Best Tent Camping near Vintondale, PA

I love this park, and for tent camping, I think this is one of the best. Their tent camping sites are a very good distance from other sites, so you feel much more secluded. Nothing bothers me more than when I have to set up my tent 15 feet away from someone else's that I don't even know. This park does not jam you in like others do, they give you the space you need to enjoy it the best way possible. Love this place!

On the lake. Good private tent sites in the woods.Rv sites too.

A dingy place. The ground was swampy the only dry places are the gravel pads in the sites. I wouldn't tent camp here.

On the plus side, strong AT&T and T-Mobile cell signals. (I don't have a verizon device)

August 2020 Stay

We camped for 1 night.  We chose site 102 because it looked decent in the picture and seemed a little apart and more private than other areas.  Unfortunately, it was not great for tent camping as there wasn't really a spot to set up our 4-person tent.  We squeezed it in by the fire pit, but if we had wanted to use the fire pit it would have been a fire hazard.  Elsewhere in the site it was rocky or uneven ground.

Looking around the rest of the campground, the loop up near the cabins was a typical RV area with sites lined up with little privacy in between.  I would look at the other loops for our next tent-camping visit.

We were hoping to do some hiking in the morning but got rained out.  However the trails looked nice and we hope to be back soon.

The pet loop mixes tent camping with RVs, which isn't our preference. The sites are arranged around a big field, which means many of them have no trees or shade. If you planned to hang a hammock at some of these sites, you would be in trouble.

But it's a good park. They've got firewood at the contact station.

Plenty of trails to hike from easy to difficult. Local history is right around the corner with the Lost Children of the Alleghenies Monument. Blue Knob houses the second highest peak in PA. The bathrooms were clean. Camp sites are rocky so be sure to bring a mat if tent camping. The park does not offer fire wood for purchase; bring extra.

My son and I tent camped here in July to escape the head down in Pittsburgh.  Sits up high in the mountains close to 3000ft elevation.  Park and campground are very small and almost desolate during the week.  There is a main road nearby and you hear industrial trucks rolling by constantly.  There are some great private tent only wooded sites that sit above the main park of the campground so you really feel secluded.

Kooser State Park sits on the border of Forbes State Forest in the Laurel Highlands. It has a mix of camper & tent sites around a central clearing, and offers a few cabins. There is a central bathroom with showers, flush toilets and a sink to wash your dishes.

We used the group tent sites for our Girl Scout weekend. It was a fun weekend. We participated in the Outdoors for Everyone event. The site was clean, decently level area for tents, accessible to potable water and bathrooms with showers. Rangers were wonderful to work with in setting up teaching opportunities for the girls. We will definately go back.

We stayed in a Ranger Smith Cabin in the upper campground. I give this 3 stars because I'm a state park camper at heart: I prefer more room between sites,  more relaxation and nature when camping. But your kids will love it here: two pools, splashgrounds, fire truck rides, arcades, meeting Yogi and friends, nightly movies...the list goes on. Be prepared for an endless parade of golf carts during your stay. We were underwhelmed by the expensive cabin as it had dorm room furniture and uncomfortable beds. The walk-in tent sites were in a hilly area without pavilions, but reservable tent sites in the lower campground had pavilions and more level ground. This is a great base camp for exploring area attractions in the Laurel Highlands such as Idlewild,  Fort Necessity and the beautiful Ohiopyle State Park. If you go to Idlewild, then stop by Gino's pizza in Ligonier; order the sampler pizza (includes pierogi,  taco, white and margherita)--you won't be disappointed.

We do a lot of dispersed camping but we spoiled ourselves with this spot. It was $50 for a tent site but I have never used a cleaner camp shower or seen so many amenities on a campground. They were also very accommodating of our late check-in as we travel across the country.

We had a terrible experience here. We were at tent site #29 but for only an hour...the "water hookup" was BROWN. The bathroom has no lights or sink... Our 16x16 tent didn't fit the "17x17" tent pad. We had bug spray on and had two ThermaCELLs running and we're literally eaten alive by mosquitoes. And just to top it off there's absolutely 0 cell service. We have Verizon. We ended up packing up and going to a different campground. Holiday KOA about 10min away was incredible. Bathrooms are the nicest I've seen at a campground.

