Campground Guide and Review: Hickory Run State Park, PA

Secluded forest hikes, hidden waterfalls, and the largest boulder field in the Appalachians. Welcome to Hickory Run State Park in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains.

This gem of a park encompasses almost 16,000 acres, as well as 44 miles of hiking trails, numerous waterfalls, two lakes, and more than 350 campsites.

If you haven’t explored this beautiful state park in Pennsylvania, it’s about time to change that. Here’s an overview of Hickory Run State Park camping, as well as all the awesome things you can do while you’re there!

Pennsylvania has 121 state parks, nearly 1% of the state’s land, and all of them are free for visitors who come to spend the day.

Hickory Run State Park is one of the largest and most popular state parks in Pennsylvania.

Last summer, I spent three wonderful days exploring every inch of Hickory Run State Park (okay, that’s an exaggeration). I hiked 10 miles of trails, traipsed through the woods to photograph waterfalls, and pitched my tent at Hickory Run Campground.

Despite the park’s popularity, it was pretty easy to find solitude and really relax during my stay.

A visit to Hickory Run State Park would be perfect for a family weekend in the woods – it’s not too far from civilization, and there are enough activities to keep kids engaged.

And if you enjoy chasing waterfalls with your camera, this is a great spot to hone your skills.

Hickory Run State Park Camping

You’ll find every type of camping at Hickory Run State Park, whether you want a cabin or cottage for the weekend (hello, glamping!), full hook-ups for your RV, or a rustic walk-in tent site. There is a camping loop just for campers with dogs, and tent sites in the woods or out in the open.

From Hickory Run State Park Campground, you can easily walk to Sand Spring Lake to cool off and to the beautiful Shades of Death Trail (don’t let the name fool you).

To visit other attractions, like Hawk Falls and Boulder Field, you will probably want to drive or ride a bike. This is a massive park, and it isn’t easy to explore the whole thing on foot.

Campsites in Hickory Run Campground are pretty close together, especially if you reserve a sunny spot in one of the meadow areas. The wooded campsites are a bit more private, but they do pack the campsites pretty tight.

If you head over to Reserve America and look at the Hickory Run Campground Map, you can click on the individual sites to see if they are in the woods or in a field. This will help with finding a more private campsite.

Hickory Run Campground is open from the second Friday in April until the third Sunday in October. Rustic camping (without water) is available until mid-December.

Pets are permitted only at designated sites, and there is a dog-walking trail around the camping area.

Hickory Run Campground Map

Pros and Cons of Camping at Hickory Run State Park

I’ll be honest, the camping here wasn’t the most exciting part of my adventures at Hickory Run State Park.

The campsites were clean, but not very private, and the restrooms were run-down and not very clean. However, if you are looking for family-friendly camping and aren’t interested in being secluded, this could be a great fit.

Here’s my personal list of pros and cons for Hickory Run Campground:

Hickory Run State Park Camping Pros

Very affordable – camping fees start at $16 per night for Pennsylvania residents.
The sites are clean and well-kept.
There’s plenty to do here.
The Visitor Center is beautiful, and the staff is friendly and helpful.
The park is very family-friendly.
You can walk to the swimming area.

Hickory Run State Park Camping Cons

The restrooms are very outdated, and not all of them are clean.
Sites are very close together and provide little privacy.

Hiking in Hickory Run State Park

There are more than 40 miles of hiking trails in Hickory Run State Park. Many of the trails are full of rocks and roots, but don’t gain much elevation. I would rate all of the Hickory Run State Park trails as easy to moderate.

Most trails meander through the woods, and if you visit in June, you will get to see the thousands of rhododendron blooms along many of the trails. I visited when the blooms were just finishing up last year, and I can’t wait to go back and see them this year.

Here are my favorite hiking trails in Hickory Run State Park. All of them are suitable for families with kids, and there are dozens more worth checking out.

If you want an overview of all the hiking trails in Hickory Run State Park, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources.

Insider tip: If you plan to do a lot of hiking during your stay in Hickory Run State Park, download the AllTrails app. It’s a GPS tracker that also lets you easily find trails while you’re traveling, read reviews, and check current conditions for local trails.

