Best Tent Camping near Ridgway, PA

Recent Tent Reviews near Ridgway, Pennsylvania

492 Reviews of 13 Ridgway Campgrounds

• D

  Denise P.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 26, 2018

  Clear Creek State Park Campground

  Beautiful,wooded settin on the fringe of the Allegheny National Forest

  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.

• 

  Britt B.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 27, 2020

  Clear Creek State Park Campground

  Pennsylvania Favorite!

  A Pennsylvania favorite, Clear Creek State Park is a beautifully maintained, scenic park, right on the Clarion River in the Clear Creek State Park. The Park offers movies on an outdoor screen, regular nature talks and walks and has an onsite museum. The park has tent sites, RV sites and cabins. Clear Creek runs through the campground and is a perfect spot for a BBQ or Picnic. It also has a designated swimming beach with sand. There are multiple hiking trails leaving the campground. There is a general store just 5min from the park, plus multiple private firewood options on the road in. The park also sells firewood bundles. The Clarion is a crystal clear, shallow, rock bottom river perfect for a cool off, fishing or kayaking. There are two kayaking/tubing companies in Cook Forest to hire watercraft to float the river. Both floats don’t go as high as Clear Creek State Park so you won’t float past the campground, with the longest being 9 miles. The facilities are always clean, with large shower areas and always fully stocked with tissue. All sites have fire rings with adjustable grills. The best un-powered RV site is site 40– private and waterfront. The best powered-RV site is 39– private and waterfront. There are also two very private tent sites that are waterfront(classified as Kayak In tent sites) numbered CR-001& CR-002. Both waterfront, shaded with fire rings. Excellent tent sites! Note you can only book them for 1 night at a time. No phone reception at this one! They welcome furry friends at selected sites!

• J

  Janice C.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 17, 2016

  Cook Forest State Park Campground

  Excellent experience!

  Our stay was over the weekend and into the beginning of the week. We stayed in the dog loop because we took our dog. The campsite was clean, very close to the bathrooms and drinking water. The people were all so friendly, dogs were very well behaved. The facilities were very clean. The activities around the site were abundant and super fun. We camped in a tent, so had no need for any rv hookups. Great experience!

• J

  JoJo S.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 24, 2023

  Riverhurst Park Campground

  Peaceful

  My family and I had a wonderful stay tent camping here. The grounds are huge and very well maintained, including the grass being mowed. There are large, beautiful trees to tent camp in the shade. There’s lots of amenities like volleyball, basketball, playground, swings, all in a safe area away from roads. There’s entrance spots to kayak/ play in the river. Other than a few mosquito bites, we left with a peaceful, wonderful time and memories. Including seeing an eagle fly over the river!

• C

  Chuck M.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 14, 2024

  S.B. Elliott State Park Campground

  Old and worn out

  A dingy place. The ground was swampy the only dry places are the gravel pads in the sites. I wouldn't tent camp here.

  On the plus side, strong AT&T and T-Mobile cell signals. (I don't have a verizon device)

• K

  Kelsey B.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 9, 2021

  Willow Bay Recreation Area

  Beautiful

  Most beautiful and peaceful place to tent camp! Definitely a long drive for us but it was beautiful before we got the snow and even during (what we could see). One thing I didnt like was we have to drive to the hiking trails.

• 

  David A.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 20, 2020

  Red Bridge Recreation Area - Allegheny National Forest

  Big Woods!

  If your looking for no frills camping in the forest, this is the place! Couple full hookup sites, some electric but most are rustic, great tent sites! No playgrounds etc, just camping in the woods!

• 

  Amy M.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 15, 2017

  Red House Area — Allegany State Park State Park

  ASP

  This is our absolute favorite park to camp! You can stay in Red House area or Quaker Area. You have the option of staying on a tent site or in a cabin. Great fishing and hiking and lots of other stuff to do!

• C

  Caitlin M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 28, 2021

  Chapman State Park Campground

  Long overdue honeymoon

  We tent camped at site 76. Secluded and beautiful. We had the whole side of the upper loop to ourselves! Bumped up against the nature trail for a quick hike. We fished at the small section opposite the swimming area. We were alone the entire time! This park is well kept and very very clean. Attracts the friendliest people.

• 

  Travis S.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 27, 2017

  Black Moshannon State Park Campground

  Red Mo

  Nice 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.

• 

  Denise D.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 19, 2018

  Black Moshannon State Park Campground

  Super place for the family and everyone.

  Make a reservation way ahead of your date as this campground is very popular and sites book early. It has sites to accommodate any R.V. and lot of tent sites. The lake has lots to offer. Swimming, boating, fishing, wildlife watching and a big sky view for star gazing.

• 

  Rachel K.

  Guide

  

  May. 28, 2019

  Outflow Recreation Area (PA)

  Very low key!

  My husband and I stayed at Site 030 for the weekend and it was beautiful! No electricity and the sites are most tent sites, but the sounds of the creek, birds, and frogs really immerse you in nature! If it rains, it does get quite wet, so be prepared for that. There is opportunity for fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and hiking in the area!

