Shippensburg, PA is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. Shippensburg is an adventure-filled destination for those who love the outdoorsy camper lifestyle. But it's also great for those who prefer to spend time near the city, exploring and sightseeing. Find the best campgrounds near Shippensburg, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
$20 - $48 / night
"This state park is at the top of the mountain and has a smaller lake perfect for a short kayak trip or fishing. Lovely views from the lake and very nice secluded sites."
"The pros:
- Easily accessible and CLEAN bathhouse and showers."
"I always appreciate the near solitude experience of this campground as 90% of the sites are RV sites, that are kept away from the tenting area."
"campground was pretty crowded, but the tent sites were secluded and well kept. staff was extremely helpful. close to the battleground and all attractions."
"Family friendly campground, lots of weekend activities, great pool, well stocked campstore, playground.
Lots of pets, bikes and golf carts. Kids can play in creek with tubes or hunt critters."
"Campsites could be further apart and there's only one bathhouse and it's at the entrance."
"A dog park, walking distance to most everything we wanted to see. The national park is mostly dog friendly. My husband caught a fish first day in the pond behind our site."
"This park is a perfect location if you want to explore Gettysburg National Historical Site as you can literally walk across the street and be in the park or venture½ mile up the road and you come to the"
"The staff was extremely nice. Was easy for me to pull into. I didn’t have any issues. I ended up having a spot basically alone. Which was nice."
"Its very big, only 1 central bathhouse for very large area. Female restrooms has 6 toilets and 6 showers (push button, luke warm water). COME PREPARED WITH LEVELING BLOCKS!!!!"
$38 - $43 / night
"This is a huge campground with mostly very large RVs situated on farmland. The sites varied. Some were in an open field, others by the stream with trees. We had Site C, which was right on the stream."
"If you do not like kids running around (sometimes through your campsite to get to the creek) or lots of laughing and biking and ball-playing snd water-splashing… maybe don’t go here."
$20 - $89 / night
"The lake is large and gorgeous. There are a lot of lake side campsites which are amazing. The hosts are all very friendly."
"We stayed in July on site 235. When we arrived, our first thought was “Wow, these sites are narrow!” Fortunately, backing in was fairly easy. Some sites would’ve been more difficult."
"This central Pa campground is located a short drive to many attractions. Amish Country, Hershey, Gettysburg, and winerys are within 40 min drive. There are many things to do at the campground, also."
$66 - $127 / night
"As such, it has a great pool, most of the sites are level, and nice bathhouse facilities. It also has a lake and cabins available."
"We belong to just this one because when we need make sure we have electricity for work or just to touch base with humanity private RV parks are great."
$21 - $65 / night
"Not a fan of kids running around through sites. The Elderberry and Deer Spring loops are no pets, but I’d like to see a no kids policy too. Kidding!"
"Stayed one night in September and had a nice level gravel site with fire pit, picnic table and bath house."
LegendWe love this campground!! The area is absolutely beautiful. The lake is large and gorgeous. There are a lot of lake side campsites which are amazing. The hosts are all very friendly. We had a problem with our site and our weekend was saved thanks to the wonderful rangers. We are so thankful. My one and only reason for 4 out of 5 stars are the bathhouses. I wish they would update like Cowan's Gap. I have health issues and am always afraid I'll fall because the floors are so wet. Otherwise, they are kept cleaned up. Honestly, one of my favorite places to visit and we camp at as lot of parks. I hope they'll add more cottages too! There are lots of nice basic (non-electric) sites that are wooded, well shaded and private. There are nice, shaded electric sites. However, if you request electric and water you automatically get sewer too. This raises the price per site, per night by$13 and gives you a site with very little shade. We will return but we will choose an electric only site and fill our A-frame's water tank in order to get a wooded site. This campground is 100% reservable which means that you must select a site when you make your reservation. If you do not live in the area, that is difficult
LegendThis campground has a little something for everyone, from full hook up sites neatly stacked next to each other, to quiet patches of grass next to the river. After spending two nights up in the electrical hook-up area closest to the train tracks, we decided that we needed a better night’s sleep. Yes, the trains run all night long, and no, we don’t have air conditioning so couldn't just close the windows. So, we moved down to one of the primitive sites next to the river and enjoyed ourselves much more, plus all the solar we needed.
