As if there wasn't enough parks in the Laurel Highlands, there is Laurel Hill State Park a 3,935 acre natural area of beautiful forest, overlooks, ponds and streams. My recent visit was promising at first, but the rain just kept coming all day long and it "dampened" my spirits completely. I stopped by the main office and got directions to the Jones Mill Dam. Since it was raining so much I gave it some time to clear up, but to no avail. This park is certainly worth checking out and it will be super beautiful later on in the Spring. The wood frogs, spring peepers and other animals will be active. On the same road that this park lies on is two other parks: Kooser State Park and Laurel Ridge State Park, so it is possible to hit those up while in the area. I will certainly make the trip out here later on towards May. read more

Laurel Hill State Park - Three pic panorama of the Jones Mill Dam on this cloudy, rainy afternoon. - Hiking Near Me - Somerset, Pennsylvania

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I was staying at Hidden Valley recently and I was looking for a cool place to hike in the area that I hadn't been to before and I happen to discover this gem. What a great spot for a hike, but an even better place for a swim, relaxing, a picnic on the grass or some sun on the sand by the water. So after we arrived we hit the trail that ran along the water while taking in the small but beautiful lake. We then proceeded to head into the woods. It was a great little hike and the trails were very easy. After we were done hiking we got the huge blanket and the cooler with snacks and drinks in it out of the car and headed over to a shaded spot under the trees. We sat in the grass area in the left corner of the parking lot and listened to music, ate, drank and enjoyed each other's company for a good while. Then after that we packed up our stuff in the car and headed down to the water and enjoyed the lake which is very clean and refreshing and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. I love that they have sand and everyone looked so happy. They also have an area where you can purchase food and beverages but they also have many other great amenities which I am sure can be discovered on here or on their website. I am so glad I discovered this place. I will most definitely be stopping by again when I am in the area. Enjoy :) read more

This is one of my favorite places in Pennsylvania. From hiking to the lake beach(there's actually sand!), this is a fun treat to find yourself wildly absconding every day stresses and focusing on bonding as well as appreciating the earth. My favorite spot to hike would have to be the Jones Mill Dam. There's two ways of getting there, one way being in the lush woods and the other following the stream up the current. There are scattered planks to cross that can bring out the child in anyone. The moss is everywhere and there are massive boulder rocks on the hill side. Trails are marked and there are maps at serval locations. The website they have is also very helpful and highlights different activities, events and camping you can attend. It would take more than a day to travel the whole park via foot. That only means that there may always be something new to discover. Similar destinations are Linn Run and Ohiopyle, I recommend this place to anyone who wants to escape the every day. This gem is located very close to Seven Springs and Hidden Valley. There are not a lot of food options surrounding the area but there are grills near the lake beach area to use. It's also a sweet place to picnic. read more

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For me, Laurel Hill State Park has so much nostalgia from my when my parents would bring me as a kid. This place stole my heart back then and always continues to draw me back no matter how old I get. We live near Pittsburgh, but it's only an hour long drive to laurel hill state park. The trip is basically a straight shot from the exit off of I-70 until one right turn that leads you the to the main entrance of the park. You always know when your getting close to the park from the long stretch of gorgeous trees and fresh air. Now that I have a daughter, this is our go-to for a cheap and relaxing day trip. Our favorite spot is the beach area. Here you will find a playground, a decent stretch of sand to lay in the sun and build castles, a safe swimming zone, a concession stand with perfect summer snacks, and a rental lodge to rent paddleboard, water bikes and row boats. The best times to visit are on weekdays in the summer or in the colder months when the beach area is less crowded. Playing in the sand in the cool fall air is something we love. Also on the beach is a bridge that takes you over the spillway. It makes for a great place to fish. If your lucky, you can see the fish below when the waters not too cloudy. The park also has cabins to rent, a handicap accessible fishing dock and multiple trails that will take you to waterfalls. If you stop by the main office, you can get maps and pamphlets to help you find your way around the trails. There is a gift shop by the beach that has information too. Another thing I love about Laurel Hill is all the great places close by, which adds to the day tripping fun. These are some of my favorites: Pioneer Park Campground (camping) Moo Echo Dairy (cold hoagies, candy shop) Caddie Shack (pay by the ride amusement park) Jake's Mini Golf Molly's Ice Cream Bradys Restaurant (HUGE pieces of pie) The Country shop (unique gifts, baked goods) Jenny globe (roadside attractions) Eat n Park Elephant (roadside attractions) Koosher state park (They have an "island") read more

