Best Tent Camping near Vintondale, PA

Tent Camping Reviews near Vintondale, PA

393 Reviews of 14 Vintondale Campgrounds

• S

  Scott I.

  Traveler

  Sep. 3, 2025

  Rothrock Roadside Campsites — Rothrock State Forest

  Nice spot to camp in the mountains

  First I'll just say that the Rothrock campsites should probably each be listed separately, rather than as a group; they are very spread out throughout the State Forest and each is a different experience.  This review will be for site 002 Colerain Road.  

  This site is accessed by driving up a bit of a winding dirt road up the mountain.  It's easy enough during the summer, though the road is narrow and you've got some sharp bends depending on which way you come from.  This road is not safe to access in the winter in my opinion.  

  The parking is just right off the road, and there's a picnic table and large stone fire ring near the parking.  There's a small path further up the hill into the woods where there is a tent pad, another fire ring and another picnic table.  There are also a lot of flat spots nearby for additional tents to be set up.  

  Just behind the upper tent site is the top of the mountain, and the site has their own private overlook to the valley below.  The site is pretty remote, though there were vehicles and the occasional biker coming up the road.  Traffic may have been busier than usual the weekend we went because there was the Mid Atlantic Overland festival nearby at the same time.  At one point a family parked in the campsite's parking to start a walk... (there's a better trailhead up closer to Indian Lookout they should have used).

  No hookups, water, bathrooms, etc; its fully primitive camping here.  Cell coverage was fine on Xfinity Mobile (Verizon). 

  These sites used to be totally free but they're now $10 a night.  You still need to book a while out if you want to be here on a weekend, especially during the fall when Penn State is playing.

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• 

  Britt B.

  Ranger

  Oct. 27, 2020

  Kooser State Park Campground

  Small Shaded Park

  Kooser State Park is a small campground nestled in the Laurel Highlands, close to Hidden Valley and Seven Springs ski resorts. The park has great amenities just a short walk from all sites. All sites have fire rings, with grills, however note they are double walled so do not expel a lot of heat outward. Great for cooking however. 

  Most sites are not level, but very grassy. Firewood is available at the entrance for$5 bundle supporting a local club. A beautiful walk through the park leads you to the Kooser Lake, great for fishing. It is also close to the Laurel Hill State Park which is great for hiking and water activities. The park is close to the road so you will experience some road noise. 

  The park is 15min from Somerset. No phone reception at this one! They welcome all furry friends!

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• 

  Napunani

  Legend

  Jun. 25, 2022

  Pioneer Park Campground

  Close to Flight 93 Memorial

  PROS 

  Able to reserve 129 days prior to arriving 

  Melissa at check-in was very friendly and helpful 

  Good overnight stop to visit Flight 93 Memorial 22 miles from campground 

  Site #391 level 

  Gravel site surrounded by grass 

  Moveable wooden picnic table 

  Large concrete fire ring 

  Clean toilet-shower building that are heavily used 

  Mostly quiet except for road noise 

  Firewood for sale in Park

  CONS 

  No discount 

  Site #391 no shade 

  Park cable connection failed 

  Sewer connection“up hill” 

  Never found trash dumpster and wasn’t marked on campground map 

  Very loud radio station blaring in the toilet/shower building that could be heard outside the building 

  2 bars Verizon 

  No WIFI

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• 

  Johanna B.

  Guide

  May. 31, 2021

  Duman Lake County Park

  Nice local park

  Duman lake review notes.

  • Well-maintained small park, stocked lake, popular with local fisherman. Kayaking/small boat fishing. I’ve seen bald eagle and osprey.
  • Six campsites, w/mature trees, level, w/paved drive & gravel area, large enough for mid-sized RVs. They state 40 ft., but all are back in. All have (lighted)30 amp & water. We did not see the tent sites. Not sure if they are developed, ask.
  • Number one is closest to the bathhouse, number five was less shaded. Number six is closest to the road.
  • Newer restroom, w/two stalls each. Push-button, hot showers. Men’s worked best.
  • Campsite number one is closest to restroom, but also behind picnic shelter number 12, so if the shelter is booked for a party could be noisy? Day use people bugged out quickly at dusk.
  • We were in #1 in May & had the entire campground & upper park to ourselves.
  • They have a kids’ train in summer.
  • Nice playground.
  • The only real downside of this campground is that the local road is close by and you do get some traffic noise before dark. It is not a high traffic road however. Dumpsters were overflowing with weekend trash & bathrooms needed a bug sweep-out. Sportsmen were target shooting nearby before dark FYI.

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• 

  not S.