• M

  Michele H.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 30, 2018

  Quaker Area — Allegany State Park State Park

  Largest State Park in NYS

  This campground has something for everyone-camper and RV sites with and without electric, tent sites, single cabins, group cabins, etc. It has two beaches, several hiking trails that range in difficulty, points of interest (ex-thunder rocks is a must see), two camp stores, a museum, gift shop and restaurants. It truly has something for every kind of camper.

• 

  Anna H.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 21, 2021

  Minister Creek Campground

  The Perfect Spot

  We have a camper, but wanted to take the kids tent camping for a change, and this was the perfect place. It’s first come first serve, but we lucked out with a huge spot, shady, right beside the gorgeous creek, and also the closest to the toilet (which did occasionally send a slight scent our way, but not really a big deal). No running water or electricity, but that’s what we were looking for. We had a big tent (10x14) and 2 vehicles, with plenty of room to spare.

• 

  Matthew H.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 20, 2018

  Parker Dam State Park Campground

  Nice park, Surprisingly Nice Swimming Beach, and the Dam is pretty impressive.

  Stayed at one of the two "Tent Only" sites in the campground. These two sites are shaded, surrounded by trees and pretty much private to the rest of the "Modern" campground. When staying in these sites, you can see from tent site to tent site, noise was not an issue though. You can quickly walk down to the Dam from these sites (like a 5 min easy walk, down a stepped hill).

  Bathrooms are really nice and clean, with showers. Bathrooms have lights, heat, and exhaust fans. Everything was kept really clean on a packed July weekend.

  I ventured around the "Cabin" area, cabins look really nice (comfortably primative with an external bathhouse, with cabin key only access, containing a potty and shower) some cabins were more.private than others.

  Swimming at the beach was surprisingly nice. Water depth is very suitable for young kids. There roped off "Swimming Area" only reached maybe 4-5ft. Row Boats, Kayaks, Peddleboats, Canoes can be rented cheaply to explore the lake. The concession stand at the swimming beach has a very large menu, from fried foods to ice cream.

  Hiking trails are really nice, the one that my family did was a few miles of easy hiking, mostly graveled thru nice lush forrested and marshy areas. My young kids had no issues.

  Will definitely visit this park again.

• 

  Zack B.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 11, 2024

  Moshannon State Forest

  Generic positive title

  Great tent site with lots of room. Have your own little driveway to park your car right next to the site. Comes with a picnic table and fire pit. Need lots of rope for setting up tarps as trees are far apart. Cute little stream in the back with a log crossing. No cell service, near town with free wifi. No toilets or garbage. Good amount of traffic coming down the road but isn't an issue at night time.

• 

  Bill G.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 31, 2018

  Clear Creek State Park Campground

  See the rest of Allegheny National Forest...

  I was amazed at the shear size of this campground. It is immense. Granted most of the grounds are devoted to cabins, but the tent sites are great too. I got a lone site tucked half way up a hill, hidden under a dark canopy and at least 500 yards away from my nearest neighbors. Water is readily available. Bathrooms are just as large and very clean. Showers available. Bears congregate frequently. Trails nearby, as are quite a few other natural areas.

• 

  Laura C.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 22, 2018

  Clear Creek State Park Campground

  Some of My Best Memories

  My family has stayed here so many times throughout my lifetime. We always prefer tent camping, but there are spots for RVs, plus there are cabins and yurts available. It has always been clean, quiet and family-friendly.

  There's so much to do here--hiking, swimming, rafting, biking, disc golf, etc. There's also a really nice playground and a great little beach at the entrance of the campground (water is always cold though!) Plus plenty of picnic shelters.

  This is also a great place to go year-round for kids interested in learning about nature. There is a nature museum. Seek out Ranger Susanne--she is a really great teacher!

• S

  Spencer S.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 10, 2022

  Chapman State Park Campground

  Great First Camping Experience

  Great, great campground it was very clean and fairly quiet. It seemed like a lot of RV campsites which is great but we wanted a more tent like experience. It was my wife’s first time tent camping and the cleanliness of the campground really helped her want to camp again. We did a walk to campsite as we wanted a little more privacy, which was nice, we were fairly spread out while only being 150 feet from the showers. Showers were clean and we have Verizon cell service.

  Almost all the RV spots were full, but most of the walk to spots were empty which you can see the availability on the PA Parks website. Likewise you had to walk over a small bridge to get to the walk to site.

• S

  Sean C.

  Traveler

  

  May. 27, 2020

  Willow Bay Recreation Area

  Willow Bay

  The camp grounds were great. Staff was very helpful and nice. Camp sites were decently spaced out. Fire wood was priced fairly well but they don’t usually deliver($).and they sell worms at the gate along with ice.

  The RVs had their own loop and tents and cabins were on the water down a wooded trail.

  The reason this was 4/5 is because you have to unload the car then walk everything to the camp. There is no drive up access for tent camping. A wagon is highly encouraged

  Additionally, vault toilets on the tent side and plumbing and showers on the RV side. Bathrooms were very clean and didn’t smell, the showers were hot.