If you purchase AllTrailsPlus ($35.99 per year), you can download your map to follow GPS tracks even if you don’t have cell service.

Shades of Death Trail

How’s that for a trail name? I hiked this trail around sunset on my first evening in the park, and I’ll admit that the name had me concerned.

Apparently, the first European settlers named the area “Shades of Death” because the forests were so thick and dark, with lots of swampy areas. Maybe they were just trying to discourage people from learning how beautiful the area really was.

The Shades of Death Trail starts behind the Visitor Center, so if you haven’t checked it out, do that first. You can fill your water bottles, pick up a trail map, and learn about the area’s natural history.

This dark wooded path is edged with rhododendrons and beautiful rock formations. As you get deeper into the woods, you’ll follow a creek and be treated to the constant babbling of the stream as it dances over the rocks.

There are several small waterfalls worth spending time at. The largest cascades over a man-made dam and is about 20 feet tall. When you get to the road, turn around and retrace your steps.

Hawk Falls Trail

This short, easy trail leads to the park’s largest and most beautiful waterfall.

Hawk Falls Trail and the area around the falls are extremely busy, though, so try to get there early, especially if you want to photograph the falls. I visited on a summer weekday and parked my car in the lot at about 8 am. It was full by 9 when I got back to the car.

The trail itself is very similar to the Shades of Death Trail – the same lovely foliage, roots and rocks everywhere.

You will cross a footbridge at the beginning and gently descend to the river. Hawk Falls is such a beautiful cascade. The falls are about 25 feet high and flow over numerous rock formations into a deep pool (not deep enough for swimming).

Aside from the waterfall, there are numerous spots to hang out near the river, which would be great for picnicking and letting kids play in the water. We hear the fishing is great, too!

Hickory Run Boulder Field

The Hickory Run Boulder Field is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

It’s basically a 16-acre field of rocks hidden in the Pennsylvania woods. It’s a National Natural Landmark and definitely worth checking out. You can drive there on a one-way loop road, or you can hike 3.5 miles (one-way) to get to the field.

The trail begins near the parking lot for Hawk Falls and leads in the opposite direction into the woods.

As with the other hikes mentioned here, this one is full of roots and rocks. And mud. As much as I love a hike through the woods, for this particular adventure, I’d recommend driving the dirt road to the parking lot near the field, then spending your time exploring.

The Hickory Run Boulder Field was formed many thousands of years ago by intense climate conditions during the ice age.

It isn’t clear exactly how it came to be, but one theory is that a complex freeze-thaw cycle cracked the bedrock and formed the boulder field. The rocks are mostly sandstone with a bit of quartz conglomerate.

Read Next: Family Vacation at Raystown Lake in Pennsylvania

Swimming at Sand Spring Lake

This small lake and sandy beach are great assets to Hickory Run State Park.

The water and beach are both very clean, and there’s a large bathhouse and snack bar. If I had visited with my kids, they would have absolutely wanted to spend the whole day here.

Since my visit to Hickory Run State Park was a solo trip, I was content to take a luxurious swim each evening before heading back to camp to build a fire and cook dinner.

You can easily walk from the campground to the beach, and there were families frolicking in the water each evening until sunset.

Hickory Run State Park Cabins

I know that camping isn’t for everyone, and while I urge you to give it a try, if it’s really not your thing, you can still enjoy Hickory Run State Park without pitching your tent.

First, there are three camping cottages in Hickory Run State Park. They are all in the woods and look really nice. They do have electricity and beds, but they don’t have running water or bathrooms, so you have to cook outside.

Hickory Run State Park also has two more modern cottages with a small kitchen, but they still lack running water or bathrooms. Both types of cottages can be reserved through Reserve America.

Not only is this 15 minutes from Hickory Run State Park, but it’s just six miles from the indoor waterpark at Split Rock Resort (perfect for those rainy days).

Where to Next?

I stayed at Hickory Run State Park as part of a longer road trip, during which I explored Raystown Lake, about 3 hours southwest of Hickory Run. This is the largest lake entirely within the state of Pennsylvania, and another great spot for families.

If you are traveling without kiddos, I’d also suggest heading 2.5 hours north to embark on a wine-and-waterfall road trip through the Finger Lakes. Happy motoring!

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