Promised Land State Park

We came here for a family vacation and can honestly say that from now on we will ONLY camp here. This place had gorgeous scenery. Out of all campsites we have been at, these have the CLEANEST bathrooms out there which is a huge plus.

Nice park with a lot of history. Pickerel Point is crowded in Sept.
A few Pros:
Heavy Ranger presence, not annoying
great history
Hiking
Good for bikes
big lake
Pet friendly
Cons:
People, it’s a campground, slow down! way too much speeding
campsites at Pickerel Point a bit close
Poor sat signal do to trees on the SW of every site. So what, I like to watch football!
Need a bike or car to access much of the park across the road
need more on land fishing spots
RV sites could use more gravel
Otherwise, this was a typical PA state park with excellent scenery and history. The CCC really made this park a nice retreat. Rangers won’t mess with you if you don’t deserve it; so check yourself before you gripe about it.
We didn’t use the facilities, but the RR at the end of Pickerel Point smelled really bad.
Again people, SLOW DOWN in the campground. We were genuinely shocked at the speed of some vehicles.

What a great place! The bathrooms and showers are super clean. The showers have stall doors! The views from the sites are great, there’s a laundry area, a lake store down the road, boat rentals and lots of activities for kids. Best campground I’ve been to ever

This is a review of Deerfield campsite only. I picked a tent site there at random online. I chose poorly, as we learned when we arrived and saw how bad site 208 was. It was very small and open to the world, with only a sloping, stone-​covered plot for our tent. No privacy. Avoid site 208. If I can help even one person to not get stuck there, I’ve done my job. Several sites in the back of the loop were nice, with trees partially blocking them, and a lot more space, with grassy ground for the tent.
Not wanting to be stuck with site 208, I made a list of better sites and drove back to the office. The ranger barely acknowledged me as he checked availability, and walked off without a word a couple times to do something else. In the end, only one site I asked about was open for 2 nights. Site 223. And it was barely better than 208. Bright sun shone through gaps in the trees and fried us as we tried to cook. We were still pretty open to everyone who passed, but there was a recessed grassy area for the tent.
The bathrooms at Deerfield were nice. Showers were nice, BUT they were a long walk away, in Pickerel Point campsite. Dogs are allowed in Deerfield, and we had ours. No problems with other dogs or late-​night howling, but you never know what you’ll get.
We hiked around Conservation Island, and it was a nice trail, with plenty of waterside benches. We tried Bear Wallow Trail, but it was not that great. Little Falls trail was very nice. We swam at the main beach. Very rocky sand made it hard to stand and walk in the water. But it was pleasant enough, despite goose crap everywhere.

This place is great. The park has updated facilities. Electrical outlets at each campsite. There are spots available if you have a trailer. The lake is great too. Been coming here for the last 8 years. This is our place to go for camping and get away from the city for a few days. Very peaceful here.

The absolute worst. If power trippin was a sport, these racist park rangers would win gold.
As for the campground itself, extremely basic. Assigned plot of land is smaller than my backyard (and I live in brooklyn, NY so that’s saying a lot). Quiet time is at 9 which they strictly enforced (even on July 4^th weekend. Give us a break, we were abt 4 notches above a whisper)
Came to the great outdoors to use our best indoor voices. Lame!

The hiking trails are amazing! We have been there five years now and have not seen half of the trails yet. This year, we are going to hike the Bruce Lake trail. Conservation Island trail is the easiest and only about a one mile loop, it is nice for beginners or if you are hiking with a group of people of differing abilities.
There are a ton of camping sites for tent or trailer. Camping sites range from waters edge on the lake to wooded areas.

The rustic cabins are RUSTIC! Not too clean, but if you want a weekend getaway and you’re not afraid of spiders and snakes, you might like them.
Horseback riding on the trails is permitted, but NO horse rental stables nearby.
Love it!

Pretty big park and quite scenic lake. It took much longer to row across the lake, than anticipated. There is a whirlwind spot in the middle which can be a little bit of a nuisance to navigate your way out lol.
I love the little beach that connects and the outdoor eating picnic area is really wonderful.

