Parker Dam State Park Campground

Our first time in the Moshannan National Forrest area.  Simply stunning.  Beautiful area.

The campground was adequate.  Bath houses were relatively clean.

My biggest criticism is how close the sites are to each other.  This may only be true of the full hookup sites.  Felt like we were camping with our neighbors.

4 stars only because this camp ground feels very crowded. It's a great spot of your traveling with the kids. There is a nice little lake area where you can rent kayaks and paddle boards. There is also a jungle gym in the middle of the camp ground. 

The individual camp sites are all right on top of each other. Be ready to avoid eye contact with your neighbors if you're not into hearing their conversation. LED RV light pollution is something to contend with.

A great campground. Our site was nice and shaded. The firering could have been cleaned beforehand but no matter. Some of the sites in this campground are wooded and some are basically in an open field with no shade and very crowded to take care so look at photos of each site. Multiple bath houses throughout. Ours was nice, clean, and modern. Park staff drove through multiple times a day and at night and were friendly. Campground host was very kind and welcoming. We saw her go to a site very shortly after they left to make sure no trash was left. Parker Dam State Park is beautiful. We really enjoyed our time here and will be back.

We love this campground and keep coming back. Zero cell signal, great sites, clean bath houses, tons of amenities, and close to the elk in Benezette!

Got snowed in and it was great! The cabin camping is marvelous, lots of animals visit and you’re on a mountainside and most of the sites are decently in the woods. Short walk to your own bathroom that is toasty warm all winter long. Rustic but with stoves indoors which is great when it’s rainy or too cold or snowy to cook outside. Been coming here over 40 years and it’s my happy place.

Nice little campground. Very quiet. Sites are generously sized. Roads are paved. The lake is very small with a swimming beach area.

Nice PA state park campground and close enough to Benezette (elk) with a short (30 minutes) car ride.

Lots of good hiking. The lake’s nice. Facilities are modern and clean.

Cell service is spotty.

Grew up going here. Day trips or weekend getaways-it was always a nice time. Love hopping the rocks at the spillway, hiking, looking for crayfish, and swimming in the dam. They have pavilions to have picnics, every lot that we pitched a tent was always nice. Rent paddle boats or canoes. Always a good time!

Real nice park that can get pretty busy on weekends. We arrived on a Thursday and, in advance, reserved one of the few remaining sites. Never used their facilities, but they looked nice. Electric only at our site. Both ATT & Verizon signals weren't bad. Wouldn't try to watch a movie or stream anything though. For the most part the sites were pretty level. Most pretty shaded, and there is also a pet section as well as a full hookup area. The full hookup, as normal are full sun for big rigs.

Small campground just inside of the PA Wilds. Quiet low tea office campground. Sites are all paved and many overlapping with fire rings right on the line between sites. Research your site before reserving. Clean and modern shower house. Swimming and fishing a short walk from the grounds. Scenic Elk drive just north with high probability of spotting the majestic animal. During the eight months the timber rattler is a common site along the roads and in the trails. Keep your eyes open and respect them. Quehanna wilds with lots of history and hiking boarders the park.

We had a great Father me Day weekend here. Great hiking trails, the beach is great for kids, good fishing, and close to the Benezette Elk Viewing Area. Will definitely go back!

Love it here! This is a great State Park. The campground has added many full hookup sites and there are also cabins available also. Nice clean sites.The lake has good trout fishing and the beach area offers a nice place for a relaxing summer retreat. Several picnic shelters are for rent if your looking for a place to have your reunion or annual company picnic. There are also boat/kayak rentals, a snack bar/ camp store, and a large modern bath house/changing building down near the beach.Come for the day or stay for the week. Parker Dam State Park offeres something for everyone.

Campground Review:

This is our second trip to Parker Dam State Park.   It is a beautiful PA state park.   It is quiet and peaceful.   The leaves were beginning to change.  This trip was chilly at night, but gorgeous weather during the day.  Bathroom/shower houses are a bit outdated, but clean.  We had a full hook up site.  They have pet loops as well.  If you want to stay in September, book early.  Limited cell service.   Spent time driving to Benezette - about 30 minute trip - to see the Elk.   Great experience seeing approximately 100 elk.  Several very large bulls.   Would recommend the campground and the trip to Benezette to everyone. 

Product Review: 

As a Ranger for the Dyrt, we get products to test from time to time- today we tested the Banner & Oak Women's Hoodie. https://bannerandoak.com/collections/hoodies/products/freedom-heathered-black I so apologize because we were so busy watching the elk in Benezette, that we completely forgot to take photos of the product.  This hoodie is very soft! The sizing is accurate.  While it is not a thick sweatshirt material, it keeps you very comfortably warm.   I prefer the thinner material versus a thick and heavy sweatshirt.   It has become my "go to" hoodie.   Pros:  Lightweight, but very warm.   Con:  The pouch in front is actually 2 small pockets even though it looks like a pouch.   I'm not sure this is really a "con" because it depends on what style you prefer.  At first, I wasn't sure about it, but I am beginning to like it.  Wish the pockets would be a little bigger though.   Overall, I think this is a great lightweight hoodie and worth a purchase!

The place was nice, with nice spots and nice hot showers but overall, there wasn’t much to bring me back. There’s a little lake there, and a stream and some trails but in general it’s all pretty uninspiring. If you’re looking for a place to get away from everything it’s fine but, if you’re looking for adventure or proximity to impressive nature and geography, keep moving.

Quiet, peaceful campground. Great place for the entire family.

We loved it here!! First time here. Very spacious site with full hook up. #76 Next to camp host who were terrific. Deer came up to campsite every morning. Came to do some elk viewing. About 30 -40 min drive to Benezette. Already booked for next year!!

This is one of our favorite campgrounds. Very neat & clean. Full hookup sites & pet friendly. Close to dam where the fish are plentiful. Nice level sites.

Stayed at one of the two "Tent Only" sites in the campground. These two sites are shaded, surrounded by trees and pretty much private to the rest of the "Modern" campground. When staying in these sites, you can see from tent site to tent site, noise was not an issue though. You can quickly walk down to the Dam from these sites (like a 5 min easy walk, down a stepped hill).

Bathrooms are really nice and clean, with showers. Bathrooms have lights, heat, and exhaust fans. Everything was kept really clean on a packed July weekend.

I ventured around the "Cabin" area, cabins look really nice (comfortably primative with an external bathhouse, with cabin key only access, containing a potty and shower) some cabins were more.private than others.

Swimming at the beach was surprisingly nice. Water depth is very suitable for young kids. There roped off "Swimming Area" only reached maybe 4-5ft. Row Boats, Kayaks, Peddleboats, Canoes can be rented cheaply to explore the lake. The concession stand at the swimming beach has a very large menu, from fried foods to ice cream.

Hiking trails are really nice, the one that my family did was a few miles of easy hiking, mostly graveled thru nice lush forrested and marshy areas. My young kids had no issues.

Will definitely visit this park again.