Year-round Western Village RV Park (westernvillagervpark.com) in Carlisle has a variety of campsites to suit your needs. Go primitive and pitch a tent, park your RV or rent a cozy rustic cabin. You'll likely be outdoors for most of your trip, enjoying the campground's swimming pool, pedal karts, jumping pillow, volleyball and basketball courts, miniature golf course and full calendar of activities. Additionally, a walking trail is on the grounds, Yellow Breeches trout stream is down the road for licensed-fishing fun and Shippenburg Speedway is a 20-minute drive away.
Action-packed Deer Run Camping Resort (deerruncampingresort.com) is less than 10 miles from Carlisle in the tiny hamlet of Gardner. You can choose from basic tent sites, RV sites with full and partial hookups, group campsites, primitive cabins and deluxe cottages. A snack bar, camp store, laundry, restrooms, showers and sanitary dump station are at your disposal. Horseshoe pits, volleyball and basketball courts, a playground, game room and a host of planned activities keep campers busy. For water-based amusement, relax in the hot tub, refine your backstroke in the outdoor swimming pool, cast a line in the fishing pond or gather up your poles for some licensed fishing in nearby streams. As a bonus, the campground has monthly live entertainment and the Appalachian Trail provides miles of hiking adventures just steps from the campground.
When you see the big black bear carved out of an old tree trunk, you know you've hit Mountain Creek Campground (mtncreekcg.com) in Gardner. About 12 miles south of Carlisle, the year-round campground has back-to-basics tent sites, RV sites with full or partial hookups, RV rental units and rustic cabins. A camp store, snack shack, playground, horseshoe pits, volleyball and shuffleboard courts, game room and hiking and biking trails are spread over more than 100 wooded and open acres. Licensed fishing in the stocked trout stream, a heated swimming pool and spa provide wet entertainment, and planned activities, such as pool parties, chocolate weekends, scavenger hunts and NASCAR-style toy car races, add to the fun.
Winner of the 2010-2011 Park of the Year Award from the National Association for RV Parks & Campgrounds, Dogwood Acres Campground (dogwoodcamping.com) is a well-maintained facility less than 13 miles west of Carlisle in Newville. Dust off your tent or pop-up camper, roll your RV into a full- or partial-hookup site or rent a deluxe or primitive cabin. All sites have picnic tables and fire rings. A swimming pool, climbing playground, disc golf course, hiking trails and pedal kart rentals keep campers active, and anglers can head down to the on-site pond for some licensed fishing. If you time your visit right, you can attend one of Carlisle's car shows, such as Spring Carlisle, the All-Fords Nationals, the All-Trucks Nationals and Corvettes at Carlisle.
