Best RV Parks & Resorts near Spring City, PA

I don’t know if the Amish camp, but regardless, if you’d like to experience what it’s like to go camping in Amish country then Thousand Trails PA Dutch Country RV Resort has you covered. First of all, whenever I see that word ‘resort’ I always wonder – is it really a resort? And, well, while we're on that particular question, what makes a place a resort in the first place? In my estimation, a resort has to have a pool and likely some of those splash pools, probably gated or requires some sort of secure admittance, full of recreation options, is a restful respite and (very probably) features a Tiki Hut or some version of an outdoor bar that is serving up delicious libations. Apart from that very last amenity, this particular RV campground destination ticks most of the boxes.

So, should you be looking for an authentic Quaker environ to enjoy some of the best of what the great Keystone State has to offer, then you might want to give PA Dutch Country RV Resort some consideration, but before you do, you’ll need to secure a membership with Thousand Trails in order to access this, and indeed the other 250 or so other campgrounds this camping conglomerate has throughout the US. The biggest downside to this particular campground is its very close proximity to the PA Turnpike, which while convenient, might detract a bit from the peace & quiet you might be expecting when here at your new-found camping ‘resort.’ That said, as the PA Dutch Country RV Resort rests at a slightly higher elevation than the turnpike, I have to admit, we really didn’t notice much of any noise coming from the highway and what’s more, this campground is completely surrounded by a fairly dense forest, which likely is what blocks any irritable sound and most certainly blocks any highway or traffic visibility.

Should you decide to leave ‘the reservation’ for any reason, you’ll be engulfed by the incredibly rich, verdant countryside populated by incredibly rural residents who’s ancestors settled this vast rich farmland a few hundred years ago. Today, the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside (of which my Irish ancestors intermingled with a long time ago) is a combination of rolling hills in a plush countryside punctuated by massive rolled bays of hay in the surrounding fields, covered wooden bridges and the occasional quaint New England well-preserved charming towns that you will be sure to encounter. So, if you have camping on your mind, discovering a spot like PA Dutch Country RV Resort places you in the heart of one of the most picturesque natural landscapes anywhere in the Keystone State.

Should you need directions to this campground, it’s just off Exit 44 of PA Turnpike or Exit 60 & 60A off of I78. Here at PA Dutch Country RV Resort you’ll encounter a destination offering up 267 back-in and pull-through slots with full hook-ups (30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage) for RVs in the midst of a fairly decent wooded surrounding with about 6 tent sites offering 15 amp electric and running water. You will discover that no matter where you look on this property, you will have to contend with sloping land as this campground appears to be situated right on the side of a heavily wooded hill. That said, we didn’t have any problems laying out our campsite that came with the standard-issued picnic table and in-ground fold-up fire ring. Don’t have an RV, 5th Wheeler or Tent? Not a problem, as the good folks here at PA Dutch Country RV Resort will rent you one of their 3 cottages for the night.

As previously mentioned, with the term ‘resort’ there should be a ton of amenities that one conjures up and PA Dutch Country RV Resort does not disappoint with plenty of amenities, inclusive of: 3 fairly massive restroom & shower facilities, Wi-Fi service (at a cost), trading post / camp store, swimming pool, walking paths, clubhouse/ office, playing card room, church service, crafts & arts, family bingo, community library, mini golf course, basketball court, horseshoe pits, kids playgrounds, fire pit, designated picnic & BBQ areas, ranger station, recreation hall, cornhole, basketball court, designated dump stations, water stations, ice for sale, propane refueling station, RV storage, Laundry-O-Mat and pet friendly.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you are an RVer or 5th Wheeler, the best sites IMHO are those that back up to the periphery and are northernmost up the slight embankment as you’ll have greater privacy and less noise being furthest away from all of the action in the center of this campground resort – these sites include: #C1– C5, #D9– D17 and #E44– E49; (2) Should you grow weary of trying to conjure up that next meal from the depths of your Cordova roto-molded cooler or from the confines of your onboard mini-fridge, while there’s not a ton of restaurants around these parts, there are a few and they are pretty amazing, including favorites Brick Tavern Inn and The West End, McCoole’s @ The Historic Red Lion Inn and Sage Alley Brewery; (3) In the event that you need to replenish any of your supplies, rest assured as in nearby Quakertown, there’s a Giant & Aldi’s grocery store as well as a local Target, Walmart, TJMaxx, Kohl’s and Link Beverages to stock up on the 21+ liquid refreshment; (4) Should you be towing your canoe or kayak with you and are eager to get the beak of your waterbird wet, then head on over due east of Quakertown Campground to Nockamixon SP where there’s a sizeable, yet skinny lake just begging for you to navigate it and get some good, hard oaring in; and (5) As a tent camper, while there are only 6 or so spots to choose from, you’ll be happy to know that these are also located on the periphery, with #L1& L2 being southernmost, which I would avoid altogether as this places you too close to the highway) and #T9– T12, which are located northernmost and are the best tent campsites to book.

