Love the outdoors but not crazy about carrying every single one of your supplies on your back? Or setting up a tent?
There are campsites throughout Berks County where you can experience the mountains, the woods and the water without sacrificing the comfort and conveniences of home. There are campsites for tents and campsites for glamping in an air-conditioned, converted double-decker bus. And there are lots of options in between, from renting an RV to your own tipi.
This guide shows you don’t have to go out west for an epic camping trip. These close-to-home campgrounds have their own activities (A splash park! A zip line! Disc golf!) and they’re close to the great outdoors. Stay a night or two and it’s easier to focus on the experience, not the drive there. (When was the last time you took time to pet a goat or see Roadside America?)
Here’s a guide to six places to camp in the Berks County region.
Lake in Wood Resort
Why camp in a tent when you can sleep in a tipi? Or a treehouse? Or a double-decker bus? At Lake In Wood Campground, you can pick from these along with sites for RVs and other unique rentals.
The double-decker bus sleeps two adults and two children, as long as you’re under 6 feet tall. There’s a bathroom, a television and air conditioning on the top floor.
The red caboose sleeps two adults and two children, with room for a kitchenette and a bathroom.
There’s also a covered wagon (with room for a family of 4), a yurt and a tipi.
The campground is near Narvon and is open late March through late October. Daily rentals range from $43 for a tent site to $135 for a double-decker bus, and tipi rentals start at $151.
When you’re not taking selfies in your abode, the resort has a lake with fishing and boat rentals. There’s a mini-golf course, indoor and outdoor pools and places to play games from softball to shuffleboard, plus weekly activities. Another new addition: pet goats Billy and Lilly.
Blue Rocks Family Campground
Blue Rocks Family Campground is named after the mysterious field of sandstone boulders near Lenhartsville. The rocks are Tuscarora quartzite, something that’s not common in Berks. So how did they get here? Geologists have studied the mile-long field, and signs point to glaciers in the last ice age, but we still don’t know exactly why.
This site has been a spot for picnics and live music since 1930. More recently, it’s become a campsite for longer stays. Pick from about 140 sites for tents and RVs or choose a cabin or cottage (some with heat and air conditioning), year-round. Daily rentals range from $34 to $220, depending on the site and time of year.
Aside from the blue rocks, the park’s surrounded by hiking trails, including the Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Maine to Georgia. Also accessible are the trail to Pulpit Rock and The Pinnacle (the highest lookout point on the Appalachian Trail). Wear sturdy shoes on these rocky but rewarding hikes. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary isn’t far away, either.
For some country art, take a drive and spot dozens of barn stars in the area.
Back at the campground, you can fish in the pond, swim in the pool and play a game of basketball, volleyball or horseshoes. Gearheads will like the classic car garage filled with antique cars. Kids will enjoy touring the campground in a real fire truck.
Eagles Peak
abcamping.com/abeaglespeak
Not too far from Middle Creek is Eagles Peak, an Adventure Bound Camping Resort near Womelsdorf and Robesonia on Texter Mountain.
The campground has campsites for tents or you can rent rustic cabins, deluxe cabins, or a farm house, all with heat and air conditioning. If you prefer, rent an RV from March through October. Prices range from $25 to $244 a night depending on the type of site and time of year.
On-site, Eagles Peak has two pools and an impressive new splash park with waterslides and huge soaker buckets. There’s also a race course for radio-controlled cars, a mini golf course, a gaga ball pit, basketball, volleyball, bocce and peddle cart races.
If you’d rather connect with nature, within walking distance is Texter Mountain Preserve, a natural gem that’s newly preserved for hiking and birdwatching. While Middle Creek is known for the winter bird migration, the site has an impressive array of wildflowers, with varieties blooming from February through October.
French Creek State Park
dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/FrenchCreekStatePark
If this state park on the Berks-Chester border seems to you like a wooded oasis, you’re right. The woods are the largest contiguous forest between New York City and Washington, D.C.
You can stay in a yurt (think of it as a round tent on a wooden deck) stocked with a fridge and a microwave plus a fire ring outside. The park has more than 200 campsites for RVs or tents. There are also modern cabins in the woods with kitchens, private bathrooms and heat. Prices range from $19 a night to $92 a night depending on the type of site and time of year.
The park has hiking, biking, fishing and more. Rent a boat at Hopewell Lake. Play a round of disc golf in the woods. Test your navigation skills on the two orienteering courses that attract people from out of state. Search for rare plants in Pine Swamp or birds like bald eagles and Cooper’s hawks in this park, which has been named an Important Bird Area by Audubon.
South Mountain YMCA camps
Was summer camp the highlight of the year when you were a kid?
South Mountain YMCA Camps has summer camps for families. You can stay in a cabin, fill the day with activities and eat in the dining hall, all with your family at this camp near Wernersville.
The family camps are available during several weekends through fall (this year’s remaining camps are Labor Day weekend and Oct. 27-29. A cabin that sleeps 14 costs $60 for the weekend, plus more for each camper.)
Another option is to build your own retreat with friends or co-workers. Activities range from air riflery and archery to mountain biking and horseback riding. Yes, arts and crafts are an option. There’s also a 300-foot zip line, a climbing tower and hikes to Cushion Peak. Retreat prices vary with activities.
Worried the summer camp for kids won’t be big enough for grown-up campers? The YMCA group built 24 log cabins with heat and electricity and two bathhouses for grown-up campers.
Camp Swatara
In the far western corner of Berks, at the foot of the Blue Mountain, is Camp Swatara.
Camp Swatara started as a summer camp for children from the Church of the Brethren 75 years ago.
Today, the camp’s open to families as well.
This camp has hiking trails, a lake for boating and fishing, a pool, a soccer field, a softball field, a basketball court, a volleyball court, a BMX bike trail and a miniature golf course. During the main season, April through November, there are dozens of sites available for tents and RVs, plus small and large cabins. Daily prices range from $27 to $69
