Hickory Run State Park Campground: The Complete 2027 Pennsylvania Camping Guide

The Hickory Run State Park campground sits in the western foothills of the Pocono Mountains, inside a 15,990-acre Carbon County park about an hour from Allentown, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. It's one of Pennsylvania's biggest state park campgrounds, with 366 tent and trailer sites, plus cottages, group camps and a new glamping area.

This guide covers the campground loops and map, reservations, cottages and glamping, and the two sights most campers come for: the Boulder Field and Hawk Falls.

Hickory Run State Park: The Basics

• Address: 3 Family Camp Road, White Haven, PA 18661.
• Phone: 272-808-6192. Email: hickoryrunsp@pa.gov.
• Hours: the park is open every day of the year, sunrise to sunset. Day-use areas close at dusk.
• Getting there: from I-80, take Exit 274 and follow PA 534 east for about 6 miles. From the Northeast Extension of the Turnpike, take Exit 95, go west on PA 940 for 2.5 miles, then east on PA 534 for about 7 miles.
• Cell service is unpredictable, so download the park map before you arrive.

The park is busy from spring through fall, and trailhead parking can fill early even on weekdays.

Is the Hickory Run Campground Open?

Yes, for a few more weeks. The family campground runs from mid-April through mid-December. The state park's page and the reservation listing showed no closures or alerts when we checked in November 2026.

Winter visitors can still use the park, but the campground closes and some sights get harder to reach (see the Boulder Field section below).

The Hickory Run State Park Campground

Sites and Hookups

The reservation listing counts 366 family campsites:

• Modern non-electric: 141
• Modern electric: 111
• Modern-rustic non-electric: 71
• Tent only: 24
• Full hookup (water, sewer, electric): 15
• Modern-rustic electric: 4

Amenities include warm showers, flush restrooms, a sanitary dump station and four accessible sites near the restrooms. A camp store sells supplies, ice, firewood and food. The state doesn't post store hours, so call ahead if you're arriving late.

Hickory Run Campground Map and Loops

The sites are split into seven named loops: Bear, Beaver, Mink, Porcupine, Raccoon, Rattlesnake and Raven. The area mixes forested and open sections, so shade varies a lot from loop to loop.

The campground map is on the reservation listing. Use it to filter by loop and check a site's type before you book. The park doesn't publish a list of the best campsites, so look for three things on the map: distance to the shower house, whether the site is wooded or open, and whether it's marked for pets.

Pets

Pets are allowed only on designated sites, and you must reserve one of them if you're bringing a pet. Check the "Pets Allowed" note on the site listing before you pay.

Campground Rules

• Alcohol is banned throughout the campground.
• Quiet hours: 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. Visitors are allowed from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Occupancy: one family or up to five unrelated people per site, with at least one adult 18 or older.
• Bears: when you leave your site, even briefly, lock food and scented items (toothpaste, deodorant, dish soap) in your vehicle. Put trash in the bear-proof dumpsters. Rangers can cite you for violations.

Hickory Run Camping Reservations

Book through the Pennsylvania State Parks reservation site or call 888-PA-PARKS (888-727-2757), 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

• Booking window: up to 11 months ahead. In November 2026 the system was taking bookings through October 10, 2027.
• Campsites: can be booked for same-day arrival.
• Cottages, group tenting and the pavilion: must be booked at least 3 days before arrival.

Prices: fees vary by site type and season, so check the total on the reservation site for your dates.

Cottages, Glamping and Group Camping

Camping cottages (3): wood walls and floors, a porch, electric heat, lights and outlets. Each sleeps five on bunks. There's no water or bathroom inside, but both are close by. Ruffed Grouse cottage is accessible.

Deluxe cottages (2): add a stovetop and refrigerator, and run from early April through mid-December. Eastern Hemlock cottage is accessible.

Timberline Glamping (new in 2026): eight furnished sites for 4 to 6 guests, with heat and air conditioning, a mini fridge, a ceiling fan and a coffee maker. Book through Timberline, not the state system. New to it? Read what glamping is.

Group camping: 13 rustic group tent sites sit across PA 534 and are open year round. Two organized group cabin camps, Camp Daddy Allen (124 people) and Camp Shehaqua (149 people), run from April to October. Contact the park to book either.

Boulder Field

The Hickory Run Boulder Field is a National Natural Landmark: a flat, bare field of boulders about 400 by 1,800 feet, some 26 feet long, largely unchanged for more than 20,000 years.

• Drive in: a 5-mile one-way dirt road. It isn't maintained in winter and is often closed until spring.
• Hike in: the Boulder Field Trail is 3.5 miles each way.
• Rules: don't move or stack rocks. Some boulders wobble, so wear sturdy shoes.

Hawk Falls and Other Hickory Run Trails

The park has more than 40 miles of trails. Bikes aren't allowed on them, but you can ride the rail-trail in neighboring Lehigh Gorge State Park.

• Hawk Falls Trail: a 0.6-mile loop to a 25-foot waterfall. Swimming at the falls is prohibited.
• Shades of Death Trail: 1 mile, the park's toughest rating, past the remains of early-1800s mills and dams.
• Sand Spring Trail: 2.6 miles past 1930s and 1940s CCC and WPA work.
• Fireline Trail: 2.4 miles to an overlook of the Lehigh River and Lehigh Gorge.
• Stage Trail: 4.5 miles on an old stagecoach road.

Hawk Falls and Shades of Death are often icy in winter.

Sand Spring Lake Beach

Swimming is allowed only at the sand beach on Sand Spring Lake, open late May to mid-September, 8 a.m. to sunset. You swim at your own risk. A snack bar sells sandwiches and ice cream, and the beach is smoke free.

Weather

The park sits high in the Poconos, and spring and late-fall nights can drop near freezing. Check the forecast before you go. Pack for cold nights on April and December trips, and see our guide to staying warm while camping.

Recommended Gear

• Coleman Sundome Camping Tent: an easy, weatherproof tent for a wooded site. See how to set up a tent.
• Teton Celsius Sleeping Bag: for cold shoulder-season nights in the mountains.
• Black Diamond Spot 400-R Headlamp: for night walks to the bathhouse and early starts at the Boulder Field.

Use our camping checklist for the rest, and buy firewood at the camp store for your campfire.

More Camping Near Pennsylvania

For another big Pennsylvania state park campground, see French Creek State Park. For more trip ideas, browse our family-friendly campgrounds and winter camping guides.