Leonard Harrison State Park, near Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, is a fantastic spot for campers looking to soak in the beauty of nature. This campground offers a mix of tent and RV sites, complete with amenities like electric hookups and clean bathroom facilities, making it a comfortable choice for your outdoor adventure.

The park is known for its stunning views of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, and visitors rave about the hiking trails that lead right from the campground. As one camper noted, “The views of the 'other Grand Canyon' are just breathtakingly beautiful!” You can also enjoy a playground for the kids and easy access to picnic tables and fire rings for those cozy campfire evenings.

While the campground is open from mid-April to mid-October, it’s a popular spot, so be prepared for some company. Some campers mentioned that the sites can feel a bit close together, but many appreciated the peaceful atmosphere and the well-maintained facilities. If you’re up for a bit of adventure, the nearby Turkey Path Trail offers a challenging hike with rewarding views, though be mindful of trail conditions after heavy rain.

With its clean facilities and proximity to outdoor activities, Leonard Harrison State Park is a solid choice for families and nature lovers alike. Whether you’re here for a weekend or a longer stay, you’ll find plenty to explore and enjoy.

On the east rim of the 585-acre Leonard Harrison State Park, you'll find great pa grand canyon camping that offers modern facilities, a visitor center, and the most famous scenic views of the canyon. On the other side of the canyon is Colton Point State Park. The campground is open from the second Friday in April until the third Sunday in October. Picnic tables, fire rings, showers, flush toilets, and a sanitary dump station are provided.

Leonard Harrison State Park — Leonard Harrison State Park

Gaines is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. Gaines is an adventure-filled destination for those who love the outdoorsy camper lifestyle. But it's also great for those who prefer to spend time near the city, exploring and sightseeing. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Pennsylvania camping adventure.

Gaines

The Best Camping Near Gaines, Pennsylvania

The campground is located at the entrance to the vista area. It is a small campground, 20 or so sites.  The facilities are almost brand new and very clean. 

We were there during the week and there were only 3 other campers in the campground.

There is a lot of wildlife around. Deer come right through the campsites.  Many raccoons too so you must stow your food in the evening. 

There is a hiking trail that will take you down into the canyon. It is a mile or so and pretty steep, but well maintained. Portions are steps. There are a few waterfalls to view on the way down.

At the bottom you will pass the rails to trail and run into pine creek. If you walk to the left to where it gets deep. You will find some of the best fishing ever.

Pa Grand Canyon 

26 campsites in a loop near the primary viewing area for the PA Grand Canyon AKA Pine Creek Gorge. This park is on the east rim and it is definitely the more touristy of the two rim parks, Colton Point being on the west rim. Turkey trail takes you down into the gorge onto the Pine Creek Rail Trail and along the creek. It's a very well maintained trail, so don't be deterred by all the doomsday signage, it's very doable, albeit steep on the way back up. 

PA Grand Canyon

Campground was clean and well kept. Hiking was amazing with spectacular views! Go check this place out!!!

Clean campground, amazing hiking and views!

The campground is pretty decent. The part you want to go See is the biking trails on the pine Creek rail trail. The look out at the little PA Grand Canyon. Kayaking in the water. hiking on the trails too. 

Nice campground but amazing views!!!

Great clean campground with clean free showers. the campground het a nice playground for the kids and spacious spots with hookups. 
Accessible directly from the park is the Turkey Trail, a 1.5'ish mile hike down the mountain to the river, doable for many age group's. 
The views of the 'other Grand Canyon' are just breathtakingly beautiful! you must visit this place!

Will definitely go back!

Fantastic hike included!

Very clean, nice roomy sites, fire rings with grates, clean bathrooms and showers, quiet, ranger patrolled, beautiful wildlife, many outdoor activities close by, on top of a mountain, PA Grand Canyon just steps away along with 60+ miles of rails to trails thru wilderness

Small, quiet, clean, 

Clean family friendly and walking distance to the overlook of the Grand Canyon. Bathrooms are clean and well maintained. Sites are large with plenty of room. Park Rangers are kind and available if needed. Kid area playground.

Best campground for the fall

Modern campground is open. Prices listed on this website are wrong. The Turkey Path Trail at Leonard Harrison State Park is CLOSED due to extensive damage with no set reopen date

Modern campground

Would definitely camp here again! So quiet and peaceful, sites are far enough apart to feel like you have a bit of nature to yourself with lovely Pines overhead and sweet smelling Honeysuckles nearby! 

