We chose this park because it was the closest one we could find that was still open with electric this time of year to downtown Pittsburgh. Also, because it had great cell/internet service on our hotspots and had a lot of trails. Unfortunately, it had been raining a lot so we weren’t able to explore the trails. The campground is nice– the toilets are just pit toilets and they do have a sun shower. They are on a well so there is limited water and they don’t allow you to fill up your on board tank. Make sure you fill up before you go! Also, there is a road in the park (Echo Dell Road) that RV’s/Trailers can’t go on so make sure you approach this campground from Leslie Road!
This is a smaller state park. There is a lake (one of the smallest I've seen in a state park), some trails and a small campground. The spaces are pretty spread out, which is very nice. There is a big equestrian camping area, which is cool. If you kayak, you could spend about two hours exploring the different bends in the lake.
We stayed in the camper cabins, which are right at the edge of the campground- we could hear the freeway (I-70) the entire time. It even woke us up at night. The cabins have a view of the dumpsters and the dump station- not the prettiest view.
There are pit toilets, which are never great, but the ones nearest us had newish buildings, the first I've seen in Ohio state parks. The buildings themselves were clean, but the toilets were icky and needed to be hosed down. I never went in the shower house so I don't know if it was clean or not.
The worst part about our experience was that there was a group of cows somewhere nearby that were moaning in distress all of Saturday, Saturday night and Sunday morning. I enjoy agricultural sounds- the sound of a cow mooing every once in a while would make me happy. But these cows were bleating and moaning as if they were in danger. When it continued after sundown, I started worrying about them, so I googled it. It turns out that in the mid fall (when we were there), calves get taken away from their mothers, and the mothers will cry out in distress for days at a time. I wish I hadn't googled it. The sound was SO LOUD and so distressing. It drowned out any sound of owls or coyotes or anything else all night long- these cows were deafening.
So, I won't be back. Not much to do there once you've seen it, unless you camp with your horses- then I think it would be good.
My family and I love Raccoon Creek State Park! It's beautiful and has everything you need for a great trip! Well maintained park with tons of stuff to do. They make sure the lake is readily stocked with fish. If your up for it I recommend the trails also. The wild flower reservation also has great trails.They have affordable boat rentals and the beach area is a nice spot to spend a day to relax. Camping is also great here. I've camped with my family several times with no complaints. The park rangers are also extremely helpful and very clear with the rules they want you to follow. Great fun for anyone!Lovely picnic areas. The bathrooms weren't the cleanest but I've seen worse! There were a lot of loud campers late at night(way after 11, even beyond as late as 12:30 am). Other than that, great!
Camped a long weekend for the fall festival. Campground was nice, quiet and people were friendly. Spots are roomy, with nice yard/fire space. Not all spots are full hook up, but some are. Shower houses are nice and clean. Had a lot of activities for the kids. Over all it was nice place, I would camp here again.
Austin lake offers plenty of fun with the lake. Kayaking, inflatables, beach, but almost anything you want to do will cost you am additional charge. Need to use the bathhouse? Better take quarters….bc the showers are coin opperated.
It can be a fun time, just be warned it'll cost ya. $$$$
Bear Run offers pull through sites for larger RV's. The pool is smaller but still enjoyable. Tons of activities always planned on the weekend. Family Friendly Friendly!
Great campground, and atmosphere. Large cement RV sites. Large playground. Beautiful Lake.
Great Place for adults and children to enjoy themselves! Plenty of activities. Welcoming Staff!
Halloween weekends are a great time to visit!
Went to Raccoon Creek State Park to camp for Labor Day weekend. We booked campsite F1 since we had 2 dogs and the F loop allowed dogs. This site was great! We could fit two tents and it was nice and secluded from the other sites. I recommend booking a site that is on the outside of the “loops” if you want some seclusion. The inner loop sites are right on top of each other, good for Rvs, not so much for tent camping. The bathrooms were a little bit of a hike, the next loop over, but they where clean and had flush toilets and running water along with a shower and sinks to wash dishes. There was a place to get water across from this site which was very convenient . The dog walking trails weren’t bad, but they where very up and down hill, at points steep and rocky. The spring was a really cool hike (right off the park office parking lot.) Down by the beach they had a place to buy wood, only $5 a bundle and the beach place also sells bags of ice. Overall a really good family campground!
