Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Trout Run, PA

Stayed for 5 nights with a partial hook up for our brand new 32 foot travel trailer. Other reviewers had mentioned that sites were small, so we specifically asked for a larger site. We ended up getting a corner site right on the edge of a hill looking down on the main office and playground. It was perfect. Playground was huge with multiple playsets suitable for all ages. Bathrooms/showers we're clean and well kept. There was a basketball court, shuffleboard and carpet pool that you could borrow equipment for. Our son and his family rented a wolf den cabin and it was very clean as well. Internet access was spotty, as expected but WiFi at the main office was good. We enjoyed the small, but very clean pool. Would definitely go back. Pet friendly, but there isn't a dog park/off leash area. Staff were friendly and helpful. Right across the street from little pine state park.

The biggest draw to this state park (which no one in Pennsylvania I spoke with seemed to know about) is the 22 waterfalls! We saw 18 of them on a four-mile moderate hike, but if you want to see the additional four, you could make it a seven-mile hike. The trails are very well marked. 

We stayed in the large loop, which is a peninsula on Lake Jean. Many of the sites have lake views. The bathhouse was clean but not adequate for 73 sites. The campground was about ¾ full and there was often a wait in the bathroom. Showers looked reasonable but I did not use them.

There were many tent campers in this loop, which does not allow pets (the other, smaller loop does allow pets). There are no hookups at all in the park. The water had been tested earlier in the season and unsafe levels of manganese were detected. All water spigots were shut off and covered but we were told it was safe to wash our dishes and brush our teeth. However, the water for the dishwashing sink was turned off as well as the water in the restroom at the trailhead. Since we had a reservation, we received a phone call in advance of our stay letting us know about this.

There are trails to the beach, but we woke to rain the next morning, so we did not explore this. 

One trash/recycle area a distance away from the campsites which seems typical for PA state parks. Alcohol is strictly forbidden– we were warned that if a ranger saw any alcohol outside of our vehicle, we would be cited. Quiet hours are 9 pm– 8 am, which is more restrictive than other state parks, however, some did not observe these quiet hours (a guitar-playing singing camper thought he was talented, but I disagree!)

Sites were SUPER tight. We were packed in like sardines. We had a site right on the river which was absolutely beautiful. Navigating to the site itself definitely tests your skills when you have a total rig length of 52'. Electric ran below 110 volts the entire weekend and the water had a brownish tint to it. It was a VERY hot weekend so I should mention that everyone had their air running. Activities were cute and entertainment was fun. Playground was huge and well maintained. Staff was friendly and attentive. We witnessed a little girl poop in the pool. We immediately told the front office and they acted immediately and took the proper steps to ensure everyone's safety. Charging extra for certain activities(bumper boats, mini golf,& jump pillow) was strange to me. Golf cart rental was very reasonable($139 for the entire holiday weekend) but the golf cart definitely needed some repairs but we managed. The dog park could have been better maintained(overgrown). All in all, we had a fun weekend and depending on your type of camping, this place could have very mixed reviews. Not the nicest place we've stayed and not the worst either.

I honestly struggled with what to rate this campground. I loved the area. Very peaceful and quite, but close to State College (a must since we were in town for a Penn State game). I also loved historic Bellefonte (I highly recommend eating at the Governors Pub). It had a cute little dog park, nice play ground, bouncy pillow, gem mining, pool, etc.- what you expect to find at a KOA. Once we were in it, I even loved our site once we were in it. It was very secluded, private, quite and woodsy. That being said- getting into the site was almost impossible. We didn't think we'd be able to do it. And as it was, our slide out was about an inch away from a tree on one side and up against a raised concrete pad on the other. For a smaller camper, it was probably perfect, but I really don't think they had any business putting a camper our size in that site. Width wise, the site was large and had some sort of shrub growing in the middle of the entrance which helped with giving it more privacy. Then there was the water pressure… or lack of water pressure. Saying it trickled out would be generous. Though there was a lot about the campground that I liked, I won't go back again just based on the water pressure alone. I've never been that stressed out trying to rinse my hair… It could very well have just been a problem with our site- we were in the very back on the hill. Or it may be a problem everyone was experiencing. I'm not sure which is why I gave it a 4 rating. I liked everything about it but that.