This campground review was our second campground experience with the pipeline.  This job would take us to Seven Mountains Campground in Spring Mills, PA.  The area is known as Happy Valley, home of the Allegheny mountains and close to Penn State University.

Highlights

Seven Mountains Campground– Spring Mills, PA

• RV rentals, cabins and RV parking spots
• Full hookups
• Cable/wifi
• On top of a mountain
• Friendly owners
• Small store/snacks
• Wooded and rainy

Layout

We stayed at this campground the first time from about May 2009 to August 2009.  The campground was on top of a mountain about 15 minutes outside of State College. Right off on US-322, it was easy to get in, out and on your way. It was heavily wooded with dirt roads around the campground.  A majority of it was filled with seasonal campers who were set up permanently.

This was my first experience with seasonal camping.  I love the idea of it!  Being able to get away to your camper on the weekends and holidays.  Knowing your neighbors.  Building a deck or patio alongside the camper for additional space. Maybe someday when we stop traveling full time!

Most sites were back in only.  There was sufficient space between neighbors.  The sites were gravel with grassy patches for picnic tables.  Plenty of shade with all the trees.  Plenty of parking for at least two vehicles at most sites as well.

Towards the back of the campground were several cabins for rent.  They had several varieties of cabins; park models, parked rvs, and traditional cabin style.  Same setup back there, wooded, dirt roads and decent parking.  If I remember correctly they had a few other cabins mixed in with the other RV spots.

Story time

As you will find with most of my posts, I have a story to include with this campground review as well.

I didn’t spend a ton of time at this campground initially.  We had just gotten married a few months prior and were in the middle of our first home purchase.  I ended up making several trips back to Michigan to sign papers for the house as well as move in to it on my own (with the help of family & friends).

One of those trips also involved the adoption of the cutest pug EVER!  We found him on Petfinder.com.  He was part of a Michigan rescue and his profile pic melted my heart! I should have saved that one!!

We thought our current pup, Piglet, could use a friend.  He bonded so well with the raccoon we took in when we were in Missouri that we thought it was time.

I had to do some sweet talking in order to convince the rescue that we should adopt him.  Their policy was that you needed to live in the state.  I explained our situation and that we were Michigan residents, just traveling for work.

They agreed to let me meet Mater, the pug along with our dog, Piglet.  Piglet had a multitude of issues that included him needing to be held like a baby after eating to allow his food down.  If you didn’t, you usually had a mess to clean up.

The visit

On the day of the visit, Piglet had eaten before we left our home to drive the 40 minutes to the rescue. We were running late so, I didn’t have a chance to hold him properly.  He was also a high anxiety kind of dog so he would get nervous at new places.

We got to the rescue, made our people introductions.  It was now time for Mater to come out and meet Piglet.  Piglet was so excited to see another dog, he started racing around the room.

After a few minutes of this he stopped abruptly.  Took a wide stance and began moving his head back and forth.  I knew what this meant.  If I didn’t act quickly, we were going to be scrubbing the carpet!

I dove hands first towards Piglet with my hands cupped!!  I made it just in time for the vomit to cascade from his mouth in to my hands.  YUCK!!!

NOT a drop hit the floor!!

The rescue owners were so impressed they brought out the papers for Mater immediately after I washed my hands!

We were now a family of four!!

Our new addition was a hit at the campground.  During our many walks around, it would often takes us about an hour to complete from all the people stopping to see the pups.

Any who, back to the park info…

The park owners were pleasant and we had no issues while we stayed there.  One of our friends had an issue with their camper and the owners were very helpful in getting the assistance our friend needed.

There were no additional amenities besides cable/WIFI and a small store with a few parts and snacks. My favorite part were the views(once on the road out of the park) and the local trails nearby for hiking.

The town

Spring Mills is just a tiny blip on the map.  There was a little bar down the mountain about a mile that had a bit of food and you could get your 6 pack from.  Other than that, not much there besides the campground.

Nearby

State College was closer to about a 15 minute drive down the mountain.  Home to Penn State University, it has just about everything a college town should…bars, food, laundry and a mall.  It’s only a two lane road up and down most of the mountain so traffic could be a pain sometimes.

This is the closest big town without having to drive an hour or more.  Harrisburg, the capital of PA, is a little over an hour away.  We didn’t end up going over there on this trip.

On the other side of the mountain is a small town, Milroy.  There you will find a camper service & dealership, Lerch RV.  We ended up buying our second camper from them, the second time we were in the area.  I was on the hunt for those front living rooms when they first came out and they happened to have one that we loved!

Overall, we enjoyed our experience in Happy Valley and would recommend Seven Mountains Campground to anyone passing through!

I hope you have found this review and information helpful!

If you are looking for other campground reviews please check them out here.

Please remember that anything written above was my opinion and experience of the area/s.  I have also linked to the RV park page and State College, Pa website for more information.

Let me know if you have visited this place or surrounding area!  What did you think?

As always, thanks for reading!

–Katie

https://www.visitpennstate.org/about-us/state-college/

http://www.sevenmountainscampground.com

How about an RV?! Sounds simple enough, right?  It can be but first check out these 10 questions to consider before buying an RV.

Continue reading to find out what those questions are and how it will affect your decision.

10 questions to consider before buying an RV

1.What type of RV should I get?

There are a variety of different types of RVs to choose from; The motorhome which allows you to drive and live in the same space.  These can also be broken down into Class A, Class B, and Class C.