My girlfriend and I stayed at tent site 40 Friday August 9th and Saturday August 10th. Most of the sites were pretty private and ours was probably the most private and had a lot of space since we were on the very end of the road / cul-de-sac. I would definitely recommend this site if you like privacy but it is a longer walk to the bath house but we didn't mind that at all. The only thing I didn't like about the campground is that there is no wash tub / sink to wash your dishes which made clean up a little more of a chore. Other than that the staff were very friendly and it is overall a great campground.
Nice campground but too hilly for kids to ride bikes. Very close to Lake Arthur for fishing and kayaking.
Well maintained campground with a handful of sites. Pit toilets. Nice fishing pond. Gun range nearby.
Nice campground with full hookups and large pool. Prefect if you don’t want cell service. Lots of trails for riding. Great views. Could use some updating in some areas.
I have been camping at Moraine State Park since I was 5 years old (so about 14 years). While I was in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts we used the 5 Points Group Camping Area a lot. It is right next to the bike trail and has access to the lake. I have enjoyed my time at Moraine and will enjoy it every time I visit.
There r a lot of things to do lot of room to roam around and great campsites. Beach clean shower and restroom houses, big lake.
Nice to see sailboats on the lake. All new camping spots with full hookup. Grass is coming in nicely. Kids love the playgrounds and being able to bike or scoot all around. Shower house's are superb. Great fishing. Beach needs some attention.
Backpacking campground is nice. Trails are well maintained. Beautiful place. Frankfort mineral springs is amazing!
My family and I had never gone tent camping before together, since my husband and I were kids. I have chronic pain and was terrified to go due to my difficulties. This place was amazing!
PROS:
The shower houses are individual big rooms to use that include a shower with a seat and toilet. They do also have handicap parking&camping spots right by the shower house, no smell even being 89 degrees.
They also have amazing prices for renting out a pontoon, it’s only a max 10 mph. I was able to comfortably fish for 4 hours on this. For the boats we were allowed to park down below right by the docks so I wouldn’t have to walk the hill.
When you book online it needs to be done 2 days out, from where we live (Columbus Ohio) the reception at the camp was very very hard to hear on the phone. It is easier to book online then see them at the office when you arrive, they close at 7 pm. Checkin is at 4 pm and checkout is 2pm for camp set up(you can set up sooner if no one is there)
We were lucky to get a walk up electric spot, although hilly it was beautiful! We were right by the private dock and the residents were very kind, some offered us worms or help with our fire. Even though we were by the public outhouse you could not smell anything until right by the outhouse.
You do need a special plug for the electric, we didn’t realize this and did not bring one. I was panicked at first since I needed a fan to get through the 89 degree weather in a tent but the front office has spares you can borrow! They are a lifesaver up there and so kind, if we could have tipped we would have.
We caught plenty of fish up there for all 3 of us, including my 1 st grader, all we used were worms and was surprised how much we caught.
All in all we were really happy and even convinced my parents to come up with us next year 😊
CONS:
The drive up was very hilly and lots of buggies. Be careful sometimes the road disappeared and you don’t see the buggy until right there; the road speed is 55mph but we only went between 35-45.
There is no cell service up there so be prepared, we lost it for about 20 minutes before the camp site. We have sprint. Make sure to pack a old school map so you can get around, there is a family dollar store in town, about 4 mile drive, if you forgot anything.
Most neighbors you have our yearly members, this is great for peace but limits the spots they actually have open to rent out by the lake and have electric. We were hoping to get a better spot in the future but they only have a couple of non yearly spots available even a year out.
Nice small campground.. relaxing, great wooded views .. lake for swimming. Has full hook ups (W/E/S). Sights are pretty level, are newer so gravel still settling. We would come back here!
This place wasn't bad but nothing really stellar about it either. I visited on a Tuesday in early July and stayed the night with my 9 year old son. Literally the park was abandoned - no visitors, hardly any employees to be seen (saw one guy mowing grass, that was it), and the park office itself closed except for on the weekends. We drove down to the main area of the park to check out the old mill, canal lock, ect. Really cool looking and quaint, but again, everything locked up so you couldn't go inside or find out much more additional info. The creek itself is very beautiful and the campground manager I talked to said a lot of people canoe or kayak down its length to the Ohio.
