Kooser State Park

This state park, like many PA state park campgrounds could use some updates.

I had site 004, which was one of the last available for a spur of the moment weekend getaway the weekend of July 31 The site is a grass site with electric, only. The map showed a hydrant nearby, but it was off. One nite about PA state parks is that dogs are allowed at a limited number of sites, and they usually are not the better sites.

What is nice about this park is that it sits adjacent to to the Hidden Valley ski area in the PA Laurel Highlands and is not far from Somerset and Ligonier. The higher elevation makes this a more comfortable campground in the heat of the summer.

I was able to work from this location using Verizon. I probably could have used my booster for better results.

Rates are $28.25 week night and and $32.25.

Kooser State Park is a small campground nestled in the Laurel Highlands, close to Hidden Valley and Seven Springs ski resorts. The park has great amenities just a short walk from all sites. All sites have fire rings, with grills, however note they are double walled so do not expel a lot of heat outward. Great for cooking however.

Most sites are not level, but very grassy. Firewood is available at the entrance for$5 bundle supporting a local club. A beautiful walk through the park leads you to the Kooser Lake, great for fishing. It is also close to the Laurel Hill State Park which is great for hiking and water activities. The park is close to the road so you will experience some road noise.

The park is 15min from Somerset. No phone reception at this one! They welcome all furry friends!

Join us on a video tour of Kooser State Park in Pennsylvania. We visit some prime RV campsites and the scenic lakeside picnic and day use area. A dump station and fresh water fill is available within the Kooser State Park Campground. The nearby Forbes State Forest has additional hiking and camping opportunities. Verizon cellular service clocked in at 168 Mbps download speed and 2.47 Mbps upload speed. AT&T cellular service clocked in at 118 Mbps download speed and 18.3 Mbps upload speed. Both the aforementioned carriers had 5G service. There was no T-Mobile cellular service at this location.

First outing on our way home from purchasing our new class C motor home. We camped Thursday thru Saturday , mid October. It was very peaceful and we loved how spacious and level it was at site 012. We could hear traffic noise from nearby state route 31, but it wasn't enough to be unbearable. The ranger dove thru daily and the bathhouse was clean and had warm water for showers. Thursday was fairly empty but by late Friday the park was about half full but still very enjoyable.

First the positive... the park ranger was nice. We were given a list of available sites and we drove down to choose one. We could return to the office to register or call in our registration and pay over the phone by credit card. We found this convenient while setting up. Site was gravel and included electricity, picnic table, and fire ring. The bath house included a coin laundry, dish washing sink, and two showers. To access the second shower you had to walk through the dressing area of the first shower. So really only one shower was private.

Campground had a nice playground and trail along a creek leading from it.

Now the negatives.... the sites have no privacy and are out in the open. I found that disappointing for a state park. Both the bath house and the camp host had a spot light shining on our site although the host eventually turned his off. The bath house light stayed on all night. The campground is parallel to a state highway and there is constant traffic noise during the day. At night the traffic is sporadic so it is a random loud rumble of a diesel engine occasionally breaking the silent night.

My husband says it was fine for a one night stop. There are other campgrounds including a second state park nearby. I would try other places before returning here again.