With nearly 3,000 acres of space, two beautiful lakes, and multiple campsites to choose from, camping at Promised Land State Park is a great way to enjoy the beauty that Pennsylvania offers.
The guide below provides information about camping at Promised Land State Park, including multiple campground options and activities available, and includes a review of our stay at Pickerel Point. The short answer is we really enjoyed our stay, and you can read why below!
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Some Info About Camping at Promised Land State Park
Location
Promised Land State Park is located in northwestern Pennsylvania, about 30 minutes east of Scranton and just over two hours from both New York City and Philadelphia.
It’s also about 30 minutes from popular Delaware Water Gap hikes like Bushkill Falls and George W. Childs Park.
Camping Season
Most of the campgrounds at Promised Land State Park are open from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend.
There are some exceptions. At the Lower Lake Campground, Beechwood, Northwoods, and Hemlock Hill areas open in early May and are available until mid-October. Pickerel Point Campground has some sites that open year-round, but access is not always guaranteed due to weather.
Reserve Your Site
To guarantee a spot at the various campgrounds, you’ll want to reserve your site in advance. However, same-day reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis after noon. Visit the park office to secure a site.
Park Fees
All Pennsylvania State Parks are FREE to enter. However, there are varying fees to rent a campsite, depending on the type of site.
Alcohol Policy
No alcohol is allowed at any of the campsites at Promised Land State Park
Pets
Some of the campgrounds at Promised Land State Park offer pet-friendly sites. Pets are allowed at every site in Deerfield Campground, at some designated sites in Pickerel Point, and at the Lower Lake Campgrounds. Pets are not allowed at the Pines Campground.
Bears
When checking in for our campsite, they warned us about bear activity. We did not experience any issues with bears, but it’s recommended to use a bear bag to store your food or keep it in your trunk.
Restaurants and Stores
Within Promised Land State Park is a small section called the Village of Promised Land, which is not part of the park. Here, you’ll find a small neighborhood and also a couple of stores and eateries.
My cooler ice was melting faster than anticipated, but thankfully the Pine Cone Gift Shop sold bags of ice (among other things). If you need anything while camping, you can probably find it at one of the stores in the Village.
Activities at Promised Land State Park
Covering nearly 3000 acres, there are so many things to do at Promised Land State Park. Here are some activities you can do during camping season.
Water Fun
Promised Land State Park is centered around two large lakes, making water sports and swimming the main draw.
There are five boat launches around the park where electric-motor and non-powered boats can access the water (registration or launch permits required).
You can also rent various boats, like paddleboards, kayaks, and row boats. Swimming is available at the day-use area and Pickerel Point. And don’t forget to bring your fishing pole!
We saw many people out and about in their inflatable kayaks and paddleboards. If I had more room in the car, I would have brought mine.
Hiking
There are over 50 miles of hiking trails at Promised Land State Park. One of the most popular trails leads to Little Falls. Many visitors also enjoy the informational trail on Conservation Island. Several of the trails connect to trails inside Delaware State Forest.
Don’t forget to bring your hiking essentials with you!
Horseback Riding
Promised Land State Park is horse-friendly! You can even camp with them at the Hemlock Hills area of the Lower Lake Campground. There are several miles of trails to take your horse on in the Delaware State Forest connecting to Promised Land.
Mountain Biking
Like horseback riding, there are multiple miles of trails within the Delaware State Forest that are accessible to mountain bikers from Promised Land State Park.
Masker Museum
Promised Land State Park is one of the parks that was originally part of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s. You can learn more about the program and what the men in the Corps accomplished at the Masker Museum near the Deerfield Campground.
There are also family-friendly activities and information about the wildlife at Promised Land State Park inside.
Campgrounds at Promised Land State Park
As noted above, there are several campgrounds at Promised Land State Park. Find maps of each campground on the state park website.
Pines Campground
Starting at the northern end of the park, the Pines Campground has over 60 non-electric sites and two bathroom buildings with flush toilets. There are no showers at this campground, but guests can use the coin-operated showers at the Day-Use area, which is a short walk from the campground.
Lower Lake Campground
To the east is the Lower Lake Campground, which consists of the Beechwood, Northwoods, Rhododendron, and the Hemlock Hills Equestrian areas.
