Lake Wallenpaupack Camping: 4 Lakeside Campgrounds Compared

Brookfield Renewable, the utility that owns Lake Wallenpaupack under its federal hydroelectric license, keeps four lakeside recreation areas open for family camping: Wilsonville, Ledgedale, Ironwood Point and Caffrey. Each one has its own resident director who handles reservations, rates and site assignments, so you book directly with the campground rather than through a central system. Brookfield's camping guide says every area has a small general store, dock rentals, a gas dock, launch ramps and picnic areas, and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission notes the launch fee at all four is waived for registered campers.

Timing matters more than most people expect. Brookfield's guide puts the camping season between the last Saturday in April and the third Sunday in October, which means the 2026 window closes on Sunday, October 18. Individual campgrounds can set shorter seasons inside that window: Ironwood Point lists May 1 to October 12 for 2026.

Wilsonville Recreation Area (Hawley): the biggest, closest to town

Wilsonville is the largest lakeside campground on Wallenpaupack, with 160 tent and trailer sites just off Route 6 near the dam end of the lake. It has a children's play area, flush toilets, a boat sewage pump-out and quick access to the Wallenpaupack Lake Trail. The public swimming beach next door is run by Palmyra Township, which charges admission, and swimming is not allowed inside any of the four recreation areas themselves.

Wilsonville's posted 2026 nightly rates are $45 for an RV or trailer site and $38 for a tent site, or $50 and $43 on holiday weekends (3-night minimum). Rates cover two adults and two children; extra adults are $10 and extra children $5 per night. Reservations are taken by phone or mail-in form only (570-226-4382), and holiday bookings are paid in full when reserved.

Ledgedale Recreation Area (Greentown): wooded sites and a trailhead

Ledgedale sits at the lake's southern tip, where the water narrows toward Wallenpaupack Creek. Its 70 wooded sites each have electric and water hookups, a fire ring and a picnic table, with a central shower and laundry building. The marina rents seasonal slips from May to October from a waitlist, and the daily public launch runs 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. for $10, trailer parking included; parking is limited and first-come.

The deciding factor for many campers is what's next door: the 80-acre Ledgedale Natural Area, with two miles of trails for hiking and, in winter, cross-country skiing. Ledgedale also manages reservations for Five Mile Point, Brookfield's boat-in or walk-in group campsite for organized youth groups. Call 570-689-2181.

Ironwood Point Recreation Area (Greentown): lakefront tent sites

Ironwood Point is set on a wooded hill above the lake, close to Burns and Kipp islands (both open for daytime boat-in picnics) and the Ledgedale Natural Area. Brookfield's guide lists 49 tent and trailer sites plus 13 lakefront walk-in sites, a children's play area, a picnic pavilion and a handicapped-accessible fishing pier.

It is the one campground here that publishes a full rate card. For 2026, RV and trailer sites are $65 a night with a 2-night minimum on reservations, $70 for a one-night stay and $75 on holidays (3-night minimum). Standard tent sites start at $45, and the prime lakefront and lake-view tent sites (#48 to #60) are $58, or $65 on holidays. Water, electric and the dump station are included; check-in is 3 p.m., check-out 1 p.m., and quiet hours run 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Its 2026 season runs May 1 to October 12.

Caffrey Recreation Area (Lakeville): small and built for boaters

Caffrey, on the Wayne County shore, is the smallest of the four: Brookfield's guide describes 29 tent and tent-trailer sites in field and wooded settings. It's popular with sailors thanks to the prevailing westerlies, offers a boat sewage pump-out, and sits near a restaurant-lounge and marina and the 300-acre Shuman Point Natural Area, which has three miles of hiking trails off Route 590. It's also the closest of the four to Cove Haven Resort. Caffrey doesn't list rates in Brookfield's guide, so call the director (570-226-4608) for current pricing.

Rules all four campgrounds share

Brookfield sets a few rules that apply everywhere on the lake. Pets are not permitted at any of the recreation areas (kennels are nearby). Sites are for family camping, with a maximum of eight people, one camping unit and one car per site. Reservations can't be made by email: call or write to each director. Electricity is included in the daily camping fee (seasonal sites pay extra), and registered campers with self-contained trailers can use the Ironwood Point, Ledgedale and Wilsonville dump stations at no charge. Each area holds a limited number of seasonal sites, and Wilsonville reports its seasonal sites full for now.

Camping after mid-October

Once the lakeside campgrounds close in October, the nearest year-round option is Promised Land State Park, south of the lake in Pike County. Its Pickerel Point area keeps a limited number of campsites and camping cottages open all year, and the rest of the park's campgrounds reopen between early April and Memorial Day weekend. Our Places to Stay guide covers winter lodging if you'd rather have walls and heat.

Which campground to pick

Choose Wilsonville if you want the most sites, a public beach next door and a short drive into Hawley. Choose Ledgedale for wooded full-hookup sites and a trailhead out your tent flap. Choose Ironwood Point for a lakefront walk-in tent site or the clearest published pricing. Choose Caffrey if you're sailing or staying on the Lakeville side. Whichever you pick, book directly with the campground and check its own season dates before you go.