We’re on our way to an RV park not too far outside Washington, D.C. On our way down from New Hampshire, we spent our first night at Pocono Vacation Park in Stroudsburg, PA. Since I’ve become allergic to long hauls whenever I can avoid them, we decided to stop for the next night just outside of Harrisburg, PA before the final leg of the trip to Cherry Hill Park in College Park, MD. 

We decided to try Harrisburg East Campground & Storage. (Yep, that’s right, “& Storage.”) It turns out, they have a self-storage facility right on the same property as the campground. They’re just off of Route 283, maybe 5 miles from downtown Harrisburg.

It’s a relatively small park, with about 60 sites and 40 available for transients. According to our 2011 Trailer Life Campground Navigator software, Harrisburg East is a Good Sam park with a TL rating of 8.5, 9, and 8. A 30 amp, pull-through site is only $35.00 and we were able to reserve one for our overnight stay.

Upon our arrival, we were told that they were a Good Sam park, but decided the benefit to them wasn’t worth the fees they paid to Good Sam, so they dropped their affiliation. Ok, so no 10% Good Sam discount for us. 

We easily pulled into our site, leveled up, and unhooked from the truck. Really BAD weather was predicted for the area – heavy rain and high wind gusts – and it was starting to rain when we arrived. Well, before we know it, the downpour began. By the time I got the rig hooked up to water and shore power, I was soaked to the skin! I got inside as quickly as I could to get out of the “flood” and the wind that had started to pick up. I got into dry clothes, while Deb extended the slides. Right away, we got some really strong wind gusts that threatened to tear the slide toppers off, so we pulled the slides back in. We sat at the table, looking out at the trees whipping around and hoping that no branches would fall on the roof. Fortunately, we made it through the storm okay, although there was considerable damage and flooding in some parts of PA and points south.

Harrisburg East Campground is well-kept and has pretty nice facilities for a small park. Not much of a camp store, but they can refill propane tanks, have a nice pool, clean restrooms, and a small, but clean laundry facility. There is free WI-Fi, but no cable TV. The folks in the office were friendly and helpful. 

The only complaint I have about the place has to do with their restroom cleaning schedule. As a matter of fact, I may have ticked off the employee who was doing the cleaning.  We stayed here on our way down to the DC area, and again on the way back. I don’t know about anyone else, but after we get the rig all hooked up to the truck and are ready to pull out, I like to (sometimes HAVE to) make a final pit-stop in the park’s rest room. When we were ready to leave on our way south, just before their 11:00 check out time, I dashed up to the men’s room only to find that it was closed while being cleaned. The guy apologized, but that didn’t help my bladder much. When we stopped here a week and a half later on our way back home, the same thing happened. I asked the fellow cleaning the men’s room why in the world they closed the rest rooms for cleaning right at check out time, when people might want to make that last minute pit stop. I don’t think he appreciated my concern. He mumbled something about cleaning when he could.

But, all-in-all, Harrisburg East Campground is a convenient and pretty nice place to stop in that area. We’d certainly do so again and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.