Best Tent Camping near Sandy Lake, PA

Breakneck is a private campground on the edge of the McConnell’s Mill State Park. They offer RV sites, tent camping and cabins. The tent camping is either grassy, flat sites or on an elevated timber platform overlooking a gorge. They also offer walk-in tent sites down by the creek which are beautiful. 

We were lucky enough to be able to to camp down by the stream. There are designated fireplaces. It is quite a walk up the hill to the campground amenities, but worth it to feel secluded down by the creek. From our campsite we walked along the creek into McConnells Mill State Park and joined the covered bridge trail. Approx. 30min walk along the creek down into McConnells Mill State Park. 

The campground sells firewood and has great amenities. Note: there is no phone reception at the tent sites by the creek. They welcome fury friends!

Our family really enjoyed staying here, and our kids especially loved swimming and fishing in the lake. In the evening, we bought some firewood from the campground owners for our bonfire. They were so nice, they even brought it over to our camp site! We were camping in a tent and were really happy that the bathrooms were close to the tenting area. We will definitely come back again, hopefully before the end of the summer!

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!

the tent site had biting ants, poison ivy, and no privacy. hated it.

Fantastic camp ground for anyone looking to rough it a bit, they have cabins and rv/tent sites located on Elk Creek great area for fishing and great people.

We have been tent camping here since the 90's it was r&k campground back then . We would stay in the honey moon sight. Completely surrounded by trees bath rooms where clean . Cant say anything about the place now hope its the same or better

Quiet park. Some road noise from campsite J100 but US route 322 is lightly traveled. Typical tent site with fire ring and picnic table. Across street from bath house with shower and toilet which was clean.

The sites are huge. The dog park is amazing. Theres so much to do here. Swimming, boating, fishing. We love it. Only bad are no real bathrooms except at the front of the park. No place to wash dishes. Rough if you're tent camping. But we love the sites so much that we keep coming back.

We tent camped here in early June.  GPS had a hard time as there are so many locations referred to as "Pymatuning State Park."  Campsite was fine other than trying to find room to put our big tent.  The showers were great--roomy and well maintained.  Wish there were more hiking trails; unless you fish or boat, there isn't a lot to do.  The Ohio State Parks website is a bit clunky!  Very little, if any cell service.

Had an amazing 1 night tent camping. When we arrived it was just after a big rain storm and at check in she warned some spots can be flooded. We went to look at our reserved spot and it was super wet muddy and almost under water. They let us pick a new spot that was dry. It was really peaceful. The bathrooms were insanely clean. Didn't check out the showers but I imagine they were just as clean

This was my second time staying here, I felt the need to write an updated review. I stayed in cabin 4 and was very impressed very clean and spacious probably could sleep 8 people. If you are looking for a place to stay while fishing for trout and steelhead this is your spot. They are directly on elk creek for the finest fishing imaginable. Campsite offers tent camping but it’s mostly in a open field. If your going to stay there don’t mess around just stick with the cabins. Uncle Johns is run by husband and wife, doesn’t seem to be any other staff so you need to have some patience.

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)

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.

My friends and I were going to a festival in the Northeast Ohio area. The festival camping was full, so we stayed at this location for a night. The sites are very affordable if split between little people. This very family orientated campground has a gravel road system connecting a ton of camp spots, RV locations, mobile homes, a playground, a swimming lake, and a even a fishing lake. The ground itself is huge, so kids can have fun and run around with other kids in nearby sections of the campgrounds. Overall there are a ton of amenities and very friendly staff. We told the office lady we would be back late at night, and she gave us a special passcode to the gate. That was super kind of her. The land isn’t particularly pretty and the campsite for tent camping are rather close together, but it’s a good location overall for RV’s. I wouldn’t recommend this location if you’re trying to enjoy nature, because sites are pretty close together and certainly not secluded. There are positives for tent campers including water taps, outlets, trash receptacles, bathrooms, and hot showers.

My family has visited Pymatuning park many times now and try have used a variety of spots at Jamestown campground. It is large, offering multiple options for campsite types. It’s a standard PA state park campground offering bathrooms (bathrooms are older, but are being renovated July-August 2021) showers, fire ring, picnic table, etc. Campsites J-106 thru J-116 are well shaded, but are alongside route 322 which maintains consistent traffic at all hours. If the noise is not an issue, this run of tent sites are well spaced, and offer easy access to the facilities. To be away from the road (and nearer to the lake) sites J-120 thru J-128 are closer together but can be quieter (depending on your neighbors…)

The beach area is clean, and raked often. It has a playground and volleyball court. On Friday’s they have a family movie night at the amphitheater. Most Saturdays in the summer they offer crafts and activities for kids at the beach.

