only 4 stars because i like draft beer and they don't have it. Friendly staff and owner. Our server…read morereminded of my favorite aunt from my childhood. food was good all around our table. will be going back for more,soon.

Fabulous food!! Great owner! We talked to him for several hours. Very welcoming. Nice bartendersread more

My son and I recently spent the weekend and had a wonderful experience. The staff was very polite…read moreand professional. The cabin was very clean and extremely comfortable. Beautiful view of the area from our outdoor deck. Very peaceful retreat for us and enough space in between the cabins so the other renters weren't a problem. I would encourage anybody coming to the Cook Forest area to stay at Black Bear. It's priced right and I will definitely be coming back for many years to come with my whole family.

This property must be under new management now, with the Gateway Lodge five minutes down the road…read more We were able to have a pleasant conversation while making a reservation for the weekend prior to Thanksgiving without feeling pressured or nervous. Three cabins out of four were available, and I'll let you know how great they are when we go.

We spent a weekend here and actually relaxed, which doesn't happen often…read more The staff were easygoing and welcoming. The daily breakfast baskets were a great start to the day, especially before heading out hiking (we went looking for river otters). Coming back, jumping into the hot tub by the fireplace felt like flipping the off switch on real life. Dinner Saturday night was excellent, and the wine pairing was clearly chosen with care, not just checked off a list. And the chocolate mousse with espresso salt? That's the kind of thing you remember long after checkout.

If you're looking for a weekend getaway you found the perfect spot!…read more Nestled in the Allegheny Forest you are surrounded by some of the most tranquil sights. It doesn't matter if it's the middle of summer and you can spend time on the river, enjoying a nice fall hike, or watching the snow fall, the views can't be beat. The rooms and lodge itself have been designed for the most comfort. Every little detail from the cookies in your room when you check in, to the amenities in the common areas insure that the tranquil feeling stays. If you're lucky enough to do the taste of the wilds dinner, I highly recommend doing the wine pairing with it. Everything was paired out so perfectly and it was one of the most enjoyable meals we've ever had. The sommelier was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate when sharing the information about the wine. All the staff went out of their way to ensure you had the best service.

NOTE: THE YELP TEAM HAS MIS-POSTED MY REVIEW. THEY ATTACHED IT TO THE INCORRECT BUSINESS AND I…read moreCANNOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO CONTACT THEM TO ASK THEM TO CORRECT IT. THIS REVIEW IS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE "RUSTIC" CABINS INSIDE THE PARK AND OWNED/OPERATED BY THE PA STATE PARK SYSTEM. THERE IS ANOTHER PRIVATE CABIN BUSINESS OUTSIDE THE PARK WITH A SIMILAR/IDENTICAL NAME We stayed in the rustic river cabins (R1 and R6) They are classic log cabins almost 100 years old built from American chestnut. We are not actually campers so two nights was probably enough for us. There are large front porches on each cabin of varying design. Some porches had roofs while others did not. There are multiple beds and bunkbeds in each bedroom. The kitchens are equipped with full refrigerators and full gas ranges and a microwave. You have to bring your own coffee pot. There is no internal plumbing at all. Water was accessible at a spigot outside of the cabin next to the porch, but I do not know if it was safe or drinkable. I recommend bringing along a few gallons of bottled water. There was no sort of a sink or drain either. So tasks like washing dishes, brushing teeth, etc were awkward even if you had water. I suppose it's because they don't have any sort of drainage system. ‍You really need to bring dishpans or buckets. We used paper products for pretty much everything. River cabin 6 had an outhouse a few feet away across a small parking lot. There was a larger running-water shower facility downhill from us (a five minute walk). Again, we were not experienced campers so the lack of running water was definitely something we couldn't get used to. Each porch and cabin came with internal and external picnic tables and benches, but you might want to bring your own folding/camping chairs. There weren't even logs to sit on around the fire ring. Firewood was readily available on site within the cabin area. Also highly recommend bringing along a fan as cabins can get quite warm on hot days. Did lose electric one day so as many rechargeable things as possible would be very advantageous. The park itself is beautifully maintained and really a great place to enjoy the Clarion river and hike in the hills of the surrounding Cook Forest with well-marked, well-established easy/moderate trails. We took the Longfellow trail into the forest area known as "The Cathedral" to see some of the oldest growth/uncut trees on the east coast, if not the entire US. Pale Whale activity rentals was a short walk/drive away where you could rent kayaks, canoes or floats. The river was very low when we were there, but we did the 2 mile float trip which was just about 2 1/2 hours and perfect for our group. ($15 pp) One of the units (R6) had a bat inside one night and the other unit's (R1) front porch was besieged by some kind of bee or yellow jacket which prohibited us from eating outdoors at that unit. That said we still managed to have a great time and ate very casually on site. We had intended to go out to eat at least one night at a local establishment, but that never panned out. Alcohol is strictly prohibited on site. I found little or no information or reviews about these cabins online prior to booking so felt we were really going in blind but still happy that we did it. To check availability or make a reservation click on the https://pennsylvaniastateparks.reserveamerica.com/ website. Choose Cook Forest State Park then choose "Rustic cabins" under the campsite type pull down. It's a very user UNfriendly website IMHO The cost was approximately $250 total per cabin for a two night weekend stay in August. As far as I could tell, none of the River cabins actually had a view of the river, although it was nearby brush and trees prohibited the view.

