20 Best Places to Camp Within 2 Hours of Pittsburgh, PA

The city of Pittsburgh is an early 20th-century industrial capital, and its history can be observed by the buildings that are modeled after the Gilded Age. Three rivers run through and around Pittsburgh: the Ohio River, the Allegheny River, and the Monongahela River. Because of this, the environment around the city is full of wildlife and beauty for the best camping. 

Pennsylvania is home to lots of pine trees.

1. Bear Run Campground

At Bear Run Campground, campers can choose to stay in a tent, an RV, or a cabin! The campground offers free wifi, a dump station, restrooms, showers, and a laundry facility so campers have the luxury of feeling right at home during their stay. For fun, guests can take a dip in the heated pool, hang out in the game room, play volleyball or basketball at the provided courts, or head to nearby Lake Arthur for fishing! Bear Run is great for everyone!

Pros:

  • Several ways to camp
  • Wifi
  • Game room
  • Heated pool
  • Outdoor activities
  • Restrooms
  • Showers
  • General store
  • Dump station
  • Laundry

Cons:

  • No biking
  • Can get crowded

2. Washington/Pittsburgh SW KOA Journey

This KOA has many of the basic amenities, such as restrooms, showers, full RV hookups, and wifi. Guests can soak off in the pool or play volleyball or basketball on the courts. There’s a general store for souvenirs or basic necessities you forgot at home! Campers also have the option of staying in a cabin, tent, or RV! While this KOA doesn’t have most of the resort-style amenities other KOAs have, the location to Pittsburgh makes up for it!

Pros:

  • Swimming pool
  • Tent camping
  • RV camping
  • Cabin rental
  • Wifi
  • General store
  • Full hookups
  • Restrooms and showers

Cons:

  • Not many resort-style amenities

3. Raccoon Creek State Park Campground

This campground sits on Raccoon Creek and is very popular for those who want to enjoy the creek and the wildlife around the creek! There are lots of activities to do around the park, such as fishing, hunting, boating, hiking, biking, and horseback riding in the warmer months. In the colder months, there’s ice skating, snowmobiling, and cross country skiing! While there are no RV hookups, guests can stay in a tent or a cabin!

Pros:

  • Hiking
  • Picnic tables
  • Year-round
  • Boating
  • Fishing
  • Bathrooms and showers
  • Fire ring
  • Lots of camping sites

Cons:

  • Some sites aren’t open year-round
  • No RV hookups

4. Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park

This park is great for families who are big fans of Yogi Bear! Campers can stay in a tent, RV, or cabin; whichever they prefer! This campground also has a waterpark full of waterslides, so the whole family can have lots of fun in the water! They also have lots of basic amenities, such as restrooms, showers, wifi, and laundry. This campground is perfect for families who want a fun getaway for everyone to enjoy!

Pros:

  • Several ways to camp
  • Camp store/gift shop
  • Game room
  • Restrooms and showers
  • Wifi
  • Laundry
  • Pavilions
  • Full hookups
  • Pool

Cons:

  • Can get crowded
  • More of a family environment

5. Ohiopyle State Park Kentuck Campground

There’s so much to do here! Campers can go mountain biking, fishing, picnicking, hiking, hunting, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, rock climbing, sledding, skiing, and snowmobiling! Campers can choose to pitch a tent, hook up an RV, or rent one of the yurts or camping cottages. They offer warm showers and flush toilets for RV and tent campers, and the yurts and cottages come with electricity and heat. There’s so much to do and see within nature at Ohiopyle!

Pros:

  • Mountain biking
  • Hiking
  • Fishing
  • Some electrical hookups
  • Flush toilets
  • Warm showers
  • Fire ring
  • Picnic tables
  • Tent camping
  • Yurts and cottages

Cons:

  • No pool
  • No resort-style amenities

6. Allegheny Islands State Park

This group tent campground on the Allegheny Islands is great for youth groups who want to go on a trip! The environment can create great team-building exercises, so groups can get closer together and learn more about each other. Campers can go boating, fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching! The type of wildlife often seen on the islands are mallards, beavers, raccoons, deer, and wood ducks! The setting of the islands provides groups with a great environment to get to know each other better!

Pros:

  • Boating
  • Fishing
  • Group tent camping
  • Wildlife watching

Cons:

  • No showers
  • No restrooms
  • No RV camping

There are lots of lakes and rivers in Pennsylvania for kayaking, canoeing, or swimming.

7. Keystone State Park

While this park is not open year-round, it has lots of things to do within nature. Guests can go fishing, hiking, biking, swimming, or boating! Campers can stay in a tent, RV, yurt, cabin, or cottage! The park has restrooms, showers, and fire rings at most of the campsites.