Happy Camping!

Adorable little campground! Close to the tourist spots in Lancaster. Great views. Clean, friendly, and would definetly recommend! Clean bathrooms, laundry facilities, full hook ups for RVs, lovely tent sites, great playground for kids.

Nice, forested campground. Friendly staff, clean bathhouses. Sites well maintained but ours wasn’t level. Gets packed on weekends. Lots of families enjoying their time together, campfires, kids playing. Some long term RVs. Main drawback is noise from road and shooting range nearby. Fortunately our dog wasn’t bothered by the sound of gunshots and it’s only during the day. Otherwise great location - convenient to Lancaster, Hershey, and Mount Gretna.

As with all thousand trails, this campground is first come best site. While the top part of the campground seemed more communal, we chose the lower, Riverside sites and we're glad we did! The campground sits in the center of a horseshoe curve of the river, bring tubes and kayaks! We didn't know but went and bought a tube and spent the day on the river!

Bug spray is a must and lower sites are muddy, all in all, we had a great weekend here!

Sites are full hook up with about 5 tent sites.

All are pretty much level.

Close to shopping if needed.

This is my 3rd stay with a Thousand Trails campground and haven't been too impressed and wasn't expecting too much when we drove in. I was pleasantly surprised when we did. The campground is huge but you're not stacked on top of your neighbor like the others. They have 4 different sections to stay in, we were in D. We were also able to pick which site we wanted. We chose a pull thru for its ease and the extra space it had being on the end. Campground loses a start because the sites are pretty uneven. Not just the one we're on but others as well. The campground is pretty hilly and they don't seem to want to level out the sites. We had to go out and get more blocks and we're still not very level front to back. We also had to come in on an angle to make the slope less drastic. 

The Campground itself has tons of amenities from a pool, kids and adult lounges, basketball court, mini golf, ice cream in the store, a store and hiking trails. 

Another plus is its only about a half hour from Hershey Park, Harrisburg and other areas in PA. Friendly staff, pet-friendly and there is an RV sales place just outside the campground if you need anything or want to upgrade/downgrade your camper.

We spent one night here last week on our way to NYC. Staff was great. Sites were nicely spread out. Full hook ups.

Stayed one night in C-loop in the Fall and it was excellent!!  Weather was great, the lack of people was perfect, and the facilities were more than comfortable.  Sites ranging from level with asphalt and sidewalks to the fire pit to near-natural for that full tent camping experience.  Plenty of full hook-ups interspersed with electric only and no services.  Something for everyone.  

The state park has numerous hiking and biking opportunities and probably some fishing as well.  The lake and pool facilities were closed but the scenery was still in full effect.

 We had a great family camping weekend at Starlight and will definitely return in the future. Yes, it is quite hilly throughout the campground, but the individual sites are very level to park the camper with almost no blocks needed. 

We had two sites this trip with water and electric, but they do have quite a few full hook-up sites. Overall the sites were large, with trees between, providing additional privacy. Except for the Plateau sites, which have the amazing view, the rest of the campground had a great tree cover! Too often private campgrounds attempt to squeeze as many sites as possible and end up with campers on top of their neighbors, but at Starlight, the sites felt very secluded. Water pressure and electric were both great throughout the stay. There is no internet, but we had good cell phone service. 

The employees in the camp store are amazing and go out of their way to make you feel welcome! I felt everyone went above and beyond to help me from the reservation process through check-in. The camp store is well stocked and also serves hand-dipped ice cream. 

Starlight is a nice campground to relax or explore central Pennsylvania.