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Visiting and drove by here a few times. Decided to venture in and was glad I did. There were several trails to choose from. Due to wet conditions we didn't follow as many as we wanted to. We did eventually come across a trail that was dryer than the other trails. My children 7, 9, and 11 enjoyed themselves. They were happy when they saw the turtles, Canadian Geese, and other small animals. We will surely visit again next time we are in the area. read more

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This is the first time that either me or my husband have been here for years, and we decided to take a trip up today. It was a beautiful day, and we spent the majority of our time laying out, but we did take a walk and also walked up the dam. It's difficult to give the park a 5-star rating and I want to be fair because we didn't utilize the amenities, such as the camp grounds or pavilions. We spent the majority of our time on the beach and attempted to get in the water, which was simply too cold. We decided to rent kayaks, and found it to be reasonably priced. You can rent the paddle boats, kayaks, canoes, or stand-up paddle boards all for $10 per person per hour. Unfortunately, it just started to rain so we decided against it. Was as nice as I remembered as a kid. Seems like a great place for a day with the kids, or go out on the water, or to have a picnic. I'd definitely go back! read more

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This review is for the CAMP GROUNDS, and partially for the park. The camp grounds dont appear to have their own page. If you are a family with a herd of small children and a dog and you hate both privacy and controlling your children, this is the campground for you. Actually, its probably excellent for families with kids. There is a play ground, and when we were there (Memorial Day weekend) it appeared all the kids and parents made friends with each other and had this giant, noisy family cook out. They also played Frozen at the pavillion so I'm sure everyone went to see that. I HAVE to recommend this for families. I do like kids and I thought this would be such agreat place to camp. I dont have children, but I did have beer and a party attitude so this was the wrong campsite for me. I did *NOT* love it, as I prefer rustic camping, or at least a semi seculded campsite with some privacy. THere was none of that. It was like I was camping in someone's small front yard. Trees behind us but then it was just a level lawn. Everyone could see everything we were doing. Oh, and the park ranger drove past at least a dozen times a day. Kids start waking up and screaming and making noise at 6am and since we were in a family campground, parents made no effort to quiet them. We were up early every day. That said, there are some REALLY nice, semi private camp sites in the NON PET section of Laurel Hill, where they sites are spaced out and you're surrounded by woods on 3 sides. In the kid friendly/pet friendly section I recommend sites 37 and 38. in the non pet friendly, wooded section I recommend site 222. Both areas have full showers and bathrooms, although word of advice: shower during off hours if you dont like cold showers. The warm water runs out quickly when the campground is booked. I'd book in advance for holiday weekends, Memorial Day weekend EVERY site was booked. Even the crappy site next to the bathroom. The hiking options in this park are fantastic, and there is a lake w a nice beach you can go to for swimming, and you can rent kayaks, canoes, and paddleboats. If you are from Pittsburgh there is NOTHING at Laurel Hill you can't do at Raccoon Creek, and Raccoon Creeks is gorgeous, so I dont know why you'd be at Laurel Hill but for meeting up with friends with kids to camp. read more