The campground is small but it is quiet and clean. Route 31 is nearby but it wasn’t all that noticeable. There was a nice playground area for kids and some nice overflow tent sites nearby. Several pull thru sites are available along with some nice sites near the creek. My only complaint is that many of the sites are not level at all and take some serious work to get your rig level. The campground is close to many places in the Laurel Highlands which makes it convenient. Firewood is available 24/7 for $5 a bundle.

2 night stay in a tent site. Sites were small, but doable. Very clean and spacious showerhouses/bathrooms in each section. Some sections do not allow pets, even for walking. Lake was large with 26 miles of shoreline. The lake was virtually empty, especially for a holiday weekend. There is a swimming area, also empty. The only boats we saw were pontoons and kayaks. Check their website, maybe that is all that are allowed. We don't have a boat, so didn't ask. Some hiking trails around the park. Surprisingly, we saw NO wildlife, and had no campsite "visitors". The park offered many family friendly programs.

We visited this campground 3 years ago and had an absolute blast!! We ended with a very private tent site with no amenities but around the corner from a pavilion with an outside washing station and flush toilets. There were multiple bathhouses in the upper and lower camp. This is a great RESORT type location for families with store, restaurant, pools, slides, mini golf, picnic basket wagon rides, yogi bear fire truck rides, and snowless snow tubing! We stayed for 4 days and 3 nights! I encouraged everyone from PA to book a few nights there with their kids/grandkids! My children still talk about the fun we had!!

Loved this campsite. I was the only tent site in a 3 tent space so I had my privacy as I was the only one booked. They had beautiful hiking trails in the area that I did not have to drive. The kids from the camp grounds came to play on the playground while I was in and out. Only thing that was disappointing was the fact it was on a highway and all night I could hear the trucks driving. Over all it was beautiful just not the peaceful getaway from trafic you need. Major plus for the showers though. I want to add the call center after 5, help was so amazing and she took care of me so well after I was having a rough time getting there. Very genuine people.

We had a really nice camping experience here. Tent camping at an electrical site. We were on the outside edge of the pet loop so there was some nice shade there. Everyone was friendly. And what a lovely state park. The beaches were great. We went canoeing on the lake. And had fun just hiking around a bit. No luck fishing, but there was one fella who found a good spot. Note: sites can be a bit small or awkward for campers. Our neighbor had a bit of a rough time accessing our shared electric box and we had to put our tent right on the edge because the rest of the campsite was a little muddy and there were roots sticking up—minor issues! Some of the sites were on an incline or i the middle of a field—which is good for some. Just make sure you check the pictures so you know what you’re getting!

Nice little park& campground. Very Clean, cozy and quiet, except for the road noise. Right off Route 31, minutes from I-76 makes it a very convenient place to stop along your travels. Bathrooms are clean, grounds very well kept. The park area is lovely, but the lake is currently very low. Trout stocked but I wouldn’t count on fishing here right now. Short walking trail along a creek. Very lovely cabins and cabin areas and tent sites. RV sites are small but adequate and most are pull though. Honestly some of the best attention and details we’ve seen at a state park. We would stay again.  We stayed at site 12E and site 1E.  Be aware that site 1E is not very level on pull through gravel surface.

My wife and I stayed for two nights at this campground and enjoyed it greatly.  We happened to be assigned what I believe was the best of the RV sites, a pull through that had full hook up.  We have a 32 foot trailer.  The site we were assigned was easily accessed and had a nice view of the campground.  However, as we drove through the rest of the RV park area we noted that many of the sites had very awkward back-in approaches that did not provide sufficient area to maneuver a large rig into them.  The lake is gorgeous and has a large, sandy beach.  Would love to spend more time there to explore the park further.  There are numerous tent sites, some with electric, that appear to be large and fairly level.