Gifford Pinchot State Park
Jen V.
Reviewed Oct. 3, 2018

Large, pretty park in a very convenient location

Site Details: We stayed in the Dragonfly camping cottage (quick weekend trip without the husband, and I’m not quite up for towing and setting up the popup by myself with 3 kids!). It was a standard rustic-type state park cabin, with one double bed, one single twin bunk, and one regular set of bunk beds, so it sleeps 5-6 comfortably. There was also a sturdy dining room table with chairs and an oscillating fan inside. Electricity/lights and heat, but no AC. Very clean inside. The cabin also had a really nice front porch, picnic table, and fire ring, and was situated with a beautiful lake view. The area we were in contained both rustic cabins and yurts (which looked really neat).

Facilities/Overall Park: Multiple bath houses were scattered among various loops, and each one we visited was very old, dim and drab, but they were also spacious and reasonably clean. Showers all had old rust and water stains. However, it was nice that there were so many of them, because this is a very large state park with multiple camping loops. Most tent and basic RV sites were shaded and private, while the newer FHU sites were more open (but still nicely spaced). Hosts and rangers were nice, but not very helpful or proactive when they needed to correct a reservation mistake they made (but it worked out in the end). There is a beautiful lake with a really nice day area in the center of the park, with a great playground and concession stand. The lake is popular for fishing and swimming, although there is oddly no sand beach; swimmers just entered the water straight from the grass.

Surrounding Area/Attractions: Not much going on in the immediate vicinity, but Harrisburg, Amish country, and Hershey are all doable day trips from the park. We were here just for the Hershey RV show, and it was an easy 40-minute drive.

Overall, this was a very pretty park with site options for every type of camper, but certain elements are in need of updating. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to make this park a destination, but it’s a nice option as a base camp for visiting the RV show or other attractions (with a much cheaper price tag than the private CGs closer to the action).

SiteDragonfly cabin
Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018
  • Review photo of Gifford Pinchot State Park by Jen V., October 3, 2018