There's a moment that I know you've had. That moment when you look into someone's face and their…read moreexpression immediately tells you that you are screwed, even before they speak a word. This happened to me on Wednesday at the Little Pine Campground when I said to the receptionist Kate, "Hi , I'm Jim Hasson. I reserved a Yurt for the next few days!" That expression I mentioned above hit me immediately, telling me there was a problem...and there was. "Uh sir, those Yurts have been booked through the summer, " she explained, as a doctor would tell you that a loved one just died, " I believe I noticed that you rented a Pavilion for the next 3 days." Let me rewind to a few weeks earlier. My friend Steve and I decided to go on a mini camping trip. Since it was short noticed and we had little camping gear, I decided we should try and get some kind of cabin. Since I'm cheap I downloaded the PA State Park app and scoured it for something to reserve. It was hard to find a cabin, most required a week stay and were already booked. I then found something called a Yurt, it was like a little furnished Tee pee and it fit our needs. I booked it for the 2 nights immediately. Many will remember my post about wondering why it didn't include 2 nights and we had to check in at 8amWed and check out at 8pm Thurs. I won't rehash it here but consider this one of the red flags that led to our downfall. I even contacted a human to ask about it. Not someone at Little Pine (if only!) but just some operator in their data base. She had me book an extra night. But big deal, because my buddy Steve and I were going camping! Except maybe we weren't. We stood in the park office getting the bad news from Kate, with a car full of camping supplies (not a tent) and a load of recently purchased groceries, some of them perishable, in need of the mini fridge we thought we'd be getting with the Yurt. As I was being told we rented a Pavilion for 3 days- Kate: We were all wondering what kind of cult event was going on for 3 days at a pavilion! - I had images of Steve and I on sleeping bags on picnic tables or maybe building some kind of fort with them. But Kate, to her credit, sprung into action. (Glowing Yelp review to follow). She got on the phone and began calling around to anywhere local where we could find a tent or cottage. Unfortunately it was fruitless but I still love her for trying. Finally, she called park maintenance and had them set us up a tent, that they luckily had in storage. Between Kate, the maintenance guy (whose name I wish I had asked) and a Ranger named Jeb, we were well taken care of and our trip was not only saved but enhanced (now we were kind of really roughing it!). The error was chalked up to a crappy interface for their App, a faceless 1-888 number that knows nothing about the actual parks and my own stupidity and bad luck. We were refunded the yurt/pavilion fee and just paid for a campsite which was all considerably cheaper. I was so happy that I wouldn't be sleeping on a park bench that I happily exclaimed to Kate on my way out, "If anyone wants to use our Pavilion, they are more than welcome!" While in the car on the way to one of our many side trips that day, I was feeling a bit guilty that the one thing I was in charge of got ruined, I tried to apologize to Steve, "I'm sorry man, I don't know what happened. I guess it's because I'd never rented a Yurt before" Steve, in his infinite wisdom, simply replied, "Well, technically , you still haven't."

A beautiful scenic campground. We were in site 039 and were grateful there was nobody across from…read moreus when we arrived or when we left as it was very tight. It was very buggy when we arrived (late July) but the weather turned cooler and we had beautiful weather for our four night stay. There was no sewer or water hookup at our site but the bathhouse was close. We walked some of the trails and everything was beautiful. We brought kayaks but the water we paddled in by the dam was just ok. Lots of vegetation close to the surface, etc. We stayed to visit friends nearby. Dogs are welcome but they don't want you walking them by the no-pet sites, which is a little awkward.

I was in town visiting family, and we ended up coming to the park. It was a very nice park and saw…read morenothing but green everywhere. The place had some nice hiking trails you can follow or even walk your dog in. My aunt walks her dogs here often, and she never had an issue here. She even let's them take a dip in the water and they love it. I didn't really see any trash laying around, so it looked to be kept clean. There is also a little playground you can take your kids to and have some fun. Next to the playground was a restroom too so you don't have to go far. We went in the early morning and didn't see many people. We were able to enjoy a nice walk in peace and quiet. Overall, it was a good experience and would come back if I'm in town again.

This is a cute little park, with a lot of community feel to it: soccer fields, playground, some…read moretrails, and river access for the boats. It's an island with river views. The playground offers some swings, slides, climbing structures, monkey bars, and the like. There are some parking lots and bathrooms available too.

So awesome. We've been here several times these past two years. Service is great and the boats are…read moreeven better! Fun and affordable way to spend sunny days.