SIte was plenty spacious enough for two tents!

Everything was clean and restrooms and water were nearby!

Close to The Grand Canyon of PA (Pine Creek Gorge) and numerous incredible hikes!

No service in any of the surrounding area if you have sprint, so download ahead of time on google maps for ease of navigating. 

Coming from Eastern Ohio the drive was very scenic and easy!

Peaceful with many Honeysuckle Bushes and Pines

We lucked out and grabbed a spot for a night on 4th of July. 

No fireworks to speak of (just a few friendly neighbors with sparklers), but it was perfect for exploring the gorge. 

The hike down to the river was steep but manageable (could be trickier after a heavy rain).

Wish we would've brought the bikes to hit the rail trail and you could definitely do some excellent multi-day kayak trips here in the spring. 

Sunset from the lookout was magnificent and I'm sure the fall colors pop here in September and October!

Cool Place for Exploring the PA Grand Canyon!

**General:** This is a small 28-site campground located on the east rim of the canyon; seven of the sites are electric and six of them are pet-friendly. We reserved site 17 after looking at the site map because it looked like there was a generous amount of separation between this site and the surrounding ones, however, upon arrival, this was not the case. Although some of the sites are generous in size, there is no physical separation between them. Site 1 would, in my opinion, be the best of the non-electric sites for privacy. Sites 6 and 8, while close to the bathhouse, would likely have people walking through your site to get to the bathhouse. Campers have worn a path between these sites to access it. Props to this park for having recycling bins for plastic, glass, and aluminum. While this park is open year-round, the campground is only open from the second Friday in April through the third weekend in October. 

  

**Site Quality:** The parking pad is delineated by rocks but not very clearly defined. There is a generously sized picnic table and fire ring to complete the grassy site. 

  

**Bathhouse:** Very clean (we have found most Pennsylvania state parks excel in their bathhouse cleanliness). Hot water (definitely appreciated on this cold weekend!) and one handicap accessible shower (but it was too cold while we were there to want to take a shower although it did look inviting). 

  

**Activities:** Two hiking trails on the east rim where the campground is located. The Turkey Path was closed about ¾ mile down (by the waterfall) due to storm damage. Although the trail was clearly marked closed at this point, many chose to ignore it and continue on☹. This trail is challenging as it has steep switchbacks down and back up again and it is narrow and slippery but definitely worth doing. The Overlook Trail, while not long (less than a mile), is also challenging with down and uphills. If you don’t want to (or can’t) access these trails, there is an observation platform where you can enjoy great views of the canyon. All of these trails are accessible from the campground. There is also a long multi-use trail for hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing. There is a nice playground accessible from the campground. 

  

**Conclusion:** We were here the last weekend the campground was open and while the fall foliage was not experiencing the best year, it was still very beautiful at this park, and we enjoyed the hikes.

Site 17 Site maps can be deceptive

Wonderful bathroom facilities, my family and I had the best time camping here. Great weather other than than the occasional rainstorm. Great trails and wonderful views.

Tent Camping

The bathrooms were very clean! Walking to them was another ordeal. 
Again, campers can be disrespectful and I wish the rangers came around to silence noise. Site 2 can be taken over by site 4, which is also what happened. 

So Beautiful 

My family of 4 stopped at the Leonard Harrison campground for a 2-night camp while on our way to Maine from Indiana. It was a lovely 2-night stay and awesome area to explore as we discovered the “Pennsylvania Grand Canyon”!!! Who knew!? 

The campground is situated directly next to the beautiful and *accessible* overlook area with new restrooms and completely new outdoor area to explore the canyon views and get direct access to hiking trails. It also had a new nature center that my kids enjoyed. 

The campground had nice &amp; clean restrooms and shower areas. And a larger room that’s perfect for camping families with little ones so you can shower &amp; use the restroom all in a one single, larger secure room. 

There was a cute little playground onsite. And the ranger station was next to the campground with friendly staff giving trail maps, advice and directions. 

100% recommend exploring this area AND driving to nearby Kolten State Park. It has amazing outlook views and trails that are fun and run along the canyon. 

If you’re a cyclist- definitely ride the nearby paved Pine Creek Trail. My husband rode a century on his own on Fathers Day while here. The trail goes through small towns and has spots to grab a bite to eat. 

Don’t sleep on this area. It’s really cool and unknown for those looking for a neat spot to explore! 

Photos of Leonard Harrison State Park — Leonard Harrison State Park

Real photos from real campers