  I saw some boats anchored at sites which I thought was nice. I also got to peek into a cabin and it was pretty cozy.

• 

  Casey L.

  Ranger

  

  Apr. 13, 2022

  DuBois / Treasure Lake KOA

  Large Open Campground

  This campground has a ton of sites and a lot of permanent camper trailers. The tent sites were open and close together so there wouldn't be much privacy during the busy season. We went in the beginning of May so luckily, we mostly had the vicinity to ourselves. There wasn't an established tent pad but it was pretty level. The bathroom was clean. You can get firewood delivered to your site which is nice. I wouldn't stay there during the summer but it was the only place we could find open with availability. It was also fairly expensive in my opinion but that could just be me. I think it would be nice for a family stay but not if you're looking for peace and quiet.

• 

  Travis S.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 13, 2019

  Clear Creek State Park Campground

  Big woods feel

  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.

• 

  Bill G.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 31, 2018

  Hearts Content Recreation Area

  Central to everywhere within Allegheny National Forest

  Small and limited, Hearts Content offers serene quiet evenings.i was lucky enough to get a site that provided an additional shelter that provided cover from the extensive rain we received one night. The canopy is dense here. The tent sites are moderately sized and there would be no problem bringing the largest of tents. Though I stayed here alone with just me and the two dogs, there is enough room at some for entire families. Water is available. Showers are not. Bathrooms are if the privy type but are well kept by the host. Firewood and ice is also available from the host. The great thing about this site is it lends availability to the rest of the National Forest. I spent a week here and barely scratched the surface on what was available for hiking and discovering. Go to nearby town of Warren or Tidouette for supplies. (Stop at the store just outside of Tidouette just across from DG- they have the best deli sandwiches around)

• 

  Christine J.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 9, 2021

  Red Bridge Recreation Area - Allegheny National Forest

  Campground in Allegheny National Forest

  Nice location near the water. Campground has three sections to it. Once you come in the main enterance, off to your right are nice walk in tent sites. Off to the left are two loops for tent and RV camping. There are two bath houses, one near each loop. They each have three hot water showers, flush toilets and sinks. All sites have a fire ring. Some sites offer more shade than others. (We were at site #31 and it didn't have much shade.) Ice and firewood is avaliable. You are better off getting firewood down the road as you will get more wood for the money. Current price is $10 a bundle. Ice is only $2 a bag. Closest grocery store is in Kane. There are hiking trails nearby. The only thing that I didn't like was that it seemed that many of the sites were quite muddy because all of the grass was worn out. Not much grassy area for tents. Other than that it was great.

• 

  Britt B.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 27, 2020

  Wolfkiel Run Shelters — Oil Creek State Park

  Best Hike-In Camp in PA

  Wolfkiel is one of two hike-in areas along the Gerard Hiking Trail, in the Oil Creek State Park. Wolfkiel is made up of six(6) Ariondack Shelters and a tent camping area. The Adirondack shelters are perfectly positioned to be private from one another, each looks out over the forest. They are a raised timber platform with a slanted roof and stone chimney with fireplace. There are two shelves and several hooks on the wall. Each shelter has a picnic table. The platform is large enough to sleep 4 people in sleeping bags or set up a two person tent. 

  The tent section is cleared and grassy with communal firepit and picnic table. Lots of trees to enable hammock set up. There is a supply of firewood in a covered shed for a small donation and two(2) drop toilets. Water is available in the summer months. The shelters are approx. 15min walk to the creek& Miller Farm Bridge, which joins the Oil Creek State Park trail. It’s a stunning walk with lots of small swimming spots along the way. 

  The shelters are approx. 10min drive from Titusville, PA. The walk-in from the carpark is approx. 15min– slight downhill on the way in.

• R

  Rosie Lon S.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 16, 2021

  Clear Creek State Park Campground

  Great place to camp

  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.

• 

  Bill G.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 26, 2020

  Willow Bay Recreation Area

  Quiet nights, Easy days

  Willow bay campground is run by the National Forest Service. The reservable lots are wide and numerous for a out of the way sight. The campground services tent sites, RV sites as well as small cabins with electricity. There is a central bathhouse near the oak loop. Closer to the boat ramp sites- most of which are tent ready, there are vault toilets. These sites are less than a mile from the North Country Trail. Other, smaller trails are here as well. The New York State lone is less than five miles away- providing access to Allegheny State Park. The closest town of note is Bradford, which is about 18 miles away. It has all you need to get your necessities. The cabins were small- one twin bed and a set of single bunks. You need to bring your own sheets. There is a small heater imbedded in the wall. It keeps things from getting too cold, as it was when I was there. Fire ring and picnic table provided. Charcoal grill as well. The only problem I had was with the wildlife. A mouse or something kep crawling in the space between the roof and ceiling. There is no cel service here, and you shouldn’t need it either. Places to visit are too numerous to mention, but I will give a shout out to the zippo case museum, absolutely a must.