This is a nicely laid out campground with 4 loops and many site choices - non-electric, electric and full hookup sites (water, sewer and electricity); a couple yurts; and 3 camping cottages. (There are cabins elsewhere in the park.) We just showed up on a Wednesday in early October but I'm sure you'd need a reservation on a weekend.

Activities

• See the photo that shows 35 miles of hiking trails. It's an excellent brochure! Some trails are hiking only; others allow mountain biking in addition to hiking, and there are equestrian trails.

• Boating and fishing

• Swimming pool by Hopewell Lake

• Disc golf

• Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is on your way to the campground.

The Sites

• See photo of the campground map along with typical site photos.

• 4 loops: no electricity in A and D, mix of electric and non-electric sites in B, and a mix of full hookups, electric and non-electric sites in C. Loop C is the only loop open all year with no guarantee of access in the winter.

• Asphalt pads are all supposed to be 45 feet.

• The sites looked level but many of the pads in Loop A were just a bit downhill as you back in. That means our heads are downhill for sleeping unless we turn our teardrop trailer, so we just looked until we found a level site. If you're into leveling a camper, it's not a big deal. We can adjust our back end, but we don't mess around with anything else. It is what it is!

• There are water spigots around the loops and recycling/trash disposal and a dump station on your way in/out.

• Site map shows some ADA accessible sites.

New Restrooms Are Worth Noting

• See photos.

• Push button showers. You can't adjust the temperature and you have to keep pushing the button every 30 seconds or so. I guess this saves water.

• Two utility sinks outside the restrooms are a good addition.

Pet Owners: Pets are only allowed in loop C.

A Couple Warnings

• PA state parks do not allow alcoholic beverages at all. That's what they say.

• Hunting is permitted in most of the state park. That would put a real damper on my hiking at certain times of the year because the hiking trails run right through these areas.

My family and I stayed at French Creek State Park while attending an event in Reading. The park was clean and well maintained. We stayed in Loop A which had no camp host. The camp hosts were in loops B & C.  We had a full hook up site. The water and electric worked great! The campground was well patrolled by Rangers throughout our stay. The bathhouses appeared to be clean and maintained. The quiet time starts at 9pm and seemed to be followed by most campers. There are numerous hiking trails in the park that seemed to be well marked and maintained. The park is about 20- mins from Reading, and 10 mins from Birdsbroro. There are many stores and restaurants in the area for food and supplies if needed. We had good cellular service with both AT&T and T-Mobile. The one downside was that there was no off leash dog park. We had to take our dog to a dog park in Birdsbroro. We would stay at this park again.

We stayed here for 3 nights while visiting family In Philadelphia. It is a 20 minute ride into Philly and Uber was was quick and responsive.

*note- this does close for winter and reopens in April but call park for exact closure dates because they do change.

This is a nice KOA with full hook ups, tent sites,cabins, and even glamping cabins. There is a pool that is open Memorial Day- Labor Day. They also have a catch and release pond and we found a pickleball court at a nearby city park.

We did Chinatown and walked part of the Schuylkill River trail which we accessed by parking near Fairmount Park. This is a great area to explore with gorgeous views and easy access to the River trail. (There are rentals for everything here- kayaks/bikes etc)

IF we had a car with us- we would have considered taking the ferry from Camden’s Ferry Terminal next to Wiggins Park to Philly. (This is also near the Adventure Aquarium and the battleship New Jersey) Here is a link to information about the ferry-

https://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com/places/riverlink-ferry

This is a great location for exploring Philadelphia.

Happy Camping! Pamela and Keith

Pull through sites with full hook up are literally on top of each other with ZERO shade. They do not provide a full size picnic table! If you dare to use the fire ring, you may melt the rig next to you or melt your vehicle. There is no security measures at all. There is one usable bath house with only two shower stales. The campground has very little trees. The office has very limited hours. The farm is literally the owner of the land, so you basically see, hear and SMELL all the farm life. I cannot imagine the smell when they fertilize or in the middle of summer. The farm has roosters that will greet you with their call every morning at 4 AM. They must breed dogs because there is a lot of barking.