The surrounding area also has plenty of activities to offer: Local restaurants, ice cream, hiking, kayaking/boating, fishing, etc.

I knock off a start for the neighbor who apparently stays there annually, who stumbled into our campsite in route to annoy other campers. She was visually drunk and kinda ruined our last night. But on the lighter note the man who is the caretaker and owner is a nice man he was kind enough to get us firewood on a night we came back later and had forgot to stop along the way. The lady who works the front desk is very blunt and a business only kind of gal which I like but others may find rude. The grounds were beautiful and for the most part quite. The restrooms near the entrance are their main with showers and in the ladies room one stall. They are dated but function well regardless, there are port-a-John’s around the tent sites that are closer but they are what they are. The owner told us best time to come back is fall/winter and the cabins are heated. We would come back if the lady is evicted or if we can find a spot further away from permeant tenants.

This was our second time to the Wolfkiel Shelters in Oil Creek State Park. Wolfkiel is one of two hike-in camping areas which consists of six(6) Ariondack Shelters and a tent camping area. The road in was snow covered but easily navigated. The Shelter carpark is small and was almost full the day we arrived. The track from the carpark to the campground is beautifully graded making it easy to pull a sled in with extra supplies. The walk in is less than a mile(~15min). The drop toilets were open, but probably wise to BYO toilet tissue. The shelters have hooks that allow you to hang a tarpaulin to help keep the heat in your shelter, although not necessary, especially if the nights are still. Snow did blow into our Shelter in the morning but was minimal. There is a self-serve timber stack which was fully stocked. A donation is requested. It’s wise to bring your own kindling, or an axe to cut some from the larger pieces. The shelter fireplaces have hooks for hanging pots and pans over the flames. Even in Winter, the shelters positioned so you do not look at other shelters. 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. These shelters are very peaceful in the winter and would highly recommend them if you are keen for some“winter camping” but not keen to sleep in a tent or be completely exposed. The shelters are approx.15min walk to the creek& Miller Farm Bridge, which joins the Oil Creek State Park trail. The shelters are approx. 10min drive from Titusville, PA

Campground Review

I can honestly say that Oil Creek Family Campground is the best private campground that we have ever camped at. Especially if you’re camping with kids, it offers everything that you would want for a ‘great American summer’ style camping experience, without being a cookie-cutter big-name private campground chain. They have a large pool; a few llamas that the kids can feed and pet; a 27-hole disc golf course (recently expanded from 18 hole) primarily in the woods near and around the campground property; a small pond for sunfish / bass fishing; a dog ‘playground’ (enclosed area with some obstacles); a well-maintained hedge maze; a pavilion with ping pong, a pool table, and foosball; a DVD rental program at the main office with about 300 movies; and a small camp store with a small selection of books that you can borrow. They also provide weekly entertainment for the kids, e.g. rock painting or special guests. This weekend, for instance was ‘Jungle Terry and his amazing exotic animal family.’ We don’t typically spend a ton of time actually AT the campgrounds when we’re camping, but we did this weekend - and we had a blast on the disc golf course, fishing in the pond, and playing ping pong. The kids had an awesome time in the pool for hours and running around with the other kids in the maze. And everyone agreed that it was a perfect way to wrap up the summer before the school year starts.

We have a pop-up and my parents (whom we were camping with for the weekend) use a tent, so we had two water+electric sites in the tent camping area away from the RVs: sites A7 and A8. The sites in this area are well-maintained and LARGE, with plenty of room for a pop-up or multiple tents plus one or two vehicles, plus lots of room around the fire ring. There are smaller bathrooms placed around the campground as well as a center bathhouse located adjacent to the pavilion with 2 shower stalls and an additional toilet per gender.

We chose this campground due to its proximity to Oil Creek State Park. The state park itself does not have a campground, and OCFC is right next door - in fact, the campground hiking trail loop has a very short connecting piece to the 36-mile Gerard hiking trail that runs through the park. The park is beautiful with a lot of history (it is the site of the world’s first commercial oil well, and where the oil industry began in the United States around 1860) and Oil Creek - which is really a river - runs right down the middle of the park. It is a stocked creek and it’s great for both trout and bass fishing. Some parts of the creek also have a lot of northern water snakes (we saw 4 near the Blood Farm day use area) which was cool to see.