Tip #1: Try your best to arrive before dark. Because when it's dark in Cook Forrest, it's DARK…read more.. Tip #2: Don't even THINK that you're going to have any cell service. You won't. Zero. For miles. Tip #3: Don't over-pack. Riverside gives you almost everything you could possibly need and it's awesome - firewood, dishes, etc. DO pack dish soap, a dish sponge/scrubber, paper towels, bathroom soap and trash bags. We forgot. It was sad. Tip #4: Bring lots of grill-able food, s'mores ingredients and beer. We did and it was glorious. Tip #5: Plan to go tubing. Forget canoeing; the water is just too shallow for the most part. Tubing is AMAZING. The signs say "no alcohol," but I'll let you decide whether or not to obey that one... We took the 2.5 miles journey (approx. 2.5 hours), but could've stayed in the water for days, it was THAT wonderful. Bring as many beverages as you can possibly handle and maybe a snack or two. Tip #6: Don't plan on a great shower. The water pressure is, well, not great. But who cares? Don't shower at all and go primal. Tip #7: Bring great company. I went with 6 other friends and we had a totally memorable weekend. Have a dog? Bring it! The cabins are pet-friendly for a very nominal ($20 charge). Cashier Cindy from the Dry Goods Store gets 5 stars all by herself. We had a brief emergency situation during our stay and she could not possibly have been any more helpful. The staff is so welcoming, we can't wait to see them again next year!

Had breakfast here. The service was terrible and they were not busy. Waited 10 minutes for anyone…read moreto even come to our table to take our drink order. The food was slow coming out but good, usual breakfast fare.

Only gluten-free pancakes in the area, and they're good!read more

I stayed in #4 Little Bear in March and it was so cozy and comfortable! The gas fireplace kept the…read morecabin warm and there was plenty of space for my solo trip. I am working on a book and needed a place in the area to work quietly (as I had a few nearby locations to visit for research) and this cabin was just right! The owners were extremely good at communication and the checkin/checkout price was so smooth. I did not have the opportunity to use the fire pit or grill during this stay, and cannot comment on those, but they are available! A generous stack of firewood was made available for the fire pit, I had noticed. The cabins are easy to find right off of 36, and they are private. I might have been the only one there this time (which is fine!) but even if you have "neighbors" I think there'd be plenty of privacy and quiet solitude. I am definitely hoping to come back in the future, and bring my husband along next time!

had a great weekend camping here!…read more evergreen cabins in the off-season is amazing. we had a cute cabin weekend and really enjoyed ourselves. plus, it snowed right after we got there so we woke up to a white blanket! the folks who run the cabins are so nice and accommodating, they even let us bring our 3 dogs when their limit is usually 2. we didn't see any wildlife during our trip. but we did see some bear prints in the snow when we were leaving. overall a really cool weekend

This place is nice. The ATV m bikes as mentioned before rules have changed. They r mo longer…read morepermitted to ride thought the park, there's a place back behind the park they can ride. Rich is awesome and trustworthy. Lot fees are not bad and the people are all nice.

We have had a permanent site for 3 years now. Each year there is more and more growth in this…read morepark. A major down side to this park is it is noisy due to all the motorized bikes and atv's that ride around from sun up to well past sun down. Kids of all ages that are not monitored by parents and are allowed to ride on the same for roads as park traffic. If you are looking to enjoy some peace and quiet go during the week. Weekends are busy, noisy and anything but quiet.

We LOVED this campground! Large spots, good WiFi, and lots to do. Looking forward to coming back…read morenext year!

My family and I had a trip planned for this weekend. We arrived Wednesday evening after hours. We…read moreproceeded to our assigned camp site and the neighboring campsites had pop ups, picnic tables and chairs in our site. We reached out to the 24 hour number we were provided and were advised that nobody was onsite but to ask the people to move. We ended up on a FaceTime call with the manager who after a while told us to move to a different site that was severely un level and muddy. When we couldn't make that site work because it was only 30 amp and too small for our fifth wheel. We were told to move to yet a different site and we would figure it out in the morning. The next morning we were texted and told that we needed to move back to the original site. My wife walked over and all of the items were still in our site. The campground instructed us to tell the people to move. All though that shouldn't be our responsibility to do we did. The people said they would but instead left. After all of the issues we divided to leave. Nobody seemed to care at this point so we moved to a different campground. It was quite an experience. I would absolutely not recommend this place which is a shame because a year ago we had a great experience here. We were informed that the owners were a corporation and it truly shows. Campers paradise is an ironic name as there is nothing paradise about this place.