Kinzua East KOA

What an odd place this KOA. I booked this campground because they had spots and were only about 10 miles from the start of a bike race I was competing in. Seemed like a perfect location. On our way here we passed several other campground that were PACKED but upon arrival at the KOA it was pretty empty, seemed odd. Pulled up to the office and got out of my motorhome, sign on the door said "No Smoking" seemed straightforward but as I walked through the door I was smashed in the face by the distinct smell...like I hadn't smelled in years. So much cigarette smoke it was like an old dive bar from the 70s, and OH boy the staff. Ok we got checked in and headed back to our site...#115 which was at the back of the main section of the campground (there are 3 sections; small front section with cabins, the big main section and a far back off to the side section that was for long term campers). I have a 24" class C (B+ really) and man I wouldn't have wanted to try to get anything bigger into this site. I was in awe of the couple that got into spot 116 Saturday morning with their travel trailer (gentleman said that was the tightest spot he's ever been in). There seemed to be telephone (landline) hookup at the electric pole (unused for a long time) which was odd. I wouldn't even mention it but the wire was pretty low and hung right over the site so I was worried I'd catch it with an antenna or the AC on the roof. We cleared it but just. Site was flat and level so THAT was a positive thing. Cell service was intermittent at best and there was no WiFi...don't come here if you want to be connected. Water pressure was low too. But at least it was quiet and I guess not overly expensive...but they do charge per person so it would have been more if my daughter was traveling with us this weekend. Pool area seemed clean but we didn't swim as we had other things going on.

Our stay at this KOA was great! It’s a family run campground, the owner/operators are very nice and accommodating.

The campground is rustic and doesn’t have as many amenities as a typical KOA, but you do get a great woodsy atmosphere and plenty of local things to do within the Allegheny National Forest.

Clean bathrooms, a camp store, wood on site, some full hook ups, a dump station, nice level sites.

We stayed for Memorial Weekend and would have loved if there had been a few activities. Other than that we loved our stay.

We had zero cell service within the campground and the surrounding areas. We heard from some locals that this area has been having outages.

I stayed for one night and it was quiet and family oriented.

Absolutely no Verizon service till about a mile back down the mountain. Clubhouse and store are closed due to Covid so WiFi is only available outside the clubhouse. However it did not seem reliable.
There was an issue with my work so I couldn’t stay my full reservation. Gary, who’s family owns the site, was so helpful and was able to give me a full refund for the nights I couldn’t stay!!

I want to come back and stay when I don’t have to work 😉