backpack camping pennsylvania image
Margaret
This may seem rather broad but I would like to start planning for a 1 week vacation this summer. I do not want to spend more than 1200 per person. This will be my boyfriend and I. I have never gone backpacking but have done quite a bit of camping.
I live in Pennsylvania so a plane ticket out west can range from 400-1000 dollars. One vacation option is to go to Vegas and stay with my grandmother for a few nights then drive to another destination. I have been to Vegas and hiking at Red Rock Canyon & the Valley of Fire. Boyfriend has not.
Any suggestions for a feasible, mostly outdoors vacation is welcome. Dude ranch? National Park? What is your experience?
Answer
Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. You might need reservations for the campgrounds in peak season.
You can make your way home via West Virginia.
Time your trip for the new moon so you can see the stars against a dark sky.
If you had more than a week, you could follow Skyline Drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway to Great Smokies National Park, but with just one week you would spend all your time driving and not much time hiking and enjoying the parks.
Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. You might need reservations for the campgrounds in peak season.
You can make your way home via West Virginia.
Time your trip for the new moon so you can see the stars against a dark sky.
If you had more than a week, you could follow Skyline Drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway to Great Smokies National Park, but with just one week you would spend all your time driving and not much time hiking and enjoying the parks.
What's a good wilderness camping by creek or lake in PA?
jon
I wanted to do a bit of survival camping with a couple of friends and I live in PA. Does anyone know any good locations that have a creek or stream near by?
I wanted to do a bit of survival camping with a couple of friends and I live in PA. Does anyone know any good locations that have a creek or stream near by?
I am in Central Pennsylvania basically
Harrisburg is the closest to me.
Answer
Pennsylvania has more miles of rivers and streams than any other state except Alaska. Just about anywhere you go you can find lakes and streams. It would help if you were more specific about the area. It's a big state. Allegheny National Forest has some of the most remote areas. If you want really deep wilderness, head up into upstate New York to the Adirondacks. Look at a map of the western half of the Park up there -- almost no roads and hundreds of lakes and creeks.
ADDED: Now that I know where you are, I would recommend driving north to the Susquehannock State Forest north of Williamsport. There are hundreds of miles of trails there and it is the closest deep forest area to you.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/susquehannock/index.htm
Since you say you want to do what you call "survival camping", please read through this brochure from the state department of Conservation and Natural Resources on restrictions about the activities you may be thinking about.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd2/groups/public/documents/document/d_001192.pdf
You are not allowed to cut down live or dead trees or shrubs and you may not build fires in other than designated areas. You are not allowed to bathe in or clean dishes or other items or leave waste in local ponds and streams. There are also restrictions on gathering edible foods (make sure you know which plants are protected, there are heavy fines for picking protected species) and restrictions on hunting and killing animals unless it is the proper season and you have the permits. YOu are also not permitted to disrupt the area around a campsite (like digging trenches or building and leaving structures.) Also check with the park ranger office in any area you go into to find out about firewood. We have had some restrictions on gathering dead wood on the ground because it has promoted the spread of tree-damaging insect infestations.
Here are the "Leave no Trace" requirements for Susquehannock:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/recreation/camping/leavenotrace/index.htm
I know some of these restrictions probably upset people who like the idea of "survival camping" but PA woods are used by a lot of people and if the state did not put limitations on destructive activities, areas would be ruined for everyone. Personally, as a former instructor in wilderness backpacking, I don't feel it is ethical to go out into the woods without bringing your own low-impact gear and supplies, like compact cookstoves, lightweight tents and your own food supply. "Leave no trace" is the principle of all responsible users of the wilderness. Hacking your food and shelter out of the already strained resources of our shrinking wild spaces just to satisfy an egotistical desire to "prove" yourself for sport is no longer a respectable option. Unless you know some private landowners who are willing to let you cut down trees and build structures on their land, it is NOT something you should do in State or National forests and parkland.
Pennsylvania has more miles of rivers and streams than any other state except Alaska. Just about anywhere you go you can find lakes and streams. It would help if you were more specific about the area. It's a big state. Allegheny National Forest has some of the most remote areas. If you want really deep wilderness, head up into upstate New York to the Adirondacks. Look at a map of the western half of the Park up there -- almost no roads and hundreds of lakes and creeks.
ADDED: Now that I know where you are, I would recommend driving north to the Susquehannock State Forest north of Williamsport. There are hundreds of miles of trails there and it is the closest deep forest area to you.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/susquehannock/index.htm
Since you say you want to do what you call "survival camping", please read through this brochure from the state department of Conservation and Natural Resources on restrictions about the activities you may be thinking about.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd2/groups/public/documents/document/d_001192.pdf
You are not allowed to cut down live or dead trees or shrubs and you may not build fires in other than designated areas. You are not allowed to bathe in or clean dishes or other items or leave waste in local ponds and streams. There are also restrictions on gathering edible foods (make sure you know which plants are protected, there are heavy fines for picking protected species) and restrictions on hunting and killing animals unless it is the proper season and you have the permits. YOu are also not permitted to disrupt the area around a campsite (like digging trenches or building and leaving structures.) Also check with the park ranger office in any area you go into to find out about firewood. We have had some restrictions on gathering dead wood on the ground because it has promoted the spread of tree-damaging insect infestations.
Here are the "Leave no Trace" requirements for Susquehannock:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/recreation/camping/leavenotrace/index.htm
I know some of these restrictions probably upset people who like the idea of "survival camping" but PA woods are used by a lot of people and if the state did not put limitations on destructive activities, areas would be ruined for everyone. Personally, as a former instructor in wilderness backpacking, I don't feel it is ethical to go out into the woods without bringing your own low-impact gear and supplies, like compact cookstoves, lightweight tents and your own food supply. "Leave no trace" is the principle of all responsible users of the wilderness. Hacking your food and shelter out of the already strained resources of our shrinking wild spaces just to satisfy an egotistical desire to "prove" yourself for sport is no longer a respectable option. Unless you know some private landowners who are willing to let you cut down trees and build structures on their land, it is NOT something you should do in State or National forests and parkland.
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