Camp Swatara — Hotel in Bethel Township

This place has deteriorated significantly under new ownership. The splash pad, once a popular attraction open all day, is now fenced off due to the recent addition of a swimming pool, which is only accessible when a lifeguard is present. This new swimming pool is disappointingly small.

Additionally, the splash pad has been plagued with issues, remaining non-functional during both of our visits over the last two summers. There are also ongoing problems with the light timers near the basketball and volleyball courts. One summer, the lights stayed on all night, while this year, they failed to turn on at all, resulting in campers losing several hours of access to those amenities over the course of their stay.

Firewood used to be available 24/7 through an honor system - just drop $5 into a box, fill a wheelbarrow (level), and take it to your fire pit. Now, it costs $8 for less wood, comes pre-wrapped, and is only available when the camp store is open, with no wheelbarrow provided for transport.

The food service has also raised eyebrows with its pricing. A pulled chicken BBQ sandwich, coleslaw, and chips costs $14, with an additional $2 for a drink, which...

I have been going to this camp ground since I was a kid and it has always been such a family friendly camp ground full of fun activities and great memories. This year was the exact same thing !! This camp ground is so peaceful and has an overall great environment and very very nice staff. The only issue I had was usually every year I come to this camp ground wood is very easily accessible and close to the local cabins. They usually have wood locations in multiple areas around the camp sites so that you are not traveling super far to get wood. This year all of the wood locations were completely empty with no wood which led to us having to drive pretty far to load our own personal vehicles rather than prior years when we would just use a wheel barrel and bring it to our site from a close location. (Please fix wood issue ASAP) Besides that everything here at this camp ground is amazing. They have a great store where you can access all your needs for camping. I recommend you bring your family and book a large size cabin for the extra space and I promise you that you will have a great time !! I have been to camp swatara 10 plus times and every time is an...

i had a fairly good experience here. i came here on a summer program field trip three years ago (seventh grade). there was lots of bus/camper/rv parking. there were lots of hiking trails, little playgrounds, and pavilions. in the area where we were, there was a good pavilion with concrete and lots of picnic tables where we could eat and have lots of room for around 100 girls plus staff. there was also a basketball court in our area, a playground, and a small area with water fountains we could play in. it was kind of a long hike to the pool from where we were, but it was worth it. half of us went to the pool and the other half stayed at the pavilion. i went to the pool, and it was really fun. there were pool toys, balls, and floaties readily available. the pool house/changing room was a little scary, and it only fit one at a time, but it was good. the slides and diving area were good, even though it would be hard for younger children, larger people, and physically disabled people to climb up to the slide. 8/10 would...