Beechwood has about 100 electric sites for both RVs and tents. About half of those sites are pet-friendly. There is a shower house at the center of camp. There is also coin-operated laundry available.
Northwoods has about 50 sites that are a mix of electric-only and full hookup. All of the sites in this area are pet-friendly. Like Beechwood, there is a central shower house that also has a coin-operated laundry inside.
The Rhododendron area has about 40 non-electric sites, a few electric sites, and also the new glamping sites (booked through a separate website). About half the sites, including all of the glamping sites, are pet-friendly. There is a central shower house and laundry available.
Lastly, the Hemlock Hill Equestrian Area is smaller, with only six sites. There are non-flush toilets at the site, but the shower house and restrooms at Northwoods are a short walk away.
Pickerel Point Campground
Jutting into the southeastern end of Promised Land Lake is Pickerel Point. This is where we stayed, and I will go into more detail about the campground below.
Pickerel Point has about 70 campsites. Half of them are walk-to non-electric tent sites (with designated parking spots!). About a dozen are full-hookup sites, and the remaining sites are electric-only. There are two shower houses and also a separate building with flush toilets. There are only six pet-friendly sites on Pickerel Point.
Pickerel Point campers have easy access to the small beach at the end of the peninsula, which was one of the reasons we chose to camp there.
Deerfield Campground
Just across Pickerel Point Road, and past the Masker Museum, is Deerfield Campground. There are about 30 non-electric sites, and all of them are pet-friendly. There are no shower houses at Deerfield, but there are flush toilet restrooms.
Pickerel Point Campground Review
We camped at Pickerel Point at the end of June, on Monday and Tuesday nights. About half of the campground was in use, but it didn’t feel crowded, and we never had to wait for a shower.
We stayed at site 141, which is right next to the bathroom and a short walk to the beach. However, the site is very open, with only a few trees, making us feel a bit exposed to everyone walking by. I was glad to have our screened canopy, which obscured some of our activity at the picnic table.
Checking In
It was easy to check in for the campsite. We headed right to the Park Office just after 3 pm, got our parking permit for our site, and were out the door pretty fast.
Parking
Each walk-to campsite on Pickerel Point has one assigned parking space. If you are bringing more than one car, there are some unassigned spaces at each parking area. During our stay, there were several open spots, but I can see there being issues finding parking during the busy days.
Site Conditions
The one thing I noticed about Pickerel Point is that every site was mainly gravel. I was nosy and checked out other unoccupied sites in the campground to see if they were all that way, and it seems to be the case. That made getting stakes into the ground pretty difficult, so I never ended up securing my tent or rainfly. Thankfully, it wasn’t rainy or windy during our stay.
Sites varied in whether they had a good view of the lake or not. Our site had a nice view of the water (and also easy access to it, which brought some friendly ducks to our site one night). But other sites had a lot of trees and plants blocking the view.
The picnic table at our site was in decent condition. However, the site next to us (which wasn’t booked during our stay) had a decent hole from a fire in the middle of the table.
Toilets and Showers
I was impressed by the cleanliness of the bathrooms and shower houses. The water pressure was good, and the water got hot enough.
The changing areas inside the shower were big enough that it was easy to get dressed without getting everything soaked. There was an accessible stall that was bigger for those who need the extra space.
Pickerel Point Beach
I liked having easy access to Pickerel Point Beach. During the day, we swam and floated around with the ducks.
At night, we enjoyed watching the sunset. Later, we enjoyed some stargazing. I think the beach is the best part about staying on Pickerel Point
Cell Phone Service at Pickerel Point
I know everyone says they like to “disconnect” from the world. But in this day and age, it’s nice to know you can make a phone call or send a text if needed.
We had okay cell service on Pickerel Point using Verizon. I could stream music, send texts, and make phone calls. I could also access some websites. But doing anything more than that was hit or miss.
Promised Land State Park Camping Review Wrap Up
Overall, I would camp at Promised Land State Park again. The ease of checking in and getting the campsite made it a pleasant experience from the start.
We had no issues with loud neighbors, and the amenities at Pickerel Point were great. The beach access was awesome (and we could avoid the crowded day-use area). And the bathrooms and shower house were clean.
The only thing that would have made the experience better was if the campsites were more dirt and grass than gravel. But if that’s the only thing I can find to complain about, I think that’s pretty good!
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