Pros:

  • Hiking
  • Swimming
  • Boating
  • Fishing
  • Many ways to camp
  • Fire ring
  • Restrooms
  • Showers

Cons:

  • No resort-style amenities
  • Not open year-round
  • Few electrical hookups

8. Mount Pocono Campground

This campground on Mount Pocono has campsites for RVs and tents! It has wifi, it’s pet-friendly, and it has bathhouses. It isn’t open year-round, but it does have a heated pool for the colder months! It also has lots of hiking trails for guests to enjoy!

Pros:

  • Full hookups
  • Tent sites
  • Wifi
  • Heated pool
  • Hiking trails
  • Bathhouses
  • Pet-friendly

Cons:

  • No open all year long
  • No many outdoor activities inside the campground

9. Laurel Highlands Campground Inc.

This campground has many campsites, most of which are for RVs, but there are some tent sites as well! Guests can choose between standard sites, premium sites, deluxe sites, weekend sites, or home sites. The campground provides two fishing ponds, which they stock, so campers will never have to worry about the ponds running out of fish!

Pros:

  • Bathhouses
  • Fire pits
  • Stocked fishing lakes
  • Pools
  • Tent sites
  • RV sites
  • Dumping station

Cons:

  • No cabin rentals

10. Lancaster/New Holland KOA Journey

At this KOA, campers can stay in a tent, RV, or cabin. It’s right in the heart of the Amish country, so it’s great for those who want to visit it! Campers have access to cable tv, wifi, and bathhouses. The campground also offers an ADA-accessible shower! There is a playground for the kids to have lots of fun on!

Pros:

  • Several ways to stay
  • Cable tv
  • Wifi
  • Playground
  • ADA accessible shower
  • Close to Amish country

Cons:

  • Not many resort-style amenities

11. Moraine State Park

The most popular feature of Moraine State Park is the 45 miles of shoreline that it provides right on Lake Arthur! Because of the access to the lake, campers can go boating, swimming, and fishing within the campground. The only way to camp here is by renting one of their 11 cabins, so act fast! However, this park also has two group campsites that are available to organized groups. 

Pros:

  • Fishing
  • Boating
  • Hunting
  • Swimming
  • Hiking
  • Picnic tables
  • Group camping
  • Cabin rentals

Cons:

  • No tent sites
  • No RV sites
  • No showers at group campsites

12. PA Dutch Country RV Resort

This RV park is right in the middle of the Amish country, so there are lots of things to do and see when outside the park. However, there are also lots of things to do inside the park! The camp offers volleyball and basketball courts, a swimming pool, a mini-golf course, hiking trails, and a playground! Also, it is pet-friendly! It also has many of the basic amenities, such as showers, restrooms, and laundry.

Pros:

  • RV camping
  • Swimming pool
  • Nature and hiking trails
  • Pets welcome
  • Laundry
  • Bathhouses
  • In Amish country

Cons:

  • Wifi is extra
  • No tent sites
  • No cabin rentals

Pennsylvania has a lot of wildlife for everyone to admire.

13. Mill Bridge Village Camp Resort

Located in Lancaster, PA, this campground is right next to a working Amish farm! Pequea Creek runs around the campground, so guests can go fishing, boating, canoeing, or kayaking. The resort has canoe and kayak rentals for those who don’t have any! It’s perfect for families who want to get away and reconnect with nature. 

Pros:

  • Next to working Amish farm
  • Laundry
  • Canoe and kayak rentals
  • Boat ramps
  • Full hookups
  • Wifi
  • Fishing
  • Cabin rentals

Cons:

  • No tent sites

14. Mountain Top Campground

This campground prides itself on being the “most convenient Campground near Pittsburgh!” It offers camp rental, full RV hookups, and tent sites. It’s a family-owned establishment, so campers know that they will be treated like family while staying here! While laundry is only available for long-term guests, there are still bathhouses, dump stations, and picnic tables for everyone to use! Also, it’s open all year long.

Pros:

  • Full hookups
  • Dump station
  • Tent sites
  • Bathhouses
  • Family-owned
  • Picnic tables
  • Open year-round

Cons:

  • Laundry only for long-time stay
  • Very few amenities

15. Cecil Henderson Montour Trail Campground

This campground is perfect for hikers and bikers who are traveling through the area! There are five primitive sites that have mulched wood-chip tent pads. Each site has a fire ring and a picnic table, and there is a portable toilet and water fountain nearby! Also, camping here is completely free! This campground is great for those who are backpacking on the Montour Trail and need to stop for the night!

