Looking for an adventure where you can explore Swarthmore and then fall asleep in your tent? The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Group Camping only by arrangement/reservation Qualified organized groups can use the 120-person area from April to October. A restroom with flush toilets, but no showers, is available. To reserve a group tent campsite, call 888-PA-PARKS (888-727-2757), Monday to Saturday, 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. except on the Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day holidays.
ORGANIZED GROUP TENTING: This rustic area is open year round and has a maximum capacity of 220 people. Groups must call the reservation system to reserve a site. To reserve a group tent campsite, call 888-PA-PARKS (888-727-2757), Monday to Saturday, 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. except on the Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day holidays.
$28 / night
The campground is open Friday and Saturday nights only. Two camping units are permitted at each site, one unit must be a tent. Sleeping in personal vehicles is not permitted.
$15 - $50 / night
Little Tinicum Island has 1 designated campsite on the Island. It is located in the Delaware River is the site of one of the few tidal mud flats in Pennsylvania. This is also the site of several wetland species of plants and animals not commonly found in Pennsylvania. The island is a good place to observe waterfowl as well as some uncommon plants.
DEEP CREEK CAMPGROUND The campground’s are open from April 1 through November 1. The location is near the Park’s Main Office area at 2144 Snyder Road, Green Lane, PA 18054. Each site is equipped with a fire ring, grill and picnic table. No electric, no water hookup, and no RV dump station. Maximum RV length 25 ft. There is a bath house at Deep Creek Campground with showers and restrooms. Non-Profit Organized Group Camp Area: For use by non-profit groups and by reservation only. Please bring your own drinking water. Dog friendly campground. Please keep dogs on leashes and clean up after your dog.
$20 - $30 / night
$15 / night
Washington Crossing State Park is the site of General George Washington’s historic 1776 Christmas night crossing of the icy Delaware River. For almost ten hours, boats and ferries moved continuously back and forth carrying men, horses and cannon to the Jersey side. By midnight a strong storm had developed, hurling sleet, hail and snow at the rebel army. Landing at Johnson’s Ferry, the Continental Army still faced an arduous nine mile march to Trenton as the storm continued with a vengeance. Reaching Trenton in the early morning of December 26th, the American Army surrounded, defeated and captured over 900 Hessian mercenaries and secured a morale boosting victory of immeasurable proportions. Group campsites: Four group campsites are located in the Phillips Farm area of the park. Each site contains picnic tables, fire rings and a composting toilet. These are designated as primitive campsites with no water or electric utilities available on site. Total combined capacity of all four sites: 115. We highly recommend that group leaders carefully estimate their group size so not to overestimate as refunds cannot be made.
$50 - $100 / night
Traveler
Bathrooms were clean but most of the faucets on the sinks were broken. The water has a very high iron content. I couldn't even use it for tooth brushing. Most of the showers were out of order. The toilets were clean but had the orange staining from the iron in the water. I stayed at Site#8 in a travel trailer. Site was level and easy in and out. Large site off the main road to other sites. Nice hiking trails. Staff very nice. The dump station is sometimes secured has a combination lock. Ask for the combination during check-in. Note: Some sites are right next to hiking trails. If you want privacy, don't choose them.
Verizon cell service was between 1 and 2 bars.
Scout
Worst campsite ever. The owner is constantly in you business. Got accused of speeding all the time. With no proof of speed, idling is speeding... They also do not allow work/repairs on camper or vehicle. Including just checking your oil. Or adding Def fluid which my truck requires to pull my camper. Nothing for the family to do. Laundry room closed due to poor maintenance. Was told if I complain any more I would be kicked out, without a refund. Don't worry I will never go there again. Avoid at all cost.
Traveler
Staying in the overnight section was just OK. Only 4 50 amp spots, luckily we secured one. No sewer hookup, but there is a dump station in the seasonal/ permanent section. The campground is gated and that is nice, because the surrounding area is not great. *Highlight- super fun restaurant very nearby, great food, live music, on the Elk river. Restaurant is Unwind on the Water.
