Primative Camping Ideas in PA, NY, or VA

[debbiedee1957]

I am looking for any recommendations for primative camping (as in no services, large sites-spread apart, wooded) in PA, NY, or VA.  I want to have at least one camping trip this summer where I can hear the leaves blow and the only light at night is the campfire, any ideas?

[Gone-Camping]

Loft Mountain Campground, southern-most campground on Skyline Drive inside the Shenandoah National Park. No reservations accepted, but doubt you'd have any problems getting a site, the place is huge! No hook-up's of any kind. If you must have reservations, then utilize Reserve America and stay at Big Meadows on Skyline Drive, site's are a little more open but otherwise not much different and they take reseravations. Both are operated by the National Park Service, both have Bear rules in effect (keep food in car, use the bear proof trash recepticles that are provided).

At Loft Mountain, you gotta live with the idea that on occassion Deer will walk through or near your campsite. Also, some site's at Loft Mountain on the outside loop have fantastic view of the Valley below (gotta arrive fairly early on a weekday to get one of those spots).
 
Just so that you know, if you decide to do this WITHOUT reservations, you'll still find a campsite, they usually don't fill up except for popular holiday weekends.

[Tim5055]

OK, here are a couple more choices:

Elizabeth Furnace Family Campground, George Washington National Forest, VA.  

Part  of the George Washington National Forest, Elizabeth Furnace is the site of an 1800's era iron furnace.  Now it is a wonderful recreation opportunity in a serene wooded atmosphere.
 
The campground only has 32 sites, and the majority of them are best suited to a tent and vehicle rather than a pop up and tow vehicle.  But, for $13 a night you get a level crushed stone campsite , lantern post and a fire ring.
 
The sites are generally open, but are surrounded by tall trees.  Most sites have sufficient under story to shield you from the neighboring site.
 
Two bathhouses service the campground with additional vault toilets to keep the midnight walk to a minimum.  These bathhouses are Forest Service basic structures.  The showers (1 men's and 1 women's at each bathhouse) are open to the sky - a beautiful site on a nice day a bit of a downer on a rainy day.  Plus, with the pitch of the roof, the showers tend to accumulate leaves and small twigs.  The showers are of the push button variety, giving you 10 to 15 seconds of water for each push.  If you wait a few minutes it will get warm, but not hot.  
 
A central open field provides 2 horse shoe pits and sufficient space to get up a baseball game.  Other than that recreation is up to you.  The campground is surrounded by wonderful hiking opportunities and I highly recommend them.
 
There was an onsite volunteer camp host as well as regular patrols by the forest service rangers.  The main gate to the campground is locked at 9PM and does not open until 8 AM - don't be late!


OK, now if you are really looking for primative......

Dispersed Camping in the George Washington National Forest    Along FR 95

Quoted from the NF website:

Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Dispersed camping means no toilets, no treated water, and no fire grates are provided. Typically, dispersed camping is NOT allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas such as campgrounds, picnic areas or trailheads. Many people drive out on Forest Service roads into the woods and find a clearing or a spot near a stream or with a view of the mountains.  There are extra responsibilities and skills that are necessary for dispersed camping. It's your responsibility to know these before you try this new experience.  

Dispersed Campsite
If you are going to an area where others have camped before, pick a site that's been used before. Plants, soil and wildlife are impacted by new campsites, so using existing ones will minimize your impact in the forest. If there is no existing campsite, then follow these Leave No Trace guidelines:

Campfires
Many wildfires are caused by human activity, typically escaped campfires from dispersed campers. Campfires are allowed when you are dispersed camping UNLESS there are fire restrictions in effect due to high fire danger conditions. It is YOUR responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before you go camping.
Campfire Tips:

• Use camp stoves to help conserve ground cover resources. The animals, insects and micro-organisms in the soil need downed, rotting wood to survive.
• Use existing fire rings if they exist. Minimize the scarring of new rocks, soil and plants by using existing fire rings.
• Select a site that is not in a meadow or clearing, that is not next to a tree with low, overhanging branches, that is AT LEAST 100 feet from any water source to protect fragile vegetation.
• Clear an area and make a ring of rocks about 2 feet in diameter.
• If you don't bring your own firewood, collect only dead and downed wood that is on the ground. You should not cut branches off of live trees. If a popular camping area does not have dead and downed wood, bring your own firewood or use a camp stove.

NEVER LEAVE A FIRE UNATTENDED.

You should have a bucket, shovel, and axe available to control or extinguish escaped fire.  BEFORE YOU LEAVE YOUR CAMPFIRE, MAKE SURE IT IS DEAD OUT. You should be able to put your whole hand into the ashes without being burned, it should be cool to the touch.

