Best Cabin Camping near Waterfall, PA

We have stayed in the camping cabins here multiple times. We love the animals and activities for the kids. Fall is the best at this campground with the trick or treating and haunted house.

Olive Green cabin, owned/operated by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club is a two floor primitive cabin near Frederick, Maryland. It's a log cabin that was built around the mid-1860's. The last private owner, Olive Green lived in it until the 1980's (I think) when she was still living primitively without electricity or water. She grew her own food and had livestock on her property. The cabin itself is stocked with various cookware (including cast iron), bed frames, tables, chairs, books and games. We went in December after a storm and needed to shovel our way to the outhouse. Manual labor is not a bad thing! The opportunity to stay here and live primitively for a weekend was nice. The only downside is that the cabin is not effectively insulated, with numerous holes between the logging that lets a good amount of cold air in at night. There is also a wood burning stove on the first floor that's great for cooking on, but doesn't produce a lot of heat that needs to make its way to the sleeping quarters in the loft.

This is a very nice converted single family residence turned into a tent and cabin camping area with one RV spot. The RV spot overlooks the camping area and has full hookups. Campground is located on 8 acres with excellent upkeep and grounds maintenance. The site is obviously a labor of love for the owner. It has nice water access to a creek that is wide and inviting. Mixes tall trees with well manicured grass areas. Check out the abundant chainsaw art. It’s a bit out of the way, but road access is good for all but large rigs. All in all, we had a very laid back enjoyable stay. Would recommend to a camper looking for something different.

This place is awesome! Our site (15) was a spacious pull through with great view of the mountain through the fall foliage! Our friends were in the site next to us (17) which was also nice and there was a wide walking path between them. Family also stayed in one of the rental cabins (21). Sites are spaced far apart in the section we were in with lots of foliage for privacy. There is walking path behind the loop along the lake that goes to the beach area and camp store. Easy access to the bath house with several paths off the loop. I recommend the pull through sites for their size and privacy but most sites looked great. The cabin was cute. It had a queen bed, bunk beds, side table and front porch with a couple windows. Picnic tables are large and fire pits were placed perfectly for our site.

I camped near Chimney rocks and Hermitage cabin and the place is truly magnificent. If you want to stay at the cabin, it looks super cute. If not, there’s a few campsites just a little bit down, close to the river and large enough for 4 double tents. There’s a lot to do near by with a town not too far away. I definitely recommend paying this place a visit!

I prefer the campground just up the road but I have stayed here at the resort in cabin.

Nice waterfront at the lower edge of the resort. The cabins were set up above and kind of overlooked down to Raystown lake. You can hear the power boats zipping up and down the lake but it wasn’t annoying.

many roads to explore and a great little restaurant inside the resort if you need tI eat. We had breakfast there and it acceptable.

This park is a little different and has some fairly interesting history. There are some old ruins as well as an old quarry site. The grounds are open to hunting and we were surprised by a bird hunter and his dog who was running around off leash, creating a little havoc for us while walking our two dogs on the trail. If you visit in the fall, be sure to bring some hunter orange if you plan on exploring the trails.

Now onto the cabins- these are quite nice! They have nice bathrooms with hot showers, a common area with a lot of furniture, a kitchen with large table and full sized appliances. The cabin we stayed in was pet friendly and had two rooms, one with a full size bed and a second one with 2 sets of bunk beds. The heat was quite efficient and kept us warm on some cold nights. 

These cabins are not equipped with any type of consumables, cookware or linens. You really need to bring everything if you're planning on actually using the bathroom or kitchen. There is toilet paper though :) We chose to stay here due to its proximity to several National Park sites in the area and it was perfect for us! We will be visiting another state park with similar cabins next year, too!

We stayed at one of the cabins before COVID-19 hit PA and shut down all the parks. The main part of the park has a nice little lake and we saw herons during our visit. At night there was fairly decent stargazing despite its proximity to Altoona's light pollution. 

There's an easy disc golf course, which was a nice little amenity. 

Several interesting hiking trails and the often-photographed limestone kilns are cool to see.

The cabin itself was overall very nice, but the bathroom was surprisingly run down. 

I would imagine this is a very nice park in the summer, greener months.

Actually I am a work camper, have worked here for 11 seasons. Nice Sites, both RV and tent as well as cabins. I know my opinion is biased, but I keep coming back because it is so great

Well-appointed, semi-rustic cabins set in Catoctin Mountain. Not far from the Wm. Houck lake area and trailhead to Cunningham Falls.

Our cabin came equipped with A/C and heat, full kitchenette, fireplace, screened in porch, and firepit area (including wood and fire starters!) with seating and picnic table.

Ole Mink Farm is very resort-like with a central pool and clubhouse. They also offer various activities — mainly on weekends — like cornhole tournaments and campfire gatherings.

And I can’t say enough about the customer service!! They take hospitality to whole new levels! We ran into a couple personal snags on our trip, and they were so accommodating. Even when my Mom got sick, they checked in on us and asked about her by name. What a wonderful group of owners!

If you want to “glamp,” I would HIGHLY recommend this place!

Deer Spring Loop is near the top of the mountain.

This is not a pet friendly loop.

Site 112 is level, mostly shaded, backs up to the woods and has electric.