Scout
Granted it’s a Yogi Bear campground, so the kids were expected. However, adults carrying on well beyond the 11pm quiet time, outrageously loud hay rides well past 9pm on Friday, combined with a ton of golf carts and under age drivers it’s unanimous, we won’t be back.
Traveler
Beautiful and very clean campground. Nice bath houses. Well maintained with friendly staff. Reasonably priced and great location.
Guide
I arrived on a Tuesday a few days after they closed the pool, and by Wednesday I had the whole row of tent sites to myself. Maybe that's why it was so peaceful, but every night after my cacophonous conference in Philadelphia, I couldn't wait to turn down Timberlane Road and see that little KOA sign glowing in the darkness. In addition to the peaceful vibe, the people are friendly, the little office store has everything you forgot to pack, and if you look around the campground edges or follow the walking trail into the woods, you will find wonderful native plants like blueberry, viburnum, clethra, and meadow beauty.
Ranger
The campground is very close to home, and a lot of people around our area (central jersey) go there yearly or have seasonal sites there, but for us, it was our first time at the campground. The campground was full of plenty of amenities like basketball, volleyball, cornhole, playground, pool, crafts, bands, a lake, and fishing. The place was clean, and there was no garbage around.
The positives were there were plenty of things to do and they also have this great river that goes through the place so you can walk and throw your tube in and float to the other side of the park 30 mins later get out and do it again. They campground will also bring you up the river further and drop you off on a canoe trip. There is an added cost for rental. I like that they allow you to bring your own golf cart and/ or electric scooters or bikes. They had an old school playground which was better then any new one out there. The store was fully stocked with anything you could possibly want or need. They had a band which played Saturday night and people lined up golfcarts from all over and just lived for this concert.
The negatives are for me campgrounds spots were right on top of one another but they were big spots they dont have tons of trees or shade which. They did have many seasonal sites, which sometimes turns me off and can make the place look a little trashy. The other negative was that the pool was freezing because they would pump water out every night. Someone told us there was an issue with the chemicals, and the pool looked greener every day. The bathrooms by the pool were older and always dirty.
Traveler
We stayed on a mon/tues at the end of August and the campground was fairly empty and quiet except for a few generators running & air planes/ helicopters going over. There is an air force base in the area.
Site 33 is the back corner so we did get a bit more traffic going past to get on the sand trails. There is also background noise from the road, but not too loud. There are not many RV sites in the 3 loops - just a handful which is a shame because many of the sites marked as tent only look like they could easily accommodate most RVs, especially smaller rigs.
The dump station is locked so get the combo from the office if you want to use it. The ranger station is a bit of a drive from the camping area so if you don’t have cell service make sure you get it at check in.
Go down to the pond and check out the carnivorous plants- one of the most unique things in this area!
Several choices for hiking, but it’s the pine barrens so it is flat and sandy and ticks can be overwhelming at some times of the year.
Overall this is one of the nicer & quieter options for pine barrens camping
Scout
The park is lovely, but the camping facilities are subpar, primitive and lack any kind of privacy. I bike toured there. The only potable water was from a near-broken water fountain at the public rest rooms and no electrical connection to recharge electronics. There was also a fair amount of road noise at night. Bathhouse OK, but just basic. Tent spots are just lined up against one another facing a service road.
Guide
A beautiful spot with plenty of space, a fire pit with grill and a table. We came in late on a Saturday after it was dark and couldn’t figure out where it was, the location on the map is slightly wrong. To get directions google maps to Deer Woods Campground. We paid the ranger in the morning, he said they upped the price to $50 if you are from out of county so that was a bummer.
Traveler
We did 2 weekday nights with our dog and 19’ RV in Aug ‘24.
The dog friendly sites are limited & not the sites with lake access. It will also cost an extra $5/night.
Check in was confusing as it is across the street & closes promptly at 4pm. (Not at the recreation area where we pulled in first)
Site 34 was close to the road with regular traffic noise & car headlights even shined in the camper at night. There is also a fair amount of plane traffic from a small local airport…and several other campers were running generators so it was not exactly quite camping.
