Laurel Hill State Park — Attraction in Jefferson Township

Overall not a bad place, but I'm rating this 3 stars as compared to other PA state parks I've been to, which have been easy 4s/5s.

The campground is definitely old. Not inherently a bad thing, but most of the sites are very small and close together, save a few. We were VERY excited to see the campsite we had chosen (228) as, on paper it was going to be the perfect site for a group of tenters: spaced out, with a private, solid wood pavilion and a perfectly level tent pad. The pavilion had an overhead light (with a switch, it wasn't permanently on or anything) and power outlets. Apparently there used to be a rental yurt on this site or something, hence the bizarre setup. What they don't really tell you about this site is the creepy, gigantic, old and capped water reservoir literally like 30 feet from the edge of your site that's somehow barely in the website images despite it's prominence (only marked by a small spot on the campground map), or, more importantly, how FAR and up/downhill all the bathrooms are in that entire loop! It was a trek that was not going to be tolerable for any length of time. Also, the firepit was a lame double-layered one that meant none of us felt warm at all.

To their credit though the park rangers were absolutely excellent and helped us choose another site the next morning, and found something that fit our needs better. We were very grateful for that and their kind attitudes, but it did mean wasting a huge chunk of the day relocating. Not their fault, but still frustrating.

Speaking of fire - it must be a regional thing with the resorts around, but there are NO roadside firewood stands whatsoever, which I feel is a good detail to know as someone who tries to save money wherever I can. Meaning you have to buy the very small bundles from the park itself... Which ended up literally doubling my usual wood budget for a 3 night trip.

BUT the park does have a lot of very nicely treed sites, a beach and lake, and some GREAT hikes. I would definitely go back to explore more of the park itself as a day trip, but I'd rather stay at another campground...

We usually camp at Ohio Pyle and love it! The first time I went with my husband to laurel hill it was nice and we loved the trout filled lake. I decided to purchase bikes for the family to try the trails together for the first time and spend one night camping. This time we just felt really unwelcome. The park ranger stared at my husband without speaking back and watched kept following behind our car when we camp back into the camp. What really ruined my family experience was after riding the trails down to the popular fish spot with the kids and poles upon returning my 4 year old fell off his bike. His training wheels hit a few rocks, causing him to tip over. He had a helmet on and pads but hurt his arm and hands on the ground. He became afraid to ride his bike so we had to take turns walking him and two bikes. We even put him on a bike and walked it. He became tired of holding the handles so we picked him up. It was a struggle lol. Plus we were trying to rush because it because this slowed us down and it became dark. Couldn’t see in front of us and my son’s dinosaur helmet lite and our cell lights. After all this we get to the car sweating and tired. The park ranger pulls up and says he we were looking for you. The park closed. I kindly took him out son fell and got hurt so it took longer to get back. Also I’m not sure how hard he LOOKED for us because he could of walked the trail and helped if it was that serious. Instead he skipped over me saying my son was hurt and said, “I could give you a citation. Next time I will”. After that I was disheartened for sure. The whole family felt off after that. I”ll stick to other...

Clean bathrooms, sinks to wash dishes, nice warm water, kayaks, swimming, very good hiking trails, 5 degrees cooler than N E Ohio. However, bad cell reception, which hindered planning the second half of the vacation. Tmo had zero bar, sprint had 1 bar, and could get 1x internet 3 minutes out of every 10. AT&T offered a slow 4g 3 minutes out of 10 min. Verizon had 1 bar and good 4g 6 minutes out of every 10 min. This is at the best spots in the Campground. Why the internet went in and out, is a mystery. You would think that they would offer Wi-Fi, if no carriers will put an antenna on the mountain top. They could use more restrooms, with more private dressing area. At least hang a curtain or something. Not enough wood for $5. They need to sell distilled water in 5s at the gate, because their water had a weird flavor. Better cell reception on the trails would make it safer. My wife kept getting hurt on the trails, while my teen son kept wandering off and getting separated from us. If rescue workers need cell reception in the woods, why would not the victims need it too. They could rent a 15 foot radius cell jammer for addicted teens to...