RE: Spring Gulch or Otter Lake in Pennsylvania?

[my4cuties]

 Has anyone stayed at either Spring Gulch or Otter Lake campgrounds in Pennsylvania?  We re looking at them for July camping.
 
 Please write back with all the vital info a Mom and Dad of four kids would want (cleanliness of bathrooms, activities, etc.)  Also, what is there to do in the area?
 
 Thanks!

[whitestar505]

 my4cuties
Well, I have to tell ya that I have not been to either CG but, I have reservation for Otter Lake in July. Under the old forums, when I asked, Otter lake was great. Open year round, has a lot to offer if your into activtiies. At this point in time I am to understand it is almost impossible to get reservation if this gives you any idea. Of course I will be adding more to this post as time goes by.
 
 http://www.otterlake.com/
 
 Bottom line here is you will not go wrong by going here no matter what you hear.

[campingboaters]

 my4cuties
Like Whitestar505, I ve also heard Otter lake is really nice, but I have not ever been there myself.  I have, however, been to Spring Gulch several times.  The place is HUGE, so getting in there isn t very difficult.  Even though it s huge, I have never been there and felt like there were too many people there.  Mater of fact, I ve been ther in the summer and they were not even full (in the upper section).
 
 I ve only ever stayed in the upper left hand section at Spring Gulch.  They are full hookup sites with trees/shrubs in between each and stone " paved" .  Each site is large, with full hookups, picnic table and fire ring, and has some privacy from the sites around it.  They have two pools.  The pool in the upper section also has a hot tub.  The bathrooms were nothing fancy, but they were clean.  The playgrounds are Ok.  They have a decent store and sell ice cream.  There is a mini golf course, and other oprganized activities for kids, a small lake to swim in and a different pond to fish in.  They even have a " spa"  where mom can get her nails done or a massage.  I ve never been, so I can t say if it s any good.  Spring Gulch is 5 minutes from the Shady Maple smorgasbord -- which is a must if you are in the area.  It is HUGE, but the food is still good.  Spring Gulch is also 30 minutes from the commercial outlets in Lancaster.
 
 We are booked to stay here twice this season, but we re going to try to lower full hookup sites (on a recommendation from friends) which are closer to all the activities, but has no shrubs in between the sites.  If we hate the sites the first weekend, we re moving to the upper section for our next trip there.
 
 I would recommend this campground to others -- and have!  We have several friends camping with us this year.
 
 
 

[pcasey250]

 my4cuties
Just got back from several days (chilly and snowy) at Otter Lake.   I will tell you some of my impressions and feel free to email me and I will answer any additional questions:
 On the GS (good side) - the bathrooms were very clean but I don t think they are used that often due to all of the bigger units that camp there.
 On the BS (Bad Side) -  the advertised heated pool is not heated (they throw a solar cover over the pool but that doesn t really do any good).
 On the BS - they charge a quarter to use the hot tub and sauna.
 On the GS - the grounds are very well kept.
 On the BS - there seemed to have been an awful lot of seasonal (yearly) sites.
 On the GS/BS - some of the sites were very nice (especially the lakefront ones) and some of the sites were extremely small.
 On the BS - we ran out of propane because of running the heat and the guy called to fill our tank acted like he was doing us a big favor.
 On the GS - I commented on such to the office and they said to ignore the guy.
 On the side, the outdoor pool looks kind of small for a summer trip as it seems like there will probably be many kids in the summer (the seasonals again).
 We try not to go back to a campground that we have been to before.  If we didn t try to abide by that rule, it would really be a tossup if we would go back again. There were many positives and many negatives.

[DiW]

 my4cuties
We were at Otter Lake last Mother s Day weekend and had a great time. We stayed up near the tennis courts and our bathroom was always clean and not used much - never had to wait for showers, etc but I seem to remember not liking the showers - perhaps they were the push button type, can t remember. Anyway, it was too cool for outside swimming but we did swim inside. The pool was warm but crowded or at least seemed that way with the large bunch of seasonal teens that were pretty loud and obnoxious. Several families with little kids up and left (because of the rough play and cursing) and we soon followed.
 
 We had 4 kids that weekend and they made use of the indoor pool, tennis, bball, & racquetball courts, bingo, ceramics and crafts project. I believe we had reduced rates (off season) so it wasn t too bad. Kids were really busy which they enjoyed. I would go back since it s 1 hr from home but not in summer (they don t let you reserve for just a weekend). My teens still prefer Lake-in-wood but I think that may have to do with a friendly bunch of seasonal kids & nightly planned activities, like karaoke, bingo and a dance.
 Di

[pcasey250]

 my4cuties
As an addendum - my kids preferred Lake In Wood also and I clearly found the teens at the Otter Lake obnoxious.  Six of the teeneagers at one point in time in full clothes gathered in the steam room.  One of their mothers came in and rather than telling them to get out, she gave them quarters so they could use it.  The sign clearly said adults only.

[Unregistered]

I must say I went to OL when I was a kid, my friends parents use to take me.....What memories! Now... Years later ...I'm all grown up and have 3 kids of my own and go there every year. It is hard to get in, have to reserve early or call frequently and hope for a cancelation. The place is great!! Always something to do. Kid activities every day. Fire Truck ride daily. Indoor/outdoor pool. Beach front lake. Nice big sites. Clean bath/showers & many of them. The people who work there are great! I could go on & on! My problem now is I can"t get my kids to go anywhere else. You'll love Otter Lake, Go there once & I promise... you'll go back!