Bathrooms are the typical old nj state park set up- it does the job but it’s seen better days. Dump station works well with trash & recycling drop off next to it. The roads are soft sand and can get rough after a rain storm.
If you are looking to kayak or canoe on the lake it has a ramp to drop in. That is the main attraction here & there is a beach on the other side of the lake.
Overall- nothing too special It’s not a site I would return to unless we could get water front, but dogs are not allowed there - so we won’t be rushing back because of that & the proximity to the road .
Scout
I'd have stayed at a different site on different conditions, but they have a spot for just about anything, from what I could tell. Staff and grounds are awesome!
Traveler
We recently went camping with a tent there. Not tent friendly first night we slept on rocks second night we got moved to a spot which actually had some grass. Everything has weird hours. The cafe is only open on weekends and the store is only open from like 10:00 to 4:00 p.m. and that's it. The pool hours are good they're from 11:00 to 7:00. The bath houses are fine. It's just that there's nothing to do in the morning time nothing at all the lake that you want to call it or river it was all green like there's better campsites out there but this one isn't that bad If you're just staying for a night or two but just do not use a tent.
Traveler
Stayed 2 nights. Located w/in walking distance of small town of Intercourse, PA, with plenty of shopping and Amish crafts. Very friendly people. Inexpensive stay.
Scout
Stayed for over a month .very nice and roomy camp site .very close to poconos (golfers)and Lehigh Valley Bethlehem pa.
ScoutCamped overnight
Legend
We stayed in Site 122, a Red Carpet Pull-Thru RV site, at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp Resort South Jersey for Father’s Day weekend. This was our third stay at this campground, but the first since new owners took over and converted it to a Jellystone.
THINGS I LIKED:
1. Everything, including our site, was in great condition, clean, and good working order
2. Our site was directly across from the Pavilion which was great for Saturday night’s live band
3. Our site included a nice concrete pad big enough to park our 45’ motorhome+ toad
4. Our site was roomy with plenty of mature shade trees
5. The pool and surrounding amenities are nice and clean including lake, snack bar, and ice cream
WOULD WE COME BACK?
Absolutely, this is a nice place for a few days of downtime.
Scout
Has outhouse, fire pit, running water on side of house near outhouse. An is a wonderful person. Good reception with T-Mobile!
Ranger
Small campground right on the Batons Trail. Water is seasonal. Be bear aware.
ScoutGreat spot
Ranger
My husband stayed here as a kid and wanted to revisit it. It was a great stay! Very easy going place and so well kept up. Some of the cleanest camp bathrooms and showers I have seen. A small amusement park to the side (very local and quiet sound never bothered us) and a small creek to the back of it. Off a busy road but never heard any traffic at all - guess they are far enough away. Was a tranquil little spot right in the thick of it so kind of perfect! Peaceful grounds and friendly people. Pretty perfect and highly recommend. Weather was sublime. Easy to drive to bird in hand too!
Guide
We arrived and got setup only to find out the water didn't work. We had crawl into the bushes to get to a hose running down from a campsite up the hill. If we'd have had a long enough hose, I would probably have forgotten that entirely, but having to find a hardware store to get a hose, was annoying.
The place had an overall dingy, old feeling.
Guide
Had a nice time camping for two nights. If you like small breweries, about 20 minutes away is Stewarts Brewpub. They have been around since the 1990s!
Scout
A great place to stay if you have a watercraft
ScoutGreat secluded campground, peaceful. Great bath houses, always super clean.
Some engineering genious put the bath houses furthest from the people that need them most. Tent campers….keep your shoes handy, its a hike. Meanwhile Mr and Mrs 12 slideout supernova with 5 bathrooms and a washer/dryer get the closest spot to a quick potty/shower break.
Guide
Accessible and pet friendly. Great trails and great staff
GuideNice new gravel and hook ups. Spacious sites. Large stream with fishing. WiFi good. ATT poor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Swarthmore, PA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Swarthmore, PA is Ridley Creek State Park - GROUP CAMP with a 4.7-star rating from 10 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Swarthmore, PA?
TheDyrt.com has all 26 tent camping locations near Swarthmore, PA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
