Go if
You want a quiet forest base camp with water activities and don't rely on cell service.
Loleta Recreation
4.20199 reviews131 SMOKEY LANE
Great for Groups
Featured in:Best Campgrounds Pennsylvania
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Quick Facts
1,391 ftPrice
$12 - $40/night
Booking
Reservable
Sites
50 campsites
Season
Open from May 25 to ...
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Very Pet Friendly
ElectricShowers
Get DirectionsReal-Time Availability
Select a month, then check for open campsites
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
Quick Facts
1,391 ftPrice
$12 - $40/night
Booking
Reservable
Sites
50 campsites
Season
Open from May 25 to ...
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Very Pet Friendly
ElectricShowers
Get DirectionsLoleta Recreation
$12.00 - $40.00 / night
Campsite Fees
GROUP STANDARD NONELECTRIC: $40.00; STANDARD ELECTRIC: $21.00; STANDARD NONELECTRIC: $15.00; TENT ONLY NONELECTRIC: $12.00. Plus Recreation.gov...
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Group Site Fee$80.00
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Recreation Dot Gov
Provider814-927-6628asmklondike1@gmail.com
I manage this campgroundCampground Map
131 SMOKEY LANE
Loleta Recreation
131 SMOKEY LANE
Nearby places
Marienville (6 miles, approximately 10 minutes), Clarion (35 miles, approximately 50 minutes), Cook Forest State Park (16 miles, approximately 25 minutes).
Weather at Loleta Recreation
About Loleta Recreation
RV details
Planning your trip?Check out our camping packing checklist
Skip if
You need reliable showers or easy RV maneuvering on narrow forest roads.
From the U.S. Forest Service
Reference information about Loleta Recreation sourced from official USFS records and forestcamping.com. View official recreation.gov page →
Overview
<p>This area has been recently nominated and accepted onto the National Register of Historic Places. The area was once a bustling logging town, established in 1889, with over 600 inhabitants. The town had a large sawmill, shingle mill, broom handle factory and a rail connection for shipping products to Sheffield, PA. Once the timber supply was exhausted in 1913, the mills shut down and the town was deserted.</p><p>The Federal Government purchased the site in 1925, adding it to the newly formed Allegheny National Forest. In the 1930s, the Forest Service (using CCC labor) reconstructed the mill pond, added a bathhouse, swimming area, picnic shelters, and landscaping. The distinctive quality of CCC workmanship is evident today in the dam stonework and the log construction of the old bathhouse. The camping loops were added in the 1960s.</p><p>Trout fishing is good in Millstone Creek. The picturesque <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/allegheny/recarea/?recid=82077">Clarion River,</a> about four miles south of the campground, offers excellent fishing and canoeing. A three-mile long hiking trail, marked with off-white diamonds, starts and ends at Loleta, from the parking lot near the group camping site through the woods around the upper camping loop and comes back in between the upper loop and the group site. <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/allegheny/recarea/?recid=81944">Buzzard Swamp</a> offers 10 miles of trail, 5 miles North of Loleta Recreation Area.</p><p><em><strong>View/Print Site Brochure - </strong></em><a href="https://go.usa.gov/xXC7V">pdf</a></p>
About the campground
The elevation for the Lower Loop is 1,000 ft. and 3,000 ft. for the Upper Loop. The campground straddles East Branch Millstone Creek with a section on either side of the creek. Each section, named Upper and Lower, is a single loop. The Upper Loop, with well-shaded, secluded sites, is designed for tents and small RVs. It is not recommended for large RVs/trailers. The Lower Loop, with more open and level sites, can accommodate larger rigs and has electric hookups. On the site of a bustling 1899 logging town named Loleta, the campground was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Along with the campground, the CCC reconstructed the old Loleta Mill Pond with a bath-house, swimming area, and picnic shelters. The distinctive workmanship of the CCC is evident throughout the area. One day trip from the campground is Buzzard Swamp Hiking Trails. A 9.6-mile network of trails wind through an area of 15 man-made ponds. The area is an important link of the Atlantic flyway. Some 20 to 25 species of waterfowl can be seen in the Buzzard Swamp area during annual migration. Don't forget the fishing pole - Small and Largemouth bass, perch, catfish, crappie, and bluegill can be found in the ponds. This is bear country; practice safe food storage technique.
Seasons & access
Open April 1 through October 21 - upper loop Open April 15 through October 31 - lower loop
Facilities
Flush toilets and hot showers are at the beach.
Water activities
The Lake is actually a small pond area, between two small dams, fed by the East Branch Millstone Creek. Very nice beach.
RV information
The parking aprons are grass. An RV waste station is available for a fee, with potable water, at the Loleta Road Runner Travel Trailer Park on the way to campground. Ask owner about the potable water.
Directions
In Marienville, PA, at the intersection of State Rt. 66 and Forest St., take Forest St. south 5.7 miles to the campground's Lower Loop. For the Upper Loop, go 5.8 miles to Millstone Rd. Turn left onto Millstone Rd and go 0.6 miles to the Upper Loop.
- National Forest
- Allegheny National Forest
- Ranger District
- Marienville
- Rate
- $18 per day - electric (lower loop) $5 per day surcharge Note: No discount on surcharge $15 per day - no electric (upper loop)
- Maximum Stay
- 14
- Open Season
- 4/01 – 10/14