Overall: fantastic campground in a beautiful part of Pennsylvania - and we will absolutely be back.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get occasionally receive products to test or gift cards for new companies to check out.  Over the past weekend, we tried out one of the Mountain House favorites, freeze-dried Lasagna with Meat Sauce in the #10 can. Lasagna is not exactly a typical camping food, so the fact that we could easily make enough lasagna to feed a group of six people (4 adults and 2 kids) just by heating up some water was wonderful! We made the entire can (boil 8 cups of water, pour it into the can itself, stir a lot to mix up all of the freeze-dried ingredients, and let it sit for ten minutes - EASY) along with some crescent-roll wrapped hot dogs over the fire and it was like a gourmet camping meal. Everyone loved the lasagna - even the two picky kids!

Campground Review:

This is our 12th Memorial Weekend spent at this campground in the rolling green mountains of Cook Forest, in the heart of the Pennsylvania Wilds. We have a group of about 20 friends who take over the back "cul de sac" of the campground (section 180s) each year. In spite of a completely booked holiday weekend (you'd do best to book 8-9, yes, 8-9 months out for this particular weekend) the campground is spread out, secluded and quiet. Our sites are hugged by tall evergreens and level ground, something not easily found on the mountain. Those on the outside of the loop back to the woods and a couple trail heads (not heavily trafficked) and those in the center are large and have quick access to the section's bath house, which is unfortunately fallen into somewhat disrepair over the last decade. The up side is that there is always hot water and they do clean them daily. There's also a nicely kept area to do dishes. This campground is huge, wood can be purchased on site, and there's a large volleyball court, field and playground. Also included is a stage where various forms of entertainment and education are held. Each Memorial Saturday, a meet and greet is recreated with an American historical figure. Good fun for all. There's an abundance of activities available within walking distance. The Clarion river leads through the base of the camp at the bottom of the hill, and kayak and canoe rentals are available everywhere. The river is slow and serene, perfect for families. There's various park/BBQ spots near the creek and guided hikes during the day out of the ranger station. A fully stocked fishing hole is also adjacent to it. The campsites are portioned off by type: motor home, pet friendly, tent only ...and each area has its own bathhouse which is seldom over crowded. Note: this is a "dry" campground.

Product Review:

As a Dyrt Ranger, I get to try out great new products on our adventures, and this time was no exception. We brought alone the Flite+ tree tent from #tentsile - and it was the hit of the campground. First things first: this is a two person tree tent. It's not a hammock, but a true sleeping tent, with far more support at the bottom and a rainfly. The bottom floor strap serves as a good divider as well, so you're not rolling into each other in the night. You really have your own space and plenty of it. There are 2 exits which is also handy. The campers were lined up (literally) to try it out, each getting their 15 mins in the trees. Some brought books, some brought a friend, and all enjoyed it, noting how surprisingly comfortable it was. You cannot sit cross legged in a hammock - but in the Flite+ you and a friend can play a game of cards.

Pros:

No footprint. This tent really shines on sand and areas with uncomfortable underbrush. It's versitity opens up all kinds of possible campsites.

A mobile treehouse. Who doesn't want to sleep in a tree? The rainfly comes off on warm dry nights to reveal a flood of stars from the best bed in town.

Setup: You'll find this both in pros and cons. We found it initially easier than expected to set up. It was roughly as quick to put up as our pop up tent.

Weight: This tent would be ideal for backcountry. It's so light, my 6 year old could pack with it, and it compresses into a very small footprint.

No guff: the rangers not only gave us no hard time about pitching it to the trees, they commended the zero footprint and were unabashed in their own excitement to check it out.

Cons:

Dress for the weather: This tent is labeled as a 4 season tent, however, you should note that this is only when you pair it with appropriate attire, sleepsack and mat. Otherwise, it gets fairly cold up there. Great ventilation for warm evenings though. Really kept dry under the rainfly! Not a leak or drop got inside. It was actually kind of magical.

Setup: The rigging, angle and strain on the straps is key here. The first day, we thought the tent looked flat, tight and even, however, once an adult got in, it bowed like a hammock. The second day we found a better acute angle that lined up as directed, and found it to be a far better sleep. You could sit upright inside and only felt a subtle bow. With a mat, it would hardly be noticeable.

No ladder attachment: While other treetent models have hookups for their rope ladder, sold separately, this tent has none. Not ideal when wishing to hang it higher than a few feet off the ground. We had to hoist each other up into it at the near 5 ft height we arranged it at. After all, what good is a tree tent if it's almost on the ground?!

Overall, we loved this @Tentsile product and cannot wait to take it beach camping and see what other inventive places we can sleep with it! Whether your goal is the serene or extreme, this tent is a great item to have in your reputoir, and I'd take it over a typical ground backpacking tent any day - especially since it does come with stakes to go ground if you'd prefer.