Two-Night Glamping Getaway
Ever since our wedding last May, my husband and I have been looking forward to a road trip to Maine to celebrate our first year of marriage as well as my husband’s 30th birthday. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we postponed our trip. Like many others who’ve had to delay celebrations and vacations, I was bummed but also ready to make the best of the situation. In looking for an alternative getaway closer to home that would allow us to travel safely and social distance from others, I stumbled upon Airydale Retreat.
Airydale Retreat is a new glamping (i.e. glamorous camping) facility located in central Pennsylvania in the “Big Valley” (The Kishacoquillas Valley in the Appalachian Mountains). Just three hours from Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Baltimore, Airydale is centrally located in the Northeast region of the US. Plus, there’s a ton of recreational activities to do nearby.
Read on to learn more about our Two-Night Glamping Getaway!
Airydale Retreat
As much as I love hiking and the outdoors, the idea of sleeping on the ground in a restricted tent doesn’t sound all that relaxing and is something I usually avoid. On the other hand, glamping may be my new favorite camping alternative. At Airydale, we rolled up to our campsite to find a spacious canvas tent, an actual bed, a private outdoor shower, and a propane camp stove all on site! Compared to regular car camping, all of these amenities provided a much more comfortable experience for us, while still being able to disconnect and enjoy nature.
Airydale currently offers a few different glampsites on their property and are in the process of building a few new sites, as well. One of my favorite things about Airydale is how wooded and spaced out the sites are from one another, which provides privacy and an intimate feel. There’s nothing worse than going camping and feeling like you’re sharing your campsite with your neighbors. Even though the property itself is wooded, the surrounding area is a beautiful rural landscape filled with farms and Amish bake stands. I did not expect to be able to hear cows mooing from the distance! But, it was a comical and pleasant surprise.
Our stay at Airydale was very reasonably priced, especially given all the amenities provided. The glampsite we stayed at was absolutely dreamy and was a romantic way to spend our wedding anniversary.
You can book a stay at Airydale Retreat through AirBNB. Use Scaling the Globe’s promo code for $40 off an AirBNB stay and $15 off an AirBNB experience.
Nearby Activities
Standing Stone Trail & The Thousand Steps
The Standing Stone Trail (SST) is an 84-mile long main trail network that follows scenic ridgelines in Huntingdon, Mifflin, and Fulton counties: the south middle region of Pennsylvania's Tiltrock Country. The SST offers Pennsylvania hikers and backpackers a link to dramatic scenery, wild plant and animal life, and compelling history.
We choose to hike the popular Thousand Steps section of the SST. Originally constructed around 1936 by Harbison-Walker employees, the steps served as a commute to work at the Ledge Quarry. We hiked 1.5 miles out and turned around for a 3 mile round trip hike with about 1100 feet of elevation gain. Mind you, the Thousand Steps is a steep hike, gaining about 800 feet in only 0.4 miles. As expected, it was a difficult (but fun) workout!
Trough Creek State Park
Located about 45 minutes south of Airydale is Trough Creek State Park. The park is ideal for fishing, hiking, hunting, and biking. We chose to do a 4.1-mile loop hike by connecting a few of the park’s trails (Brumbaugh, Raven Rock, Boulder) and passed by four of the park’s interesting features; balanced rock, rainbow falls, suspension bridge, and ice mine.
The purple line depicts the enjoyable 4.1 mile loop trail we hiked in Trough Creek State Park. The red stars mark some of the interesting features we passed by on our hike; balanced rock, rainbow falls, suspension bridge, and ice mine. The red dot marks my recommended parking location (shelter #5).
Raystown Lake
The 30-mile long Raystown Lake is a popular destination in the area for fisherman, boaters, kayakers and all water enthusiasts. Unfortunately, we don’t own a kayak or personal watercraft, but we were able to rent a waverunner from Portside Rentals directly on the lake! We had an absolute blast driving around the lake and taking in the views. Portside Rentals also offers kayaks, stand up paddle boards, and mountain bike rentals.
Other Things To Do Nearby
Greenwood Furnace State Park
Rothrock State Forest
Lincoln Caverns
Terrace Mountain Alpacas
Raystown Mountain Bike Skills Park
The teal points of interest on the map are places we went during our glamping getaway whereas the green points on the map are other things to do nearby that we would have loved to check out if we had more time.
Overall, our glamping getaway at Airydale Retreat was the perfect long-weekend trip amidst COVID. Our stay at the Airydale property was truly enjoyable and we loved all the different recreational options nearby. We were fortunate enough to have comfortable weather for hiking and jet-skiing on Raystown Lake, which was so much fun. I hope this guide on our glamping getaway helps inspire you to try something new and go explore.