There are travel trailers that are pulled behind a vehicle attached to a hitch at the bumper.

Fifth wheels are pulled behind a pickup truck and attached at a hitch in the bed of the truck.

Finally, a few other types, like the van and bus conversions, not as popular but still great options depending on your situation.

Learn more about the different types of RVs here, https://www.thorindustries.com/rv-types

2.Will you be staying in it full time?

If you plan on staying in your trailer for the majority of the year there are a few features you may want to consider.

The top 2, in my opinion, being a bigger fridge and storage.  These two are my necessities in a trailer that we will spend a lot of time in.

I am not a big fan of going to the grocery store every couple of days so I like to have more fridge space.  Plus, my two littles eat like they are teenagers already!!

Lots of storage is great for being able to rotate your clothing in seasons as well as toys if you have kids.

Having lots of storage inside and out means you can bring a few more of your favorite things and also have space to store the tools and necessary RV items.

Our current camper has the most storage I have seen in a fifth wheel to date.  We found this one in 2017.  It is a Grand Design Solitude 375RES.  It has a middle kitchen and elevated bedroom in the front and elevated living in the back.

In the kitchen, there is a pantry as well as wall and bottom cabinets.  The elevated living room in the back allows for more basement storage with a slide-out tray in the middle.  Seriously, SO much storage!!!

3.Will you be traveling to cold climates?

If you think you might be spending lots of time in colder climates you may want to check out the insulation packages for the trailers.

Many claim to be 4 seasons but I can tell you from experience that our 2007 Forest River Flagstaff with the rear kitchen was NOT!

It was our first job in the camper in northern Missouri.  We had bought the 4-season camper because we were unsure of where we would be.

I believe it was November. It had gotten pretty cold, quickly. After the first real cold night we had (maybe high 20s) we woke up the next morning with our pillows frozen to the walls!

In the camping industries defense, most are meant just for a weekend or a week or two trips and not long term.  So, when they say 4 seasons you could handle it in mild winters or for a weekend.

4.If considering a travel trailer or fifth wheel, how much can I tow?

This question really depends on the vehicle you have to tow.  Usually, a diesel dually will give you the most towing power but there are many full-size pick-ups that can handle the load as well.  Some travel trailers and fifth wheels can be pulled by a light truck (F150 or Chevy 1500).  This is what we initially started out with, an F150 pulling a Forest River Flagstaff lite(not in the picture below)

5.What is my budget?

RVs range anywhere from really small pull behinds around $20,000 brand new and go up to as much as $500,000+ if you look at motorhomes.

We have always bought brand new but I have to say that I would recommend buying used and an older model!  You lose SO much money buying brand new.  There are plenty of trailers out there that have been well taken care of or just didn’t sell the first year on the market.

Consider the time of year you buy as well if you are buying from a dealership.  It is better to buy towards the end of the camping season (Oct-Dec).  Most places aren’t wanting to have to store older inventory through the winter so they may discount them to get em’ sold!

After you answer the above, check out these questions to consider before buying an RV;

6.How often do we cook?

The kitchens in most trailers are not big. The industry is changing a bit in order to get a bigger kitchen but in doing that you sacrifice space elsewhere.

So, you have to be honest with yourself.  How often do you really cook?  Do you need that oven or can you make do with a stovetop and convection microwave?

Speaking of ovens, how awkward are those?!  Who wants to get down on the floor to light the pilot??  Am I right?

For those of you that do cook a majority of your meals, check out a few of these trailers…

https://www.rvingplanet.com/blog/top-5-best-fifth-wheels-with-front-kitchen/

I would also suggest

Grand Design Solitude 375RES (our current model)

Keystone Montana 3820FK

7.How much time do we plan to spend inside?

Think about how much time you will be spending inside your trailer.  Will you be spending most of it in the living room?  Kitchen?  Will everyone be there at the same time?

In most trailers, your biggest areas are your living room and bedroom.  If you will be inside a lot you will want more space that allows you to convert areas to function for multiple activities.  Think pull out couches or tables that convert to other sleeping areas.

8.How much storage do we need?

If you are like a good majority of the country, you have a lot of stuff!  Moving into about 200 sq. ft is NOT going to accommodate ALL of that stuff.  But it can hold quite a bit.  So, make sure you take into consideration how much storage, both inside and outside, you will need to hold your items.

Need help deciding what you might want to have in your RV?  Check out my post here for some ideas.

9.How old are your kids, if you have them?  Don’t forget about those pets too!

Accommodating babies and toddlers is way different than accommodating teenagers.  They need privacy and take up more space physically.

Most people with children, no matter the age, opt for trailers that offer a bunkhouse and a half bath, a toy hauler (has a “garage”), or something with a mid-bunk room. This gives a bit more privacy to your kids and a place to close the door on clutter and some noise.

10.Will your family grow in the near future?

Same as above, think about how your family might look in the future and what kind of setup you may need. Not that you can’t sell your current and upgrade to a different layout but wouldn’t it be nice to have something that would last!

There you have it!  My initial 10 questions to consider before buying an RV.

I know there are a ton more factors to consider when buying an RV.  This was just a list to get your mind going and really think about what is important to your family for this purchase.

If you have already purchased, what was your biggest deciding factor in choosing your trailer?

As always, thanks for reading!

–Katie