Buckaloons Recreation Area

Sites are gravel but relatively flat and spacious. Grounds mowed well. Shower house smelled and looked well kept but there was NO hot water. The Allegheny River is warmer than what came from the tap . Camp host was friendly and seemed to try his best but the managing company has profits in mind before all else and they refused to hire in a plumber to address the problem.

The ticks were very bad but that is everywhere this year. Even with spray we picked dozes off is each day.

We stayed here for 2 weeks while visiting family in Warren. Buckaloons is located between Irvine Run, Brokenstraw Creek and the Alleghany River. First the bad - if it rains a lot, most sites are muddy, even if it doesn't rain most sites are gravel with dirt on top. We had thunderstorms for 3 days and our site had some standing water that drained quickly, but mud remained. Sites on the Irvine Run side are lower and wetter. If it is going to rain much avoid sites 9-22. There are many wide and high speed bumps, some poorly painted that you can't see, so be careful, many trailers hit their hitches on these.

Check-in was easy, camp host met us and gave us 2 passes. Camp host enforces the rules, so it was quiet at night. Campground fills up on weekends but sparely populated during the week. Most sites are well spaced with woods in between, we could barely see our neighbors. Sites are mostly level, electric pedestal was good. The shower building was clean and had ample hot water. Overall, a well maintained campground. If you like to kayak, there is a boat launch near the campground. Alleghany Outfitters in Warren has kayak rentals and shuttling.

There are restaurants and grocery stores fairly close, 4 miles to Youngsville and 8 miles to Warren. In Warren, Tops grocery is will well stocked with a huge variety. Youngsville has a small grocery store. For good food and great home-made pies, go to Station 61 restaurant in Youngsville.

Connectivity - we got 3 bars from AT&T, no HDTV channels.

We spent 5 nights here and it was perfect. It's just myself and my toddler. There is a Walmart not too far away if you need supplies but they do sell both ice and firewood here in the campground. If they are out, ask and they will get more for you. The staff are really, really friendly. Ice is $2 per 7 lb bag and the wood is $10 for a pretty big bundle. I have attached photos.

When I booked I was told that because of Covid-19 there would only be vault toilets and no showers, so I was beyond surprised to see that everything was up, running and smelling super clean. I struggled to find a place open during Covid-19 so again, super happy.

My toddler is 3 and everything is very family friendly. There is a lower and upper loop. Make sure you check Recreation.gov to make sure the site you are booking has what you need.

We were at the top loop, #39, very close to the bathrooms and entrance. The campground doesn't have wi-fi but I was able to use my phone as a hotspot. I trade stocks for a living and the connection was good enough to do that :) I have Sprint.

The spots are all spacious, I'm very surprised to see someone complain about that... and my spot in particular (again, 39) is more private than others with more trees separating me from other spots. The road is one way throughout the loops so there's no big traffic. Lots of kids riding bikes, adults walking and chatting. Tons of friendly dogs. The trail is also very pretty and makes a good loop.

We stay here for a week during most summers. The camp host usually sells firewood and a few vending machines are available. Small towns of Youngsville (about 3 miles away) and Warren (10 miles) have whatever you need.
Half the sites have electric, but not water ($5/day extra for electric). There are potable water stations throughout the campground and a dump station on the way out.
Sites are large and mostly shaded with mature trees.
There is a large field for games, picnic pavilions, level walking trails, a river on one side and a clean creek on another side. The roads are paved, but the camp spots are not. The creek gets high and fast during thunderstorms and the trails/some camp spots get muddy.

Although there are no river views from campground, there is a boat ramp for easy access to kayaking and rafting on the river. We rented a canoe at Allegheny Outfitters in Warren and had a nice day trip from Kinzua dam back to the outfitters. There are decent showers in bathhouse, dump station and water available. Camp loop is tight with huge speed bumps (sounds like they could do damage!) and sites are level but dirt so damp/muddy.

We couldn’t find any laundromats nearby and drove all the way to Jamestown NY for laundry (saw I Love Lucy museum while there 👍). Campground is popular on weekends and fills. We booked ahead online and paid $18/night senior rate plus reservation fee.

The campground was OK. The sites were large easy enough to get into. Restroom facilities were OK, but I was disappointed. I wanted to come to a national forest. Instead I came to a campground that is in a forest setting. Everything around it is urban. There is a town close by and lots of homes and shops. I wanted to get away from this and not be in the middle of it. The river wasn't swim-able, maybe you could canoe it, but where would you go?

No firewood to purchase in the park. The chap looking after it said to a couple of doors over and there was someone selling firewood. Well they sold firewood, but it might as well have been rocks since you couldn't burn that stuff.

I paid on-line otherwise you need to leave cash or cheque when you pick a site when you pull in. There isn't really a proper registration office.