Campground has limited well water and a one seater vault toilet with no sinks, showers, ect. I stayed in spot 55 on the northern part of the campground which was pretty wooded, but not private. All spots can see into other camps. Small creek ran behind the end of the loop but it was mostly stagnant water which made it very buggy at night. Overall like I said, not a bad place, but I wouldn't rush to come back unless I was on some type of canoeing trip.
Great place to camp clean lake and fun to just hang out at the camper
Stayed in the Maple loop. Very quiet and maintained fairly well. Bathrooms were clean, shower houses aren’t bad. Sites do have electric, just no water. Close to boat launch ramp. Our spot had a great view of the lake! We will definitely come back!
Moraine is a really large state park with a huge lake, nice beaches, and tons of trails. The north country trail runs for over a dozen miles from end to end. This review is of the shelter sites, of which there is one, for backpacking along the trail. There are three shelters which are all very mouse infested. I believe this is because the site does not have a bear pole or bear box, so I think most people probably don't hang their food like they should and thus the mice move in to forage. Of the 3, the Hilltop shelter 2, which we stayed in is the nicest and private. There is a rustic vault toilet but no water at the site. I asked the lady at the park office if there was water nearby and she said yes, just hike down to the access road and over to the group tenting site to fillup. I'll tell you, this is not close - easily a 2-3 mile round trip.
I have been to Raccoon Creek many times as it is one of the closest camping places to the Pittsburgh metro area. The park it self is large, has over 40 miles of trails, a fantastic backpacking loop setup for beginners, and a nice lake for swimming, fishing, ect. I would give the park as a whole a 5/5 but for tent camping the campground is mediocre. It is a really large campground with lots of adjoining loops. We stayed in the tent loop at the back of the campground. The area is not wooded at all and most sites look right into the sites next to them. If you are like me and crave privacy, avoid. The bathroom was rather dirty also. There is a trail that leads down from the tent loop to the beach which is cool but very very steep (not for too young or old). Overall, if you are looking to stay in a camp in this park I'd suggest doing the backpacking loop instead. Grab your permit at the park office, park at the heritage trail lot in the southern end of the park and hike to the Pioneer shelter. Sites 4 and 5 are amazing. Note though that the Pioneer site does not have water so you will need to filter water from a stream on the way, though there are many opportunities. The Sioux site is overgrown and is not worth backpacking to, though it does have a water pump and is close to the park office.
My boyfriend and I camped here last weekend; unfortunately it did not go well. While I very much enjoyed the facilities, we had an awful experience. Friday night was peaceful, although we had trouble locating the owners and figured we'd find them and pay up the next day. When we got back from a full day of climbing Saturday, a group of at least a dozen had set up camp across the road from us. They were drinking heavily all night (I understand that drinking IS allowed here being a private campground) however posted quiet hours begin at 10 pm. I got about 2 hours of sleep Saturday night total, and the last time I was woken up my watch said 3:48 am. Clearly there is absolutely no enforcement of the quiet hours whatsoever. In addition, the group had lights on all night as well, shining directly over into our campsite and tent. Sunday morning, we still had no luck locating the owners. We ended up putting our cash in an envelop in the mailbox. I emailed them letting them know we had put the money in the mailbox, and also asked about the quiet hour enforcement. I requested a response and heard nothing. I'm disappointed, and as a manager myself would want to know if a customer had a bad experience. I would have to recommend that if you are looking for a peaceful, quiet place to camp and sleep under the stars that you look elsewhere. I'm sad to say this, because I had greatly looked forward to staying here after hearing my boyfriend describe his previous experience and reading other reviews. There is a sign posted when entering "drive like your kids live here" but the campground I experienced was not family-friendly at all.
This is our favorite KOA! I have 4 kids and return at least 1x per year . Great family owned KOA. Horseback riding on site.
Simply put, they moved us from the tent area into an RV spot because they were installing a septic tank. That's fine, but there was no advance notice and we got the last RV spot right next to the bathroom. We had people walk through our site on shortcuts to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Like most KOAs, there is little privacy to begin with as sites are right on top of each other. Since we didn't have an RVs wall or door, breakfast table meant being next to our neighbors with more people walking thru on way to shower. Again… I understand it's a KOA but this wasn't exactly proper camping.
Manager would not even listen to our request for a partial refund after we objected to being moved without notice. Compared to other KOA it was overall meh