We really don’t care for RV parks but occasionally, we decide to check one out. We found this place because we were looking for a covered bridge that, it turns out, used to be on the property but had been sold and moved! There was nothing wrong, per se, about this family-owned facility, except that we travel in a small camper van (we tend to live OUT of our van, not IN it) so RV facilities generally don’t appeal to us. The sites are very close together, like parking spaces, and afford no privacy between them. This is typical for an RV park. Sites range from 50 amp W/E/S, to 30 amp W/E. Some sites also have cable. WiFi is available and free for the first seven days of your stay. There is also a non-working mill, a pool, a game room, a camp store, and fishing access on the property. The staff person in the office was very friendly and helpful; if you like RV parks and want to explore Amish country in southern Pennsylvania, this would be an ideal location for you to stay but we decided to move on.

Campground Review: French Creek State Park Campground is located in Elverson, Pennsylvania and sits adjacent to Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. There are 200 individual sites in four loops, some with full hookups for RVs, some with electric only but mostly primitive sites. There are also several cottages, cabins and yurts available as well.

For this trip, my husband and I camped alongside our friends, which included three other couples and their children, so we took up two electric sites for the tent campers and two full hook up sites for our friends with RVs. We stayed in Loop C, which is the only dog friendly loop in the campground, on sites 35, 37, 39,& 40. Thankfully, a short walk to the bathroom facilities for us tent campers.

Normally site 35 would have been way too small for our usual gear– a behemoth 9X15 tent- but it was a perfect fit for the tent I was reviewing on this trip. Our friends, who have the same large tent as us, stayed on site 37 and had plenty of space to pitch it, but many of the sites surrounding ours were very rocky and left little option for a larger than normal sized tent so keep this in mind if you have a large family sized tent. I’ve included a few photos of the surrounding sites for future reference. The bath/shower house in this loop was adequate and includes two dish washing stations outside. The showers had good pressure and hot water. It was cleaned often throughout the weekend, however it is definitely in need of an update.

We also checked out the other loops for future use and found Loop A to have very spacious, less rocky sites, however, there was little shrubbery between each site, making them less private than the sites in Loop C.

There are two lakes in French Creek, Hopewell and Scott's Run and each contain many species of fish. We spent Saturday afternoon fishing but not catching anything at Scott's Run. It’s a beautiful location and it was still a fun way to spend the day with the kids away from the site.

We found several places nearby to purchase wood, besides the supermarket and a nursery in town, there are a few residents that sell it right on their front lawn so be on the look-out en route to the park entrance.

Generally, we camp in the off season, and usually have the whole place to ourselves, so I had some concern prior to arrival that every site in every loop was booked for the whole weekend and expected it to be noisy, however, I was pleasantly surprised. It was quiet and our neighbors were respectful of the quiet hours and our space. It was a wonderfully peaceful weekend for us all and we will definitely visit again soon.

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Product Review: Wenzel Ivanhoe 6 Tent

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I am occasionally offered the opportunity to test new outdoor products. For this trip I tested the Wenzel Ivanhoe 6 Tent https://wenzelco.com/ivanhoe-6/.

Generally, my husband and I use a larger ez up tent, but I liked this tent specifically for the design which is reminiscent of the tent my parents used when I was a child and figured it would be a good option for shorter weekend trips, rather than our 9X15 ez-up.

The set up was relatively easy, although one person might have some difficulty. It held up well during an evening thunderstorm, but for a small seam leak near the door. We believe this is a result of the fact that our site was slightly uneven and that particular corner was not as evenly pitched with the other corners of the tent which resulted in a bit of a gap in the roof.

The airflow is great, with the small vent in the rear, two side windows and the full screen door. There are also two smaller vents at the top- though neither seem seem to add that much airflow,- perhaps a design flaw or more likely the uneven ground it was pitched on.

I love the fact that there are awnings over the side windows, but in order for them to be effective one must stake out three guy lines on each side, plus the one on the front and the back. Knowing this I had purchased some small lights to hang on the lines to prevent tripping on them at night and it worked out perfectly.

The front doors are secured closed from wind and rain by velcro strips, rather than the standard ties. There are four side pockets and a handy troubleshooting guide sewn into the interior wall for any issues you experience while in use, such as leaking, condensation, or a faulty zipper.

I am very happy with this tent. For the two of us it was the perfect size for our ten inch high queen size air mattress and some minimal gear. The peak height was just over 6 foot, so we were both able to stand upright without issue.