America’s Camping Report Card
Pennsylvania
Better than 14% of graded states overall.
Graded on 9,384 written reviews from Pennsylvania - no star ratings, just what people wrote.
The breakdown
Letter grades are this state ranked against all other graded states, topic by topic.
What campers praised
- beautiful campground96
- beautiful park77
- beautiful lake72
- beautiful area63
- beautiful scenery56
What campers warned about
- low lake level2
- algae issue at water1
- bad weather1
- bay dried up in late fall1
- beach area needs work1
- Praised by
- 40.8%
- Warned by
- 1.2%
- Rank
- Better than 21% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.396 (±0.010, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- hiking trails34
- fishing20
- lots to do18
- kayaking15
- playground for kids13
What campers warned about
- not much to do3
- playgrounds removed3
- kayak launch access2
- rain limited activities2
- trails washed out2
- Praised by
- 34.9%
- Warned by
- 2.0%
- Rank
- Better than 88% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.329 (±0.010, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- spacious sites102
- large sites46
- nice sites44
- great campsite24
- nice campsites21
What campers warned about
- sites too close together19
- sites very close together15
- sites close together11
- small sites5
- muddy site4
- Praised by
- 38.1%
- Warned by
- 10.4%
- Rank
- Better than 50% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.277 (±0.013, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- well maintained138
- clean bathrooms127
- very clean115
- clean101
- clean facilities49
What campers warned about
- dirty bathrooms9
- grass not mowed8
- bathrooms not cleaned5
- bathrooms could be cleaner4
- bathrooms need cleaning4
- Praised by
- 29.6%
- Warned by
- 9.6%
- Rank
- Better than 7% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
More campers praised this than complained (29.6% vs 9.6%) — so it doesn’t score as a fail. It lands here because it ranks below most other states on this topic.
Net sentiment +0.200 (±0.012, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- friendly staff45
- friendly people33
- great staff21
- friendly and helpful staff20
- friendly and helpful hosts18
What campers warned about
- campground host rude3
- no campground host3
- rude camp host3
- unfriendly hosts3
- camp host not present2
- Praised by
- 18.3%
- Warned by
- 4.4%
- Rank
- Better than 10% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
More campers praised this than complained (18.3% vs 4.4%) — so it doesn’t score as a fail. It lands here because it ranks below most other states on this topic.
Net sentiment +0.139 (±0.009, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- full hookups37
- bathrooms and showers33
- restrooms and showers27
- hot showers24
- clean bathrooms23
What campers warned about
- no showers14
- no cell service12
- bathrooms and showers11
- bathrooms9
- bathrooms need update5
- Praised by
- 24.3%
- Warned by
- 16.0%
- Rank
- Better than 24% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
More campers praised this than complained (24.3% vs 16.0%) — so it doesn’t score as a fail. It lands here because it ranks below most other states on this topic.
Net sentiment +0.084 (±0.012, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- quiet153
- very quiet89
- quiet campground67
- quiet atmosphere50
- quiet and peaceful40
What campers warned about
- sites close together16
- sites too close together12
- sites very close together10
- road noise6
- highway noise4
- Praised by
- 15.1%
- Warned by
- 8.5%
- Rank
- Better than 36% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
More campers praised this than complained (15.1% vs 8.5%) — so it doesn’t score as a fail. It lands here because it ranks below most other states on this topic.
Net sentiment +0.066 (±0.010, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- family friendly20
- friendly people18
- dog friendly15
- friendly campers15
- family friendly atmosphere5
What campers warned about
- awkward and uncomfortable for our group1
- awkward neighboring group behavior1
- biracial children singled out1
- campers not friendly to other race1
- campers unfriendly to outsiders1
- Praised by
- 4.3%
- Warned by
- 0.6%
- Rank
- Better than 91% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.037 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- reasonably priced12
- great prices7
- reasonable price7
- very affordable7
- affordable6
What campers warned about
- firewood pricey3
- needs more funding3
- a little pricey2
- cheap price2
- firewood overpriced2
- Praised by
- 3.8%
- Warned by
- 2.3%
- Rank
- Better than 60% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.015 (±0.005, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- paved roads11
- easy access9
- close to town8
- easy to find8
- close to home6
What campers warned about
- no cell service8
- no cell reception3
- spotty cell coverage3
- hard to find map2
- hard to get water spots2
- Praised by
- 6.0%
- Warned by
- 6.9%
- Rank
- Better than 12% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.009 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- safe9
- felt safe5
- well patrolled4
- felt safe and secure2
- safe environment for everyone2
What campers warned about
- black bear entered campsite2
- kids in road near cars2
- safety concerns2
- theft at campsite2
- 6x6 around sites hazard1
- Praised by
- 1.4%
- Warned by
- 2.9%
- Rank
- Better than 19% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.015 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- easy check-in7
- already reserved next spring2
- easy check-in process2
- easy to reserve2
- looking forward to booking again2
What campers warned about
- hard to get a site6
- hard to get water sites3
- booked solid but many sites open2
- could not transfer or refund site2
- hard to snag weekend dates2
- Praised by
- 1.7%
- Warned by
- 3.7%
- Rank
- Better than 38% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.020 (±0.005, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- pet friendly13
- dog friendly10
- dogs allowed4
- quiet hours respected3
- quiet time respected3
What campers warned about
- quiet hours ignored7
- quiet hours not enforced6
- dogs off leash3
- earlier checkout time3
- leash laws not enforced3
- Praised by
- 1.2%
- Warned by
- 4.7%
- Rank
- Better than 33% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.035 (±0.005, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- abundant wildlife2
- lots of wildlife2
- no bugs2
- almost zero mosquitos1
- bears walked through site1
What campers warned about
- poison ivy everywhere11
- gypsy moth infestation5
- rainy weather5
- gypsy moth caterpillars4
- lots of bugs4
- Praised by
- 0.4%
- Warned by
- 4.8%
- Rank
- Better than 69% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.044 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 9,384 written reviews, 50% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
We read every written review of a campground in Pennsylvania and used AI to label what each camper praised or complained about, across 14 topics. A topic’s score is the share who praised it minus the share who complained. Then we rank that against every other graded state and assign a letter grade on a curve (A = top vs other states, F = bottom vs other states).
The letter is bounded by what campers actually felt: a topic most campers praised won’t score a D or F, and one most campers complained about won’t score an A or B. Within those bounds, the curve — how it ranks against other states — sets the exact grade. Switch to Raw numbers to see the share who praised vs. warned behind every grade.
Only states with at least 2,000 reviews are graded. Scores are smoothed toward the national average (shrinkage k=500) so small samples can’t swing a grade, and every topic carries a 95% confidence interval. The overall grade weights each topic by how often campers actually raise it.
Topic weights
- Scenery15%
- Campsites15%
- Cleanliness13%
- Facilities12%
- Staff & hosts10%
- Things to do9%
- Crowds & noise8%
- Getting there6%
- Bugs & weather3%
- Booking2%
- Value2%
- Rules & policies2%
- Safety2%
- Welcoming1%
Methodology v2-curve-shrink-k500-sniff-floor | 43 states graded | updated June 2026.