  Ranger

  Aug. 5, 2022

  Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Mill Run

  Kid Heaven

  We stayed in a Ranger Smith Cabin in the upper campground. I give this 3 stars because I'm a state park camper at heart: I prefer more room between sites,  more relaxation and nature when camping. But your kids will love it here: two pools, splashgrounds, fire truck rides, arcades, meeting Yogi and friends, nightly movies...the list goes on. Be prepared for an endless parade of golf carts during your stay. We were underwhelmed by the expensive cabin as it had dorm room furniture and uncomfortable beds. The walk-in tent sites were in a hilly area without pavilions, but reservable tent sites in the lower campground had pavilions and more level ground. This is a great base camp for exploring area attractions in the Laurel Highlands such as Idlewild,  Fort Necessity and the beautiful Ohiopyle State Park. If you go to Idlewild, then stop by Gino's pizza in Ligonier; order the sampler pizza (includes pierogi,  taco, white and margherita)--you won't be disappointed.

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• 

  Dena L.

  Scout

  Apr. 26, 2022

  Fox Den Acres Campground

  Review for tent campers

  Mostly an RV campground, but several tent sites. Each site was very spacious and well shaded. Fire ring and table at each sight. Restroom were a short walk away. Firewood available for purchase. I would stay again.

• L

  Laura

  Traveler

  Jun. 17, 2021

  Laurel Hill State Park Campground

  Forested State Park in the Laurel Highlands

  August 2020 Stay

  We camped for 1 night.  We chose site 102 because it looked decent in the picture and seemed a little apart and more private than other areas.  Unfortunately, it was not great for tent camping as there wasn't really a spot to set up our 4-person tent.  We squeezed it in by the fire pit, but if we had wanted to use the fire pit it would have been a fire hazard.  Elsewhere in the site it was rocky or uneven ground.

  Looking around the rest of the campground, the loop up near the cabins was a typical RV area with sites lined up with little privacy in between.  I would look at the other loops for our next tent-camping visit.

  We were hoping to do some hiking in the morning but got rained out.  However the trails looked nice and we hope to be back soon.

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• 

  Gregory L.

  Guide

  Jun. 19, 2022

  Roaring Run Resort

  Decent Campground, no 50 amp service

  This campground is a nice, quiet campground about 30 minutes from Pittsburgh. It is a membership-based campground, we stayed there using coast to coast. The campground is decent, but not sure it really qualifies as a “resort”. It is an older park that could use some updates, namely electric service, fresh gravel for the sites, and sewer, but overall the park was clean and reasonably well kept.

  The park is gated, you have to stop at the security booth to check in, enter, or leave the park, so you might have to wait a few minutes, but that is a nice level of added security. It is pretty easy to navigate the park even with a larger rig, and there is an nice sized overflow parking area to unhook your toad when you first get there. I would recommend getting there before dark. They did have signs directing you to the different site number groups which was helpful.

  The road my GPS brought me in was a little tight, but manageable. There was a better route but it did have a very short bridge with a 10 ton weight limit, so be sure to really check your route. Another bonus is that it is only a few minutes from the PA turnpike.

  The sites are average, but there are no sewer hookups and no 50 amp service, the whole park is 30 amp. The sites are reasonable level, but the one we had was a little tricky to get into because of it being on a hill, but it was manageable. The picnic table benches were completely rotted out.

  There are two dump stations, one located on the way out, and the other located in one of the upper loops.

  The campground did have nice amenities, the pool was large and clean, it had a nice playground, a camp store, sports courts, horseshoes, volleyball, and a mini golf course. The staff were all very nice, and they patrolled the park throughout the day and night for security, which is always nice.

  The closest town is about 20 minutes away, and there are a bunch of restaurants, a Lowes, and auto parts stores should you need supplies or make a repair.

  The campground is about 40 minutes from the Flight 93 National Memorial, about 20 minutes from Fallingwater, and there were a couple of wineries in the area as well.

  All in all, our visit was good. I gave three stars because of the lack of 50 amp hookups and the size and quality of the sites.

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• 

  Kassie F.

  Guide

  May. 25, 2019

  Bush Recreation Area

  Not too shabby

  My husband & I recently purchased our first 20ft. pull-behind camper. Having made reservations for a tent site for Memorial Day weekend back in February, there were slim pickings when it was time to find a site w/an electric hookup mere weeks before the 3 day weekend. I stumbled upon Bush Recreation Area on recreation.gov (FYI- the website has been redesigned & is still working out kinks) and it was the only campground w/availability. It’s located east of Pittsburgh and is tucked alongside a large boat dock/launch on the Loyalhanna Creek. Motorized boating is allowed and there’s access for fishing from the shore. Some of the sites are more open & exposed (see picture) but others are back in a more wooded area further away from the water. There wasn’t a map for the facility on the website; we stayed at site 18 & noticed the higher the site number (starting at about #25), the further back in the wooded area it was, where there’s more privacy. It’s definitely a great choice for families, especially those w/young children- there’s a nice playground and green space. Reservations are required (recreation.gov) and as of 5/25/19 the dump station is closed & undergoing construction. My husband and I prefer places w/easier access to hiking & biking trails and more privacy, but for our first weekend in our new camper, it worked out well!

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