What are good tent camping locations in the Midwest?

Where can I find some good family tent camping locations near Pittsburgh?

• Answer:

  The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has an excellent site with guides to state-maintained campgrounds: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/recreation/camping.aspx You can click on the map and find all the information you need. One of my favorites is Yellow Creek, up towards Indiana off route 422. A large lovely lake where you can rent boats, with hiking trails, shaded picnic areas and wonderful fields of wildflowers. You can only camp in the cottages and yurts (which must be reserved in advance) but there is a private campground right beside the park, with a small grocery and camping supply shop. The Laurel Mountains (southeast towards Somerset and Uniontown) have many nice areas. McConnells Mills and Moraine Park are closer but more crowded. Also, in northern West Virginia about 1.5 hours away, the Chestnut Ridge campground, across the highway from Coopers Rock State Park, is a great campground. If you are willing to drive 2 to 4 hours, both the Allegheny National Forest up route 79 or the Monongahela National Forest in east Central WV offer terrific wilderness areas.