I have been taking my family here for a few years now and stay in The Pines, which is a really old and rustic camping area, but a really short walk to the main beach. Just cross the bridge by the dam and you are at the boat rental shack. Go past that, follow the path by the cottages and make the first right and you are right at the Lake Store where they have everything you might need while camping and a good ice cream stand too! If you don’t make the right towards the store, you run into Conservation Island, which is just a great place to hike around. No bikes allowed on the island and what you bring to the island you leave with. It is a very clean island with nice trails and some benches to sit and enjoy the beautiful views from.
Pickerel point is beautiful, modern and has it’s own beach but a little to far from everything to let the kids hike off on their own because the road there can get busy. If you stay at the Pines and really need to shower, you can take a quick drive over to Pickerel and use the really nice facilities they have over there.
The camp host and park staff and friendly and professional. If your neighbors are being too loud at night (quiet hours start at 9 PM), tell the camp host and the rangers will have a talk with them. If they keep it up, they will be asked to leave. So if you are planning a loud late night get together, forget it. Strumming a guitar quietly or telling stories around the fire are OK.
Alcohol is not allowed, but there is so much to enjoy that you really don’t need it. There is a bar or two on the main road you can go have a few before bed, but I’ve never been in them.
There are trails everywhere to hike. The one by Lower Falls is a favorite, but get a map of the trails from the office and find out for yourself. We just discovered a trail when hiking with the ranger if you drive past Pickerel Point and park by the boat launch that has a great creek to splash around in and catch crawfish. Oh yeah, the rangers run a lot of hikes and other events for the kids. Bring binoculars if you want to see the Bald Eagles because the loaners tend to go fast.

Always avoided eating the food here thinking it would be to pricey. I was wrong! Definately worth eating here. One LG fry was too much for 4 people to eat after having burgers.

This has been a favorite of our family and some others that we know for many years. It is actually two lakes connected by a non-​navigable creek — the main lake has a large day-​use beach with some concessions, a boat rental, and waterfront camping at Pickerel Point campground (our favorite). Non-​waterfront campsites are also nearby both lakes.
Pickerel was closed for renovations for a few years, but is now back. It used to be a ‘rustic’ campground — no electric hookups and some rather odoriferous pit toilets. The renovations changed all that — brand new flush toilets, dish washing facilities, and hookups for the RV set. The RV sites are closest to the road (but a short walk to the water), while most of the waterfront sites are reserved for tent camping and do not have any hookups. I was concerned about this change (we are tent campers), but found that having the RV’s keeps the sites occupied during the week, which is actually sort of nice. And we were not bothered by noise from them at all.
There is a small beach at the end of Pickerel Point, and the water there never gets deeper than four feet, which makes it more relaxing for parents of young children. It is easy walking distance to the bathroom, but has no concessions.
Pets are now also allowed at certain sites throughout the park.
Lower Lake is more rustic and mostly used for fishing. There is a beautiful waterfall next to the lower lake, only about a ½ mile hike along the creek from the parking lot near the dam at the end of the lake.
There are a few rental cabins, and lots of private cabins in the park.
There is a road that circles the lake, which is great for casual bike riders (gentle grades, little traffic, great views). Along part of that road is a tiny town with a general store that carries all the usual supplies, including bait and some fishing gear.
Overall this is a great retreat, just far away enough from the city to feel like a destination. The elevation is about 1800 feet, so nights can get chilly and mountain weather rules.

A nice state park, had a fun time.

Promised Land State Park is in Pike County, 10 miles north of Canadensis, along PA 390. The park is easily reached from interstates 80 and 84. The park is within a one to three hour drive from Allentown, Easton, Bethlehem, Reading, Harrisburg, Scranton and Wilkes-​Barre, and is about 100 miles north of Philadelphia and 35 miles from the New York and New Jersey state borders.
There are two sand beaches that are open from late-​May to mid-​September, 8 a.m. to sunset. The Main Beach is in the Picnic Area. The Pickerel Point Beach is on the end of Pickerel Point. Swim at your own risk. Please read and follow posted rules for swimming.
If you get hungry, there is a food concession offers numerous items including pizza, hotdogs, hamburgers, pierogies, nachos, pretzels, French fries, chicken nuggets, soda, candy, and ice cream. In addition, there are also picnic areas that offer grills so you can enjoy a burger or ten.
Laying out on the beach while the kids frolic in the water not your cup of tea, why not rent a boat?!? Feeling like renting a rowboat, canoe, one and two-​person kayaks or paddleboat? Well you are in luck! Not feeling manual labor that day? Electric motors are available for rent. The Boat Concession operates daily from the Saturday immediately preceding Memorial Day through Labor Day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, and holidays. The prices can’t be beat, either!
Trails are available for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and orienteering.
Feel like roughing it for a few nights? Camping is available with various choices.
Get out and enjoy nature, the way it was intended! What better way?