Campgrounds are open seasonally, and popular camping areas can fill quickly, so the best strategy is to decide which park to visit and reserve a spot. Reservations can be made 11 months ahead of the desired dates. To learn season opening and closing dates, make a reservation or obtain facility information call 888-PA-PARKS (888-727-2757).
As of April 2010, Little Buffalo State Park between Lewisburg and Harrisburg at Newport, has Pennsylvania's only park campground with RV hook-ups for water, according to a state park reservations official. Several parks have electric plug-ins, bathrooms and shower facilities in their camping areas, however. The campgrounds also have a sanitary dump station. Little Buffalo has only 38 electric spots, four of which have water hook-ups. The spots typically fill with visitors who want to fish Holman Lake or hike, or visit its historic gristmill, narrow gauge railroad remains, farm house and covered bridge. Families who travel by RV like the park's half-acre swimming pool and child-friendly "sprayground" water features. The park opens the last Friday of March and closes the third Sunday in October. Learn more about the park and facilities at the link listed below.
Pennsylvania has divided its system into seven regions. RV travelers have a couple of options. They can choose the part of the state to visit, then look for a state park within that region that has a full-range of camping facilities. Another option is to look at all the parks in each region online, then decide which looks like the best destination according to activities and facilities. The park system regions are: Northeast Pennsylvania Mountains, Philadelphia and the Countryside, Pennsylvania Wilds, the Alleghenies and her Valleys, Dutch Country Roads, Pittsburgh and its Countryside and Pennsylvania's Great Lakes Region. Little Buffalo is one of 17 state parks in the Dutch Country Roads region.
Covering 21,122 acres, Pymatuning State Park in the Great Lakes Region is the system's largest park with three campgrounds. Cost-cutting has closed the Tuttle campground for the 2010 season but the remaining Jamestown and Linesville campgrounds have an abundance of sites, many of them with electricity. Both campgrounds have restrooms, showers and a sanitary dump.
Jamestown has 64 sites with 30 amp service, two of which are ADA (handicapped) accessible and near an ADA accessible bathroom. The campground also has more than a hundred sites with 50 amp service, several of which are sites that allow pets. The Jamestown campground fronts the 17,088-acre Pymatuning Reservoir, making it a popular campground when looking for beach, boating, fishing and swimming activities.
The smaller Linesville campground does not have pet-designated sites but it has 11 sites with 50 amp service (two of them ADA) and about 50 sites with 30 amp plug-ins. Both campgrounds have extra car parking. See maps of the Jamewstown and Linesville campgrounds at: Pymatuning State Parks Maps and Downloadables.
Pymatuning's campgrounds are open from the second Friday in April through third Sunday of October.
For reservations, you need to report the type and size of camper-RV, whether you have an extra car, if you have a pet, if you are an in-state or out-of-state resident, if you need electricity and if so, 30 or 50 amp, and if you are age 62 or older for a senior discount ($4.50 as of April 2010). Overnights can range from $20 to about $30 depending on weekdays, weekends and senior discounts. Several camping sites are available without electricity in park campgrounds. As of April 2010 a basic weekday site price was $15 for residents and $17 for nonresidents, but be prepared for all the add-ons from weekends and pets to electricity. Pricing is per person. Learn more about camping charges at: Pennsylvania State Park-Prices and Services.
It pays to look at the campground maps on the websites and then mark down the numbers of preferred sites. It is just as important to check the location of scenery and facilities when traveling by RV. Of course, dates are most important, but if you are flexible then a preferred campsite already taken may be available a week earlier or later.
