Falling Waters Campground home of Buttermilk Falls is a campground listed at 11364 Ellenton Mountain Rd in Shunk, Pennsylvania, and the name itself tells you most of the draw: a working campground with a waterfall on the same property. The listing carries a 4.9 rating across 70 reviews, and the visitor comments behind that figure are unusually consistent in tone, repeatedly circling back to clean facilities, a hands-on owner, and the short hike to the falls.
This review pulls together the information published in the campground's own listing alongside the text of visitor reviews, and separates what the data actually supports from what it does not. Nothing here is drawn from a site inspection; it is a summary of publicly available material and reviewer opinion, attributed where it belongs.
Falling Waters Campground home of Buttermilk Falls at a Glance
The property sits along Ellenton Mountain Road in Shunk, in Sullivan County, within the Endless Mountains region of northern Pennsylvania and inside the America/New_York timezone. It is catalogued as a campground, and the listing's activity data references RV camping alongside tent sites, which matches what reviewers describe: a mix of tents, travel trailers, and cabins on the grounds. On-site parking is listed, and the property is described by reviewers as quiet and secluded, with one long-time camper noting they have kept a trailer there since the 1980s.
The listing also records a phone number, +1 570-924-3427, and an official website at fallingwaterscampground.com for anyone checking current details before travelling. Accessibility entries note a wheelchair-accessible car park, a wheelchair-accessible entrance, and a wheelchair-accessible toilet. The amenities field in the source data is stored as unreadable internal reference codes rather than plain descriptions, so no specific facility claims are made here beyond what the reviews independently describe.
What Do Visitors Like About Falling Waters Campground home of Buttermilk Falls?
Across the fifteen individual reviews identifiable in the source material, sentiment is uniformly positive, with every one of them rated five stars and none raising a complaint. The recurring notes are cleanliness of the restrooms and showers, the friendliness and availability of the owners, the appeal of the waterfall, and the quiet of the setting. A few reviewers add practical caveats rather than criticisms — no cell service on site, Wi-Fi available at the general store, and a steep, slippery final stretch of trail down to the base of the falls. Those caveats are worth reading as part of the picture rather than as negatives.
1. Clean Bathrooms and Hot Showers
Cleanliness is the single most repeated point in the reviews. Janice Hall described the showers and restrooms as very clean, and Marika Motley paired clean bathrooms with hot showers in a review that also mentioned tent camping with electric and water. Terriann Burke, arriving as a bikepacker, wrote about warm showers in what she called an extremely clean facility, while Scott Massar went further and rated the facilities among the cleanest he had encountered.
That consistency across reviews written in different years is the useful signal here. It is still reviewer opinion rather than an audited standard, but it is opinion repeated often enough to be worth noting for anyone who weighs restroom condition heavily when choosing a campground.
2. An Owner Who Shapes the Experience
Owner involvement comes up in nearly every review, usually by name. Ellie Jordan-Lees mentioned Dave being friendly and helpful during a winter cabin stay, Rich and Cheryl Boyles called the owner even better than the campground itself, and Bruce Shanko credited Dave and Kelly with creating what he described as great vibes all around. Kay Moats wrote that the owners made her feel like she was with friends during a festival weekend.
Scott Massar's review describes a more specific kind of attentiveness: camping solo, he noted that the owners checked each morning on his plans so that someone would know if he did not return. Terriann Burke's account is similar in spirit — arriving without a reservation while bikepacking, she was offered a prime spot to set up camp. These are individual experiences, but they cluster around the same theme of an owner who is present on site and engaged with guests.
3. The Waterfall and the Hike to It
The falls are the reason the property carries the Buttermilk Falls name, and reviewers treat the hike as a real part of the stay rather than a roadside stop. Constance Caramadre described a beautiful waterfall reached by a short, semi-steep hike to the top that takes about thirty minutes from the campsites. Michael Rodo, visiting specifically to work through Pennsylvania's waterfalls, called the location beautiful and secluded but was blunt that the descent to the bottom of the falls was treacherous, describing a slip on the last stretch of trail.
Rodo also noted that the owner allowed access to the falls even though he was not a registered camper, since the falls sit on the property. That is a single reviewer's account of a courtesy extended at the time, not a standing policy, so anyone hoping to visit the falls without staying should confirm directly rather than assume.
4. Cabins, Tent Sites, and Long-Term Campers
The reviews describe more than one way to stay. Ellie Jordan-Lees booked a cabin for a winter holiday and said they were already planning a return in summer. Marika Motley described tent camping with electric and water hookups. Michael Bodnar has kept a camper on site for two years and mentioned that his brother and his brother's best friend also have campers there, recommending either a cabin or bringing your own rig.
John Barbosa's review stretches the timeline furthest, noting a trailer at the location since the 1980s and praising the quiet, the mountains, the fall colors, and the clear sky. Taken together, the reviews suggest a campground with a repeat-customer base rather than a purely transient one — though the source data does not list site counts, cabin numbers, or hookup specifications.
5. The Store, the Beer, and the Extras
A small on-site general store appears repeatedly in the reviews. Constance Caramadre described a small store with odds and ends you may need, plus a beer distributor and an adult slushy machine. Marika Motley noted beer, ice, and reasonably priced firewood available on site. Scott Massar mentioned that Wi-Fi is available at the general store, and Laurie praised the food at the Firefly Grille on the property.
Small details round out the picture: Terriann Burke mentioned meeting the goats on the property, and Kay Moats described a Saturday night bonfire for campers with the makings for s'mores during a festival weekend. These are reviewer recollections of specific stays, so treat the grille, the slushy machine, and organised bonfires as things that have existed rather than guaranteed fixtures of every visit.
6. Quiet, Dark Skies, and No Cell Signal
Several reviewers frame the appeal in terms of getting away. Scott Massar opened by saying that if you are looking for somewhere to get away, this is it, and noted there is no cell service but Wi-Fi at the general store. Kayla Broe wrote about seeing all the stars at night, and Linda Hetherington summed the place up as a great little getaway in the middle of nowhere. John Barbosa emphasised quiet, peace, mountain scenery, fall colours, and clean air.
Massar also offered a fair qualification: visitors who only want large commercial RV resorts may prefer somewhere bigger, while those who value tent camping, nature, stars, waterfalls, and hiking will find this fits. That framing is one reviewer's opinion, but it is a useful way to test whether the place matches what you want.