With all the options within this resort, I can understand why it is so popular. Plus, there’s the whole Hershey Park with shuttles running to and from the campground all day long. So, it’s got that going for it. As a campground resort this park aims to serve everyone. If you need your trash picked up, just leave the garbage bag in front of your site, and someone will be along soon enough to collect it. The bathrooms are immaculate, air conditioned, but many of the showers had wonky temperature controls so check it out before you commit. Each bathroom building also offers laundry machines to take care of those necessities as well. The campground has a large playground, game room, gift shop and a large outdoor pool.
Nearby, closer than you might even want, you can find food, groceries, gas, booze and traffic (at least during convention center event weekends). But there are also some really cool mom and pop restaurants, some craft beverage drinkeries, and places to walk, bike and get into some disc golf. This is close enough to be a bedroom community of Harrisburg, so the park is basically located in a tucked away corner of suburbia. If you have the time, go to the Grandview Winery nearby they have a lovely selection of vintages which really hold up to this wine snob’s approval.
The campsites are well spaces apart, unless within the central loop, and give the allure of being tucked away in the forest. Water is well spaced and is close by. The walk to the bathroom however, can be a stretch depending on where you park so plan according to your needs. But the woods provide an easy way to answer the call! : )
LegendThis state park is at the top of the mountain and has a smaller lake perfect for a short kayak trip or fishing. Lovely views from the lake and very nice secluded sites. Our site was up a hill a little but we were good. We were right aside of flushing bathrooms and the dump station. We didn't like you had to go all the way out and around to dump and then out and around again to leave. Other than that very nice park with hiking trails, lots of beautiful pavilions, picnic areas, building that had food for sale, peddle boat and kayak rentals, fishing, beach area for swimming, multiple boat launches. Definitely need a bicycle to get to day use area as the loop is very long. Also, watch for no pets allowed signs as it is just the first part of the sites in Area A.
GuideThe sites are very well maintained. Not a fan of kids running around through sites. The Elderberry and Deer Spring loops are no pets, but I’d like to see a no kids policy too. Kidding! In all seriousness, it’s very quiet and really can’t complain. Very well maintained. My only issue is the $9 firewood and the sites being far away from the lake and no trails connected to the campgrounds. Must drive to get to anything worth seeing.
GuideIf you are used to primitive/secluded camping this is not the campground for you. We arrived and there was a ton of trash in our site. Someone left their air fresheners, handbag tags from marshalls, and a ton of other junk. This campground is also very noisy. There are supposed to be quiet hours but people were playing loud music from their cars, from speakers, and whatever else until at least 11pm. Our site had no privacy either, we were right next to several other sites (closer than other state parks we've been to). Physical distancing and mask wearing was not enforced/required. People in the close quarters of the restroom were not wearing masks and didn't seem to mind getting within 6 feet of other people. The woman at the front office who we checked in with even took her mask off because it was fogging up her glasses. Oh, and the wood that we purchased from the camp host was wet, so the fire was a dud until a friendly neighbor gave us some of his wood.
The only positive thing about this campground was the hiking. The first day we hiked up the mountain to the west of the campground, and the second day we hiked up the Tuscarora Trail to the east of the campground. No other campers were hiking these, so we got to appreciate nature by having the trails mostly to ourselves.
LegendWe stayed in July on site 235. When we arrived, our first thought was “Wow, these sites are narrow!” Fortunately, backing in was fairly easy. Some sites would’ve been more difficult. Site pads are 25’-55’. Most sites had room for just one vehicle. Overflow parking was in the front of the campground. We had an electric site. The entire campground has non-electric, electric, and full hookup mixed throughout the campground. There are ADA sites in B loop that were a bit close to neighbors and directly across from bathhouse but in direct sunshine. There are designated dog sites in B loop/area. Some sites do have a lake view and possible access, it was hard to tell. The non electric sites had a parking pad and then for many you walked into the woods to the tent and fire pit area. There were cabins and yurts available too. The dump station had 2 dumps and was wide open when we left on a Sunday at 12:00. Surprisingly! Check out time is 3:00pm. Bathhouses had 3-4 shower stalls and 2-3 stalls. Good water pressure and temperature and clean. There are several spread around the loops. There was a Sunday service that was packed full. Check in was easy, there was none. Just drive to your site. Swimming was prohibited due to low water level but kayaks and canoes were allowed. No fishing also due to low water level in the lake. The beach area was very nice with a concession building and large bathhouse. It wasn’t open due to no swimming right now. There was another beach area at a boat launch in one of the loops. There are a lot of boat launches around the lake, which is large. There are several hiking trails; Lakeside, Oak, and Old Farm Trails go through the camp area. They are multi-use (ski, hike, & bike). There is a playground and volleyball pit area. You can also find group camping areas. This campground is open mid-April to late October. We had a great short trip here but are planning to return in the fall months.
