Laurel Hill State Park

This is the first time that either me or my husband have been here for years, and we decided to take a trip up today. It was a beautiful day, and we spent the majority of our time laying out, but we did take a walk and also walked up the dam.
It’s difficult to give the park a 5-​star rating and I want to be fair because we didn’t utilize the amenities, such as the camp grounds or pavilions. We spent the majority of our time on the beach and attempted to get in the water, which was simply too cold.
We decided to rent kayaks, and found it to be reasonably priced. You can rent the paddle boats, kayaks, canoes, or stand-​up paddle boards all for $ 10 per person per hour. Unfortunately, it just started to rain so we decided against it. Was as nice as I remembered as a kid. Seems like a great place for a day with the kids, or go out on the water, or to have a picnic. I’d definitely go back!

We rented a pavilion for a large family gathering and really enjoyed how easy it was to make the reservations. Arriving (as we’ve never been here before) we were VERY impressed with how big and beautiful this park is. The colors in the trees from the fall season were amazing!
The Lakeview Pavilion was outstanding! Had hot and cold running water, a nice wood burning fire place inside with stone chimney and tables and couches inside. Also a large deck overlooking the lake with picnic tables in front and on the deck. The porta-​jon was spacious and very clean. The only negative was the «park style» grill outside to cook on. Those are difficult to maintain a good temp, but worked well for the hamburgers and hot dogs we had.

This review is for the CAMP GROUNDS, and partially for the park. The camp grounds dont appear to have their own page.
If you are a family with a herd of small children and a dog and you hate both privacy and controlling your children, this is the campground for you. Actually, its probably excellent for families with kids.
There is a play ground, and when we were there (Memorial Day weekend) it appeared all the kids and parents made friends with each other and had this giant, noisy family cook out. They also played Frozen at the pavillion so I’m sure everyone went to see that.
I HAVE to recommend this for families. I do like kids and I thought this would be such agreat place to camp.
I dont have children, but I did have beer and a party attitude so this was the wrong campsite for me.
I did *NOT* love it, as I prefer rustic camping, or at least a semi seculded campsite with some privacy. THere was none of that. It was like I was camping in someone’s small front yard. Trees behind us but then it was just a level lawn. Everyone could see everything we were doing. Oh, and the park ranger drove past at least a dozen times a day.
Kids start waking up and screaming and making noise at 6am and since we were in a family campground, parents made no effort to quiet them. We were up early every day.
That said, there are some REALLY nice, semi private camp sites in the NON PET section of Laurel Hill, where they sites are spaced out and you’re surrounded by woods on 3 sides.
In the kid friendly/​pet friendly section I recommend sites 37 and 38. in the non pet friendly, wooded section I recommend site 222.
Both areas have full showers and bathrooms, although word of advice: shower during off hours if you dont like cold showers. The warm water runs out quickly when the campground is booked.
I’d book in advance for holiday weekends, Memorial Day weekend EVERY site was booked. Even the crappy site next to the bathroom.
The hiking options in this park are fantastic, and there is a lake w a nice beach you can go to for swimming, and you can rent kayaks, canoes, and paddleboats.
If you are from Pittsburgh there is NOTHING at Laurel Hill you can’t do at Raccoon Creek, and Raccoon Creeks is gorgeous, so I dont know why you’d be at Laurel Hill but for meeting up with friends with kids to camp.

Laurel Hill is a nicely manicured park. The «hikes» were closer to nature walks but the views are beautiful. The rangers and the people at the gift shop were very helpful with directions, suggestions on hike routes, and things we could expect to see along the way. If you visit after a heavy rain storm, expect parts of the route to be flooded or blocked by fallen trees.

We spent a single overnight camping here as part of a larger trip, so we didn’t hike, swim, or rent a boat, but the campground itself was very pleasant. We’ll be back! The campsites aren’t huge, but the forested setting provides a secluded, private feel. The bathrooms and showers are small but pretty well maintained. Since my daughter is not a fan of dogs right now, I really like that there are separate areas for campers with pets.
Note: on our way out, we stopped at the Visitor’s Center. The friendly lady on duty asked if we’d been hiking, and then asked if we’d seen any bears. When we answered no, she told us there had been a «stack» of bears visiting recently, trying to get into the park’s dumpsters! Good to know!