Located in Bald Eagle State Park, Boats and Bikes is a simple shop with one goal in mind: helping…read moreyou enjoy a day on the water. Specifically, the shop is there to help you enjoy Joseph Sayers Lake, the scenic lake in Bald Eagle. This place rents out a variety of boats to park goers, from canoes and kayaks to pontoon boats and jet skis. Also, you can rent for short and long periods of time alike - anywhere from an hour to all day, according to their website. The website also mentions that they offer an on-lake fuel dock with non-ethanol fuel, fishing and boating supplies, live bait, snacks, drinks, ice, and camping supplies. Like I said: they're here to help you enjoy your time on the water! Reservations aren't required, but are recommended - but also aren't available for each type of boat. I know this because prior to my visit, I learned that canoes and kayaks are first come, first serve. Not a big deal, but still something to be aware of, and admittedly weird since you can reserve a paddle board...just, not canoes or kayaks? When I visited, a relative and I opted to enjoy three hours of kayaking on the water. A few other groups went for the pontoon boats, and we also shared the water with folks who clearly owned their own boats and were using approved launch points to join in the fun. Our visit was pretty straight-forward; we paid, got outfitted with life vests and paddles, and got some help launching ourselves after we asked for it. Coming back in was admittedly less fun since the very busy staff didn't come help to pull in our kayaks; we managed by ourselves but it took a bit of coordination and teamwork since a kayak that's half in, half out of the water isn't particularly stable. We also admittedly dodged some groups of people on land because not every other guest remembered that masks are necessary outdoors in 2020, too; still, the good news about being outside is that it's at least easier to keep your distance. And the staff did mask up at all times, so at least being inside when checking in and out wasn't overly stressful. Boats & Bikes is exactly what it sounds like and I definitely appreciate their set-up, which made it easy to enjoy time on the lake in this beautiful state park. I would definitely come here again and take advantage of the different boat rental options during future visits to the area.

Relaxing place to walk along the river, though there's a lot of noise pollution from the highway…read more Access via overpass. Can walk down the levy to the water of you want, but it's a steep walk.

Treasure Castle Playland is a pretty cool place to visit in South Williamsport if you have younger…read morekids. It's an older church converted into a child's playland. Very similar to Chuck-E-Cheese, Gymboree or Bounce U. Admission is 6 dollars for ages 1-3 and 9 dollars for 4-12, one parent is free per child, extra parents are 2 dollars a person. They have two floors of adventure, including padded play area, fortress climb wall, blocks, panning for gold, a Castle Garden for younger kids, coin-operated amusements, a food court, learning computers, free wi-fi, and all sorts of kids stuff available for purchase. Our 2 year old had a blast there. Ample parking available, next to Little Tresures Daycare.

We wish we lived closer! We were passing through and stopped to get some energy out with our 1 and…read more4 year olds. It was awesome. Pizza was amazing and great priced. Love the family owned feel. Super cool place! Thank you.

Ever wanted to take a trip to nowhere? If the answer is yes, then dammit, you got a whole lot of…read morenowhere to enjoy at McCalls Dam State Park! A visit here is really only for....?? Locals? Completeists who want to get to everyone of PA's 121 state parks? It's like writing a presidential history report on William Henry Harrison or James A. Garfield. It's like saying that you're favorite baseball player was Eddie Gaedel. Either way there's not much source material. MDSP is only 8 acres (4th smallest for those of you keeping score at home - and you should be keeping score!) and honestly it feels, out of place. The basic Wiki history is that some coot named Johnny McCall started a splash dam in 1850 so that he could power a saw mill. In the late 1860's that dam was rebuilt into a series of splash dams used for floating logs down to Watsontown on the Susquehanna River. While Johnny's splash damns are long gone, somehow he got a state park named after him when the CCC built this place during the early 1930's. Now when I say built this place, that's a very hyperbolic term because there ain't much here. The park in essence is a small gravel pad for a few cars and then across the road you've got a few beat up picnic tables, the White Deer Creek, a rustic shit pit that no doubt dates back to the 1930's and a single trail that goes along the creek a short distance before it randomly just...stops. What you also don't have here would any garbage or recycling so whatever you bring in, you need to take out with you. I assume at one point this place was a part of the surrounding Bald Eagle State Forest and it's 193K+ and then it was eventually splintered off into it's current configuration. There are also several other small and lesser state parks in the vicinity such as Raymond B. Winter, Ravensburg and Sand Bridge. The great band Spinal Tap wrote a song about the little Druids called "Stonehenge". In that epic classic they ask profound questions such as "No one knows who they were or what they were doing?" and "Where are they now and what would they say to us?" My version would be more like, "Who was Johnny McCall and why do we need a park named after him?" "Does this park even matter with how small it is and is there really any reason to even go?" If you want quiet and deserted or if you're mafia and looking for a great place to "make someone disappear", Bingo! You found it here!

This is a nice city park! Lots of beautiful trees. You can drive through and choose a spot to park…read morefor free. This is the kind of park missing from Virginia. I enjoyed my visit and recommend the park if your are in town.

A nice little community park with a Little League field for the kids to play at. It is in the…read morecenter of quiet residential area. With Glade Run flowing next to it.