OK, so where do we enjoy dispersed camping?  Along FR 95  which is west of I-81.  We take I-81 south to Staunton.  West on 250 from I-81 to Brailey Pond Road.  Right onto Braily Pond Road and drive into the forest.  This road will run into FR95 (T intersection)  Turn right on FR95 and you will head to the North River Campground.  Turning left will take you into the forest.  Along FR95 are numerous spots to pull into and camp.

Once you set up camp, drop by the North River Campground and get water.  Just remember to bring a container to haul your water.

[Tentcamp]

"Beaver Meadows", near Marienville, Pa.  This is a National Forest campground, maybe 35 sites on two loops.  Sites large and mostly shielded from other sites by under brush.  Unless you come on a holiday weekend you will have no problem getting a site even without reservations.  Many times we are the only ones there.  In the summer there may be a host.  They have vault toilets and well water (pump your own), no showers, these things keep most people away.  High level of iron in the water, they say it is safe to drink but we bring our own. It leaves a residue in the water container. There is a phone and a lake that you can take motorless boats out on.  Several hiking trails and Buzzard Swamp is close with more trails.  This is our favorite campground!  
Another one is "Hearts Content", near Warren, Pa.  This is also a National Forest campground.  It is similar to Beaver Meadows but has water from a faucet and a dump station.  There are usually more people here but still rarely full.  Longer ride to go for ice.
Bear restrictions in both, we have seen bear in the Beaver Meadows campground.

[jawilson]

Definitely check out the SP's. Both PA and NY offer some very nice, well maintained ones, with the parks in NY -- at least those in the Catskills -- being the more primitive ones. Most of the SP's in PA have hot and cold running water in their facilities, as well as some pretty decent showers. NY is all cold water and few, if any, showers.

[mike4947]

Definitely check out the SP's. Both PA and NY offer some very nice, well maintained ones, with the parks in NY -- at least those in the Catskills -- being the more primitive ones. Most of the SP's in PA have hot and cold running water in their facilities, as well as some pretty decent showers. NY is all cold water and few, if any, showers.

I'll add the APA (Adirondak park agency) campgrounds are about the same.
The "loop" which is formed by routes 12/28, 30, 8, and 365 runs a large circle in the lower Adirondaks and if you stay away from the Old Forge/Inlet area there a quite a few nice primative campgrounds with large sites and with quite a few sites right on bodies of water.
Our particular Favorite is Little Sand Point on Piseco Lake on rt 8.
A half mile long road with 75 sites, half of which are right on the lake and the othe half right across the road. No hookups, but numerious water points, 3 sets of toilets (no showers) and a dump station.

[dee106]

STOKES STATE PARK!   ( (our campground is about five miles from stokes)
 
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=STOKES+STATE+PARK&ei=UTF-8&fr=fp-tab-web-t&cop=mss&tab=
 
http://members.aol.com/visitnj/visitnjstokes.html
 
http://www.muniac.com/directions/stokes.htm

[copcarguy]

My favorite CG is North-South Lake State Park in Haines Falls, NY.  No hookups, nice lakefront sites in Loops 5 & 6, hot showers, flush toilets.  We've had a few rallies here, and everyone has commented how "far away" you are from the world.  No highways nearby, this is the BEST place to get "in the woods"....  There are no man made lights around here, and it gets SO dark that your 50-zillion candlepower spot light looks like a candle.  The sky is so clear that I literally have seen satellites in orbit, and the "milky" in the Milky Way.  No joke!  I have lots of pics on my webshots page, so feel free to check those out.  Also, if you're interested, click on over to the COTOC section here at PUT for more info on trips we have scheduled there for 2004.  Hope to see you there!

[debbiedee1957]

Thank you everyone for all your great primative camping ideas.  I wish the North South Lake trip were a little later in the season, early May just seems a little cold for me....burrrr, but I am definately going to keep that in mind for Aug.  The VA campgrounds look good too & the MidWestern Pa one  Heck they all look like fun!
Copcarguy-I went to the COTOC Hickory Run Rally last fall & I am signed up for this fall too....hope to see you there!

[copcarguy]

debbiedee1957 - I'm headed to North Lake every month from May till October.  tlhdoc has all the dates listed somewhere in the COTOC section...  Maybe we could get together on one of the other weekends I'm headed up there.

[debbiedee1957]

Sounds great!  I looked at your pics, it looks very nice.  I will look for those dates & see what I can come up with

debbiedee1957 - I'm headed to North Lake every month from May till October.  tlhdoc has all the dates listed somewhere in the COTOC section...  Maybe we could get together on one of the other weekends I'm headed up there.

[julecav]

I agree NS lake is a great spot.  DH and I plan to go a few weekend trips this year.  We love the adirondacks but NS lake is less than an hour ride for us.  Our first trip is going to be at Mongaup Pond in Livingston Manor NY (sullivan county).  We are also going to North Hampton Beach on the Sacandaga Lake.  Big wooded sites or nice sites right on the water.