KIDDER TOWNSHIP — It’s the height of summer at Hickory Run State Park’s family campground, where cicadas hum, birds sing, and the heat and humidity persist even in the shade.
But when campers unzip a canvas door and step inside one of the park’s new tents, the soft thrum of an air conditioner dampens the sounds of nature and luxury reigns.
Glamping, short for glamorous camping, has arrived at Pennsylvania state parks.
Hickory Run in Carbon County is the third state park in the commonwealth to roll out glamping sites so far this year. The initiative, a public-private partnership between Pennsylvania and Georgia-based company Timberline Glamping, aims to encourage more people to visit state parks.
“The reality is everybody's looking for something different when they're going outdoors and getting that exposure to nature,” said Jonathan Bastian, who co-owns Timberline Glamping Poconos with his wife Janna.
“We feel that this just adds to that accessibility, adds another option to the menu of options that the state park already offers. And, hopefully, we can get a few more people to experience the state park, bring their kids and really welcome the next generation of campers into the state parks.”
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has signed a five-year agreement with Timberline that allows the company to construct and operate glamping sites at several parks. As part of the effort, DCNR invested $400,000 to improve the campgrounds where glamping sites were added, including upgrading restroom facilities and new utilities.
Bureau of State Parks Director John Hallas described the glamping program as a pilot, saying officials plan to assess it during that time to fine-tune the experience and gauge interest for the long term.
Demand has been high so far, officials said, particularly at Hickory Run and Promised Land, which have weekends nearly booked through the summer.
Here’s what PA Local learned about the new program during a tour in mid-July:
Inside the tents
It’s a quick drive from Hickory Run’s entrance and visitor center to the glamping tents, past the camp store and amphitheater. The tents are on the Mink Loop, one of seven camping areas that branch off from the main drive and are named for native species. Several trails, including the popular Shades of Death Trail, can be easily accessed from the area.
Eight glamping tents, which come in two styles, double or deluxe safari, are embedded in the loop alongside sites where campers have pitched their own tents. Situated on wooden platforms, the bright, off-white canvas tents are decorated with string lights, emitting a warm glow against the shade cast from trees.
After pulling back the canvas door, the inside of a glamping tent evokes a hotel room: There’s a spacious interior, miniaturized amenities, and beds with residential-style mattresses made up with linens and stacks of fluffy pillows. Across from the mini-fridge and coffee maker, there’s even a small seating area, staged with two chairs on top of a rug. Small decorative touches, like a lamp-topped nightstand and faux potted plants, further elevate the space.
Guests can control the temperature of the tent via a mini-split cooling and heating system and ceiling fan, as well as the scent through an essential oil diffuser. All run on electricity, and there are spare outlets for all your device-charging needs.
In addition to providing an upgraded experience, the amenities also open up the outdoors to campers who are new to the activity, have different levels of ability, or require medical necessities, officials said.
“It makes it a lot more accessible to people,” said Bastian, who lives in Mifflinburg. “Those that are not going to go out and spend the money on a camper or an RV, they can stay in a tent, but still have that air conditioning, which for some with certain medical conditions is maybe a key barrier to them being able to get out camping.”
Hickory Run already has camping cottages with electric heat, but only the glamping tents have air conditioning, an oft-requested perk, said Park Manager Stacie Hall.
“Glamping is, you go in, you bring your clothes, and you're good to go for the weekend,” she said, adding that for new campers, glamping can be a way to gauge interest before investing in equipment. “You still have all the creature comforts, but you get to be out in the environment and in the state park and get that experience.”
Outside the tents, just steps from the front porch, there’s a fire pit, charcoal grill, picnic table, and bear box — the latter important for food storage given black bears also call the region home. The only feature the sites don’t have is an ensuite restroom and shower, but the loop’s shared facilities are just a short walk from each site.
Tents sleep up to six and four guests, depending on the style chosen, and costs vary, but run between $149 and $199 per night before taxes and fees.
So far, feedback has been “incredibly positive,” Bastian said.
“Our priorities are providing an incredible experience for our guests, down to the simplest of details of the decorations that go into the tent and how the tent looks when they first pull back the canvas,” he said. “We want people to be wowed and feel like this is going to be an incredible experience.”
A staggered rollout
While more than 50 glamping sites were supposed to open this spring at seven state parks across the commonwealth, supply chain issues have required a staggered rollout, said Hallas.
Hickory Run is among the three parks where glamping is now available, alongside French Creek in Chester County and Promised Land in Pike County.
Other state parks earmarked for glamping include: Codorus in York County; Hills Creek in Tioga County; Laurel Hill in Somerset County; and Pymatuning in Crawford County.
Asked if all sites will be open by the end of summer, Hallas said he “can't make that promise.”
“We are working hard with our manufacturer and [the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources] on the other locations, but do not have additional information that we can share with you at this time,” Timberline’s hospitality team said in an email.
While DCNR is not directly funding any of the glamping site preparation or construction, parks receive guaranteed income from each site, in addition to a percentage of the adjusted gross receipts. Funds generated, just like user fees collected across all 125 state parks in the system, go back into park operations and maintenance, Hallas said.
To determine the initiative’s success, officials are considering feedback from campers, occupancy, and demand, he said.
“It's not just about the people that are using this new overnight amenity, but it's the reaction to the amenity and the campgrounds with which they exist that other campers are staying at,” Hallas said.
Back at Hickory Run, the summer bustle of the campground slows but doesn’t stop as the temperatures reach brutal highs. Visitors relax and enjoy their camps, spending quality time with families and friends in nature or setting off to explore all the park has to offer, no matter what kind of site they call their temporary home.
For more information about glamping in state parks, or to make a reservation, visit the DCNR’s website.