Located in Somerset County, Laurel Hill State Park is part of a chain of state parks, state forests, and natural areas stretching from about Nanty Glo to Ohiopyle. The State Park consists of 4,072 acres of mountainous terrain and is surrounded by thousands of acres of pristine state park and state forest lands. Available activites include picnicking, boating, fishing, camping, and hunting. The park has its own lodge and also has cabins available.
But of course I came here for the hiking. i organized a hike for some of my friends and co-​workers and believe me, after two weeks of being on the road (business related), it was sure great to see some familiar faces and get some hiking in. Laurel Hill State Park has 12 miles of trails of varying terrain and difficulty levels and it’s almost impossible to get them all done in a single day.
I tell you, this is not an easy trail system for a group hike. The skill levels vary from trail to trail greatly and it’s not easy to do a circuit here. Two easy segments will be linked by a a difficult one. That and many trails dead end or empty out onto area roads. For this reason, a good printed map (not your GPS) is a must as is a good orienteering course if you’re a novice hiker.
We began on the Ridge Trail. This is a grassy path and it’s quite often used as a wildlife corridor. If you keep your eyes and ears open, you’ll see and hear a wide
variety of bird species, both migrant and resident. The tree swallows and eastern bluebirds are especially popular. I’d love to come back in the spring and rent one of the cabins because it is said that the calls of spring peepers, bullfrogs, and American toads fill the night, along with the haunting calls of great horned and barred owls.
We then cut back towards the Tram Road Trail, passing the Jones Mill Run Dam. The Tram Road Trail is so named for the logging railroad that once ran through here. This area of Pennsylvania remained unlogged for many years, longer than any other. The steep hills and grades made it diffuclt to build railroad tracks until new technology was available to build the tracks to the sawmills. Powerful, slow locomotives climbed the switchbacked tracks through Laurel Hill pulling the logging trains.
We walked the Tram Road Trail back to our origination point and after hiking about 3 miles, some of the novice hikers decided to call it a day. Oh, not Susan and the hardcore hikers though. We weren’t finished by a longshot. We went out the Pump House Trail, kinda sorta looping back to teh Jones Mill Run Dam. Benches can be found here and it’s a great place to take a snack break. This area was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
We picked up the Martz Trail for about ¼ mile, which took us to the border alongside Forbes State Forest. The path continues into the forest as the Oak Trail, but we made a right and walked along Beltz Road to the Bobcat Trail. Now I must warn you, the Bobcat Trail is the most remote trail in the park. It is NOT recommended for novice hikers. It is extremely steep in places and the park recommends starting from Beltz Road as we did. But if you can do it, you will be rewarded with some fantastic scenery. The Bobcat Trail ends at Buck Run Road. I strongly recommend taking a rest/​snack break at Buck Run Road. Man, this is like the Riverview Trails in Frick Park.
Well we wrapped up the hike on the Hemlock Trail, which was a much appreciated easy walk. The Hemlock Trail goes right through the Hemlock Natural Area. Although most of the park was timbered in the early 1900s, for reasons unknown, the Hemlock Trail Natural Area remained intact. It likely escaped the loggers’ reach. The massive eastern hemlocks of this six-​acre, old growth stand are most impressive.
Well this was quite a way to get back into hiking. Just a few tips for a safe walk:
1) Do not hike alone in here. There are areas of the park that are quite remote.
2) Good hiking shoes are a must, especilaly on the Bobcat Trail.
3) Stay on the trails. If you veer of the trails, you might get lost or damage the frail ecosystem.
4) Carry drinking water and snacks. Apples, dried fruits, nuts, and PB&J all travel well and they make good energy snacks.
5) Take only photos and leave only footprints.