The site is between two cabins. Not a problem except the cabins were empty and the ac was running. Noisy and kind of wasteful.

There are lots of good hiking trails in the park. It’s a nice walk to the lake. Note that the hike back is 2/3 uphill.

They sell ice at the camp entrance, which is nice.

The bathrooms were moderately clean and had plenty of hot water.

I was not aware that there was a camp host until the third morning as I was readying to leave. I approached another camp to ask a question and they said they were the “camp hosts”.

This campground has tons of nice cabins and tent sites, all in wooded surroundings. There is a small creek to play in and a nice little hiking trail within the campground. Has a great water park, playground and bounce pad feature. Definitely recommend for families and /or anyone looking for easy convenience camping.

We had a nice, spacious site with inconsiderate neighbors. The website says quiet hours are enforced but sadly there was no one to enforce them. There was one bathhouse that was fairly clean. They offer many seasonal sites and cabins. The best part was the convenience to the Western MD Rail Trail and the C&O Canal.

We come here every year for a family reunion and always rent one of the cabins. We love coming here. The park is huge and there are lots of things to do. You can go to the beach, kayak, hike, or go outside the park to explore some caves or a bat church. We will continue to come here every year!

Campground Review: Cowans Gap State Park was pretty awesome. Off the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Fort Littleton, through Burnt Cabin on Rt522, signage the entire way. A drive through the PA mountain-scape, excellent scenery to be seen.

The dog section is 1-30 and a few cabins are offered for them also. No restrictions for dogs on the trails but they are restricted from the rest of the campground.

Several trails to enjoy with easy to very strenuous climbs. Part of the Allegheny trail passes through the Buchanan State Forest, near the campground. Would be a good place to practice your backpacking craft.

New showerhouse facilities which are energy efficient lighting and heating. The water in the shower never gets very warm but they are very clean and well maintained.

There is plenty of water sports at the lake, watercraft, swimming and fishing.

Product Review: As a Dyrt Ranger I have the opportunity to review some pretty awesome outdoor gear. I received Mishmi Takin hiking boots after winning one of the monthly contests.

I love the color, I’m all about burnt orange. I have large feet and was happy to see that the company offers footwear up to 13.5 in. I ordered an 11, was surprised when they arrived and were a little big on my feet. So you may want to order a 1/2 size down. On the flip side though I put on my thick hiking socks, synched the laces down and they fit fine.

I wore the boots multiple times during our 8 state trip on several different trail types. I was impressed by grip, no slippage on multiple surfaces.

I hate to say it but I have sweaty feet! And wearing thick hiking socks in boots often leaves me with raisinie toes and damp socks/boots at the end of a long hike. I did not experience that problem while wearing the Mishmi Boots though. My feet stayed comfortable and were dry when I pulled the boots off back at camp. I am liking these boots!

This park is a lot of fun in warm weather with kids. The facilities are also top-notch. I couldn't get over how nice the bathrooms were! We rented mini cabins which each have electricity but no bathroom or running water. Ours had a futon, folding table, double bed and bunk beds. The office will lend you a box fan at check-in and the cabins do get stuffy.

The swimming beach and playground are absolutely beautiful! We had a great time at the nature center reptile feeding program. We also walked around the aviary, where you can see many of the birds from the outside even if it isn't open for a program. We hiked the loop around the lake, not realizing that it was over 5 miles! It also takes you right through the casino parking lot and crowded day use area at one point. If there's a drawback to this park, it's that it really doesn't feel very remote. You're basically across the lake from a big hotel and casino. But it's convenient to DC and a great place for kids and new campers!

The campground is easily accessible- there are 9 loops and a group site. The best loops for families with pets are Dogwood and Elm. No pets? Go to Ironwood loop and get a site close to the water. Water is readily available. The bathrooms are clean and the showers warm. After October, most of the loops close, the exception being Ash loop, which offers electric hookup for RV. The camp store is stocked well, but dinner may have to come from a local market if you’re planning a cookout at your site. The beach is also pet friendly. There is boat rental and several opportunities for Ranger led activities for all. Recently, the park has been taking part in American Chestnut revitalization. If there is any detractors at all, it’s the casino on the other side of the park. It’s bright and loud ( though and outdoor events are quiet by 10 ish) There is a strict no alcohol policy unless your in an RV or a cabin. Meaning the alcohol must stay inside at all times. Firewood is readily available. The sites can be a bit close, but as a family camper with a load of six people plus two dogs, we never have felt claustrophobic in our site choice. The web site offers limited photos of the sites. This park is our go to place for a weekend with kids and as it’s cheap and nearby, it’s well worth it. As a side note, the food at the casino isn’t bad. Just not a good place for kids. The trails are well maintained. Keep a careful watch for snakes and bears.

This is a huge campground geared around kids. We didn't bring any with us this time and were just staying here overnight. We are in pull through site 753, pretty level gravel site, full hookups, picnic table and fire ring. The site wasn't well cleaned, grease dumped in the gravel, dead grass, lots of stink bugs! Also had to finagle the cable line to get it to work. There are very clean showers and restrooms, large camp store, restaurant, mining for kids, Waterpark, and pool. Many cabins, pull through, back in, and tent sites.