Best Tent Camping near Troy, PA
State parks and forests surrounding Troy, Pennsylvania offer diverse tent camping options within the scenic northern Pennsylvania landscape. Colton Point State Park Campground, located on the western rim of Pine Creek Gorge (often called Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon), provides walk-in tent sites with varying hiking distances to reach each campsite. Riverside Acres Campground in nearby Towanda offers tent campsites along the Susquehanna River, while Loyalsock State Forest maintains several primitive tent camping areas including Yellow Dog Road, Slab Run Road, and Dry Run Road campsites within 30 miles of Troy.
Most tent-only sites in the region feature basic amenities with varying levels of development. Colton Point's walk-in tent sites require campers to hike a short distance from parking areas, so packing efficiently is recommended. The campground provides drinking water, fire rings, and vault toilets but lacks modern bathroom facilities. According to reviews, sites cost approximately $20 per night. Riverside Acres offers riverside tent camping with good shade coverage and access to basic facilities. The Loyalsock State Forest campsites maintain a more primitive tent camping experience with limited amenities, though most include fire rings and picnic tables. Seasonal considerations are important, as Colton Point operates from mid-April through mid-October.
Tent campers frequently note the privacy and natural setting as highlights of the region's campgrounds. One visitor at Colton Point observed that "the campsites are private and you get to hike in varying amounts of distance," making it less crowded than other nearby tourist destinations. The park's Turkey Trail follows a stream with waterfalls down into the canyon and connects to the West Rim Trail for extended hiking opportunities. Campers at Riverside Acres appreciate the "good tentable spaces on river" with opportunities to watch wildlife including eagles. For backcountry tent camping enthusiasts, the Loyalsock State Forest sites offer greater seclusion and direct access to extensive trail networks, though a reliable map is recommended as some hikers report getting temporarily disoriented on the less-developed trail systems.