Located in Somerset County, Laurel Hill State Park is part of a chain of state parks, state forests, and natural areas stretching from about Nanty Glo to Ohiopyle. The State Park consists of 4,072 acres of mountainous terrain and is surrounded by thousands of acres of pristine state park and state forest lands. Available activites include picnicking, boating, fishing, camping, and hunting. The park has its own lodge and also has cabins available. But of course I came here for the hiking. i organized a hike for some of my friends and co-workers and believe me, after two weeks of being on the road (business related), it was sure great to see some familiar faces and get some hiking in. Laurel Hill State Park has 12 miles of trails of varying terrain and difficulty levels and it's almost impossible to get them all done in a single day. I tell you, this is not an easy trail system for a group hike. The skill levels vary from trail to trail greatly and it's not easy to do a circuit here. Two easy segments will be linked by a a difficult one. That and many trails dead end or empty out onto area roads. For this reason, a good printed map (not your GPS) is a must as is a good orienteering course if you're a novice hiker. We began on the Ridge Trail. This is a grassy path and it's quite often used as a wildlife corridor. If you keep your eyes and ears open, you'll see and hear a wide variety of bird species, both migrant and resident. The tree swallows and eastern bluebirds are especially popular. I'd love to come back in the spring and rent one of the cabins because it is said that the calls of spring peepers, bullfrogs, and American toads fill the night, along with the haunting calls of great horned and barred owls. We then cut back towards the Tram Road Trail, passing the Jones Mill Run Dam. The Tram Road Trail is so named for the logging railroad that once ran through here. This area of Pennsylvania remained unlogged for many years, longer than any other. The steep hills and grades made it diffuclt to build railroad tracks until new technology was available to build the tracks to the sawmills. Powerful, slow locomotives climbed the switchbacked tracks through Laurel Hill pulling the logging trains. We walked the Tram Road Trail back to our origination point and after hiking about 3 miles, some of the novice hikers decided to call it a day. Oh, not Susan and the hardcore hikers though. We weren't finished by a longshot. We went out the Pump House Trail, kinda sorta looping back to teh Jones Mill Run Dam. Benches can be found here and it's a great place to take a snack break. This area was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. We picked up the Martz Trail for about 1/4 mile, which took us to the border alongside Forbes State Forest. The path continues into the forest as the Oak Trail, but we made a right and walked along Beltz Road to the Bobcat Trail. Now I must warn you, the Bobcat Trail is the most remote trail in the park. It is NOT recommended for novice hikers. It is extremely steep in places and the park recommends starting from Beltz Road as we did. But if you can do it, you will be rewarded with some fantastic scenery. The Bobcat Trail ends at Buck Run Road. I strongly recommend taking a rest/snack break at Buck Run Road. Man, this is like the Riverview Trails in Frick Park. Well we wrapped up the hike on the Hemlock Trail, which was a much appreciated easy walk. The Hemlock Trail goes right through the Hemlock Natural Area. Although most of the park was timbered in the early 1900s, for reasons unknown, the Hemlock Trail Natural Area remained intact. It likely escaped the loggers' reach. The massive eastern hemlocks of this six-acre, old growth stand are most impressive. Well this was quite a way to get back into hiking. Just a few tips for a safe walk: 1) Do not hike alone in here. There are areas of the park that are quite remote. 2) Good hiking shoes are a must, especilaly on the Bobcat Trail. 3) Stay on the trails. If you veer of the trails, you might get lost or damage the frail ecosystem. 4) Carry drinking water and snacks. Apples, dried fruits, nuts, and PB&J all travel well and they make good energy snacks. 5) Take only photos and leave only footprints. read more

Laurel Hill is a nicely manicured park. The "hikes" were closer to nature walks but the views are beautiful. The rangers and the people at the gift shop were very helpful with directions, suggestions on hike routes, and things we could expect to see along the way. If you visit after a heavy rain storm, expect parts of the route to be flooded or blocked by fallen trees. read more

One of the nicest and most beautiful parks in Pennsylvania. Not only is it a beautiful place but they have a lot to offer. All kinds of activities are available from hiking to fishing to stand up paddleboard volleyball and lots of other great activities. A beautiful place to get the family outside and enjoy some nature read more

We rented a pavilion for a large family gathering and really enjoyed how easy it was to make the reservations. Arriving (as we've never been here before) we were VERY impressed with how big and beautiful this park is. The colors in the trees from the fall season were amazing! The Lakeview Pavilion was outstanding! Had hot and cold running water, a nice wood burning fire place inside with stone chimney and tables and couches inside. Also a large deck overlooking the lake with picnic tables in front and on the deck. The porta-jon was spacious and very clean. The only negative was the "park style" grill outside to cook on. Those are difficult to maintain a good temp, but worked well for the hamburgers and hot dogs we had. read more

We spent a single overnight camping here as part of a larger trip, so we didn't hike, swim, or rent a boat, but the campground itself was very pleasant. We'll be back! The campsites aren't huge, but the forested setting provides a secluded, private feel. The bathrooms and showers are small but pretty well maintained. Since my daughter is not a fan of dogs right now, I really like that there are separate areas for campers with pets. Note: on our way out, we stopped at the Visitor's Center. The friendly lady on duty asked if we'd been hiking, and then asked if we'd seen any bears. When we answered no, she told us there had been a "stack" of bears visiting recently, trying to get into the park's dumpsters! Good to know! read more

Beautiful park. Friendly, helpful staff from the camp store to the camp hosts we met to the guy at the gatehouse to the campgrounds. Even the maintenance guy came promptly and a nice guy. And the park itself is BEAUTIFUL and lots of other state forests and parks within close range. we've camp here twice in the camping cabin which was very nice. The walled tent is also a nice but may not be in existence beyond this season read more

Hidden jewel close to Somerset. Went with grandkids on a semi rainy day and had never been there before. Lots of trails thru the park that seem to connect to everything. Canoes rowboats nice beach with showers etc. lots of cabins around park. Beautiful in the fall. Can't wait to come back on a sunny day. read more