Pros:

  • Drinking water
  • Picnic tables
  • Tent camping
  • Free camping
  • Portable toilet
  • Fire ring
  • Wood-chip tent pads

Cons:

  • Only available to hikers and bikers on the trail
  • No RV sites
  • No cabin rentals

16. Fox Den Acres Campground

This campground has over 900 campsites, so there are lots of locations on the grounds to choose from! Most of the sites are for full RV hookups, which means water, electric, sewer, and cable; however, there are a handful of tent sites to pick. While it has the basic amenities, such as showers and restrooms, it also has a lot of fun activities to do! There’s a game room, swimming pool, playground, sports field, and fishing!

Pros:

  • Wifi
  • Tent sites
  • RV sites
  • Bathhouse
  • Game room
  • Dump station
  • Swimming pool
  • Store
  • Fire rings

Cons:

  • No cabin rentals
  • Showers cost extra
  • Fishing costs extra

17. Buttercup Woodlands Campground

Buttercup Woodlands Campground is built on 55 acres of wooded and open area on the northern side of Pittsburgh and has lots of activities for campers to participate in! Campers have the option of staying in an RV or renting one of their cabins, and they also have access to wifi, restrooms, hot showers, and a camp store. Guests can rent activities like cornhole boards or go swimming in the pool! The campground also has a volleyball court and a basketball court! There are also lots of planned activities provided by the camp year-round, so be sure to check out their website for that information!

Pros:

  • RV sites
  • Cabin rentals
  • Picnic tables
  • Fire rings
  • Camp store
  • Restrooms and showers
  • Swimming pool
  • Recreational courts

Cons:

  • No tent camping
  • Laundry costs extra

18. Indian Brave Campground

About 30 miles north of Pittsburgh sits Indian Brave Campground, and guests can camp in a tent, RV, or cabin there! The campground has laundry facilities, restrooms, and showers. Campers can hang out in the game room, go for a dip in the pool, or spend some time out in nature on the trails. Campers can also go fishing in the creek that surrounds the campground!

Pros:

  • Many ways to stay
  • Pool
  • Game room
  • Laundry
  • Restrooms and showers
  • Camp store
  • Hiking and biking trails
  • Fishing

Cons:

  • No resort-style amenities

19. Rose Point Park Cabins & Camping

Rose Point has lots of ways to camp, such as tent, RV, family lodge, yurt, comfy log cabin, brookside log cabin, or luxury log cabin! There’s so much to do here that guests will feel like they’re staying at a resort! To name a few, there’s a swimming pool, bocce ball, disc golf, fishing, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, hiking, biking, and craft classes. Aside from that, Rose Point has restrooms, showers, a dump station, laundry, and a camp store. This campground prides itself on being an ideal location for family reunions!

Pros:

  • Many ways to camp
  • Swimming pool
  • Dump station
  • Restrooms and showers
  • Recreational courts
  • Pet friendly
  • Lots of activities
  • Barn
  • Laundry

Cons:

  • More of a family environment

20. Breakneck Campground

This campground has a staff that is available 24 hours a day to meet every camper’s needs! It has four ways to camp: primitive tent, scenic deck tent, hillside hut, or rustic cabin. Each campsite has different amenities, but every site has a fire ring and picnic table! This campground is right next to McConnell’s Mill State Park, so it’s great for those who want to spend time in the park! 

Pros:

  • Showers and bathrooms
  • 24-hour availability to staff
  • Tent camping
  • Cabin rentals
  • Picnic tables
  • Fire rings
  • Next to McConnell’s Mill State Park

Cons:

  • No RV sites
  • No hookups
  • No resort-style amenities

Final verdict:

Ohiopyle State Park Kentuck Campground is the perfect getaway for those who want to reconnect with nature in the Pittsburgh area. Campers have lots of options when it comes to how they want to camp, as well as what they want to do in their spare time! Guests can go hiking, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, rock climbing, and picnicking in the warm months. In the colder months, campers can go sledding, cross country skiing, and snowmobiling! There are lots of things to do when staying here, as well as the basic amenities like warm showers and bathrooms. 

 

Ohiopyle offers the best camping experience with the most activities within nature!

 

Bonus tip: Check out this video to find out some fun things to do around Pittsburgh!

 

Riley Draper

Riley Draper is a writer and entrepreneur from Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a world traveler, he has been to more than fifty countries and hiked some of the most elusive trails in the world. He is the co-founder of WeCounsel Solutions and has published work in both national and global outlets, including the Times Free Press, Patch, and Healthcare Global. When he's not writing, he's probably on a hiking trip or climbing in the mountains.

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