GuideMy family of 4, kids ages 21 and 17, loved our 3 night stay at River Rock Adventures. We stayed Sun-Wed and rented 2 kayaks from River Rock for 1 of the days.
This is a single campsite that you rent, no other campers on site unless you are bringing them with you! You can camp with up to 10 people and there is certainly plenty of room for everyone to spread out. They have 3 wood tent platforms. 2 small ones are right near the river and one very large one is set back in the trees. We used the large platform for our REI Kingdom 8 tent. This gave us more than enough space to set up the tent garage and we even set up cornhole in front of the tent. They have a few other "organic" tent spots as well. The smaller tent platforms were perfect to set up our camp chairs and relax by the water. There is also a patch of trees that had 2 hammocks set up. These were a perfect feature for our relaxing stay. The hammocks and kayaks were all cleaned by River Rock prior to our arrival as was the port a potty. There is no on site running water or electric but they did leave us with a 5 gallon water jug and a 5 gallon shower bag to use in the outside shower. We brought about 20 gallons of water ourselves and had more than enough for the 3 nights. The port a potty was spotless and had plenty of hand sanitizer inside. The outdoor shower was spacious with shelves to stash your stuff and a hook for the shower bag.
One of my favorite features other than staying right on the river was the kitchen area. There is a stone floor, covered roof, and wrap around wood countertop space complete with an outdoor sink. You can refill the water supply for the sink very easily. The lower shelf was perfect for our food bin and cooler. You really can tell the owners are campers. They added so many nice touches that we really appreciated.
All around the site they left painted rocks which were fun, they leave you with a scavenger hunt and a map of the nearby trail system which was very helpful. Depending on when you go the whole place may smell like honeysuckle! Oh and if you wander around you will find a tire swing! If you sit by the river long enough you may see a barn owl fly by in the evening and back again in the morning. My boys spotted the nest while kayaking.
Staying right on the river was both fun and relaxing for us. We even booked a second trip for this July.
The only negative I have is there is a railroad nearby. During the day you kind of don't notice it but you may hear it at night if you are a light sleeper. Just bring earplugs, all the other positives surely outweigh this one negative.
TravelerLove staying at Seven Points CG. This Corps part got a spruce up in 2022. The roads on the point loop were upgraded.
Tough to get waterfront spot during main season, but fall is beautiful here.
Chipmunks are fun to watch. Point loop is my favorite. Sites 128, 126 126a, 154 are perfect. Easy access to the lake from your site. Bath house is up at the top of the hill. Be prepared for that walk.
Get water at the dump station on the way in!!! Easier than trying to attach to the spigots on the loop.
Trough State Park nearby is a great place to hike!!
ScoutWe stayed here one night on our way up to Maine (we paid for two nights because of the two-night minimum). The tent area was okay. The sites along the river seem to be the best. We had one a closer to the store and bathrooms that had a bit of a slope to it. If that bothers you, choose a flatter site by the river. The bathrooms/showers were very clean, and there’s a great store that carries plenty of camping essentials (and nonessentials). The staff is incredibly friendly, too.
The problem is that they allow 18-wheeler tractors to park in the tent area overnight, and they don’t monitor these vehicles during the quiet hours. We had one park in the site right next to us (maybe 15 feet away from our tent). He played music until well after midnight, and then he started his truck at 2:00 AM and ran it for about 30-45 minutes. He then started it again at 6:00 AM and kept it running for another 20-30 minutes before finally driving off. I understand that parking in a campground might be “better than a truck stop” (his words) for the trucker, but it certainly isn’t for the people in tents. My issue, of course, is with the man driving the truck, but it’s also with the campground for (1) allowing a tractor to park in that area and (2) not monitoring the noise. It was a very restless night.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Shippensburg, PA is Cowans Gap State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 31 reviews.
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