, eagles deer and many other varieties of wild life can be seen here on a regular basis! There is much to explore here during any season and even on a rainy day the kids will have the opportunity to learn about the world around them! 5 stars Sinnemahoning! What a treasure in the PA Wilds!
Tent camping near Renovo, Pennsylvania offers access to two major state forest systems covering more than 300,000 acres of public lands. The region sits within the Allegheny Plateau with elevations ranging from 700-2,300 feet, creating diverse camping microclimates. Most primitive sites remain open year-round while established campgrounds typically operate from April through October, with fall bringing temperatures that can drop below freezing overnight.
Hiking connections to long-distance trails: The West Rim Trail at Colton Point State Park connects to the 30-mile Pine Creek Trail. "Turkey trail is a rougher climb but you follow a small stream filled with waterfalls down into the canyon," notes a Colton Point camper.
Stargazing at dedicated dark sky sites: Patterson State Park offers reasonably dark skies despite tree coverage. "You can still observe the stars, but difficult for telescopes since trees cover Polaris in most of the sites," explains one camper, who recommends this spot for casual astronomical viewing without traveling to the more crowded Cherry Springs State Park.
Swimming in forest streams: Ravensburg State Park features access points to cool water during summer months. A visitor reports, "There are few hiking trails; short and long that take you to beautiful views along the creek with a couple of places deep enough to swim."
Self-sufficient primitive camping: Tiadaghton State Forest sites provide minimal amenities but maximum solitude. The Big Trail Road Sites and other forest road camping locations require bringing all supplies but reward with peaceful surroundings and no reservation requirements.
Affordable alternatives to popular parks: Patterson State Park serves as an economical option when other parks reach capacity. "Many consider Patterson State Park an overflow Park for when the famous 'Dark Skies' Cherry Springs State Park or the large Lyman Run State Park with its lake for swimming, boating and fishing gets full," explains a camper who discovered this option.
Natural hammocking opportunities: Many sites feature mature trees spaced appropriately for hammock camping. At Ravensburg State Park, "There are plenty of trees that are good for hammocking. And in a few sites, you can set them up right by the creek, which is my favorite part."
Water availability varies significantly: Many forest sites require bringing water supplies. Patterson State Park offers a manual pump system: "It has a really nice water well with a manual pump."
Road noise impacts: Several campgrounds sit close to roadways. Ravensburg State Park experiences this issue: "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."
Seasonal road conditions: Forest roads accessing many primitive sites may become impassable after heavy rain or during winter months. Call ranger stations for current conditions before attempting to reach remote camping areas.
Less crowded weekday options: Patterson State Park offers ample space for children when visiting mid-week. "At any given time you may have the whole park to yourself. If you are camping with children this can be a plus! They will have plenty of room to play," notes a family camper.
Short but scenic hiking options: Ravensburg provides family-friendly trail options with creek access. According to a regular visitor: "There are few hiking trails; short and long that take you to beautiful views along the creek."
Sites with natural boundaries: Look for campgrounds with natural divisions between sites when camping with children. Several Ravensburg campers note: "There are bushes and trees between the sites and it feels very private."
Limited hookups available: Most tent camping areas near Renovo cannot accommodate larger RVs. Colton Point offers some options for smaller campers and trailers but lacks electrical hookups.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Renovo, PA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Renovo, PA is County Line Road Site — Tiadaghton State Forest with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Renovo, PA?
TheDyrt.com has all 48 tent camping locations near Renovo, PA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
