Friday, March 22, 2024

Don't Miss

Free Camping Near Gettysburg Pa

Free Camping Near Pittsburgh

Gettysburg Campground Review

While finding a free spot to camp outside of the City of Champions isn’t exactly abundant, anyone looking to explore the Three Rivers, its many bridges and burgeoning local scene leaving a Rust Belt history behind for one of green energy and technology, a couple of options do exist.

In Washington, PA, thirty minutes from downtown PGH, the Meadows Casino offers free camping to its patrons.

If a casino parking lot doesn’t quite qualify as camping in your book, and you’re up for trying something completely different, a private residence 40 minutes outside of the city, the name of Havityur Way Boondocking, offers free camping, too.

Dutch County & Gettysburg Camping

The entire Dutch Country and Gettysburg region is overflowing with historical sites, museums, factory tours, and glimpses at a simpler life:

Charge! Imagine hearing the voices of thousands of soldiers as they ran across the battlefields at Gettysburg as General Robert E. Lee led his men against Union forces. Civil War buffs, groups, and historians all gather in Gettysburg, where battlefield tours, museums, and interactive displays relive the encounters of the war’s bloodiest battle and the 51,000 casualties. It also provided President Abraham Lincoln with the setting for his most famous speech: The Gettysburg Address. Find campgrounds near Gettysburg, PA to enjoy these events.

Stroll along on one of the ghost tours through Gettysburg and also visit Eisenhower’s National Historic Site, General Lee’s Headquarters Museum, Harrisburg’s Civil War Museum, Pennsylvania’s State Capitol building, and the Pennsylvania State Museum.

York, Factory Tour Capital of the World, boasts 14 such tours. Take a tour of Herr’s, Martin’s, and Utz’s potato chip factories, Snyder’s pretzels, Wolfgang’s candy, and Hershey’s Chocolate World. Don’t forget about the woodcrafts, dairy farms, wineries, breweries, glassware, textiles, and the ever-popular Harley Davidson tours. Go to www.yorkpa.org and click on Factory Tours to find the hours and details of each tour.

Clear Creek State Forest

Clear Creeks 16,229 acres are spread out across the counties of Clarion, Forest, Jefferson, Mercer, and Venango. The Clarion River, Callen Run, Clear Creek, and Maple Creek are all stocked with trout and bass, so remember to pack a fishing rod!

Aside from the Beartown Rocks and Little Clear Creek trails, primitive backpacking is permitted throughout the forest. If you plan on bringing a motorized vehicle, there are also five designated campsites that can be reserved.

You May Like: Best Dispersed Camping In California

Free Camping In The Poconos

Across the state, in the hot spot vacation destination for Philadelphians looking to escape the city, the Poconos and state forests extending from their foothills’ sprawling reach are full of hiking trails, state parks to explore, and some of the best free camping in PA. Many of these sites–like those found in the Delaware State Forest and at Moon Lake Recreation Area–seem closer to organized campgrounds at first sight, and though they’re free, they do require a camping permit, which is also free.

Camping Near You Find A Free Campsite

Free Camping Near Gettysburg Pa

Whether you just need to know where to camp nearby or you want to plan a free camping road trip, we’ve got you covered. You can simply use your smart phone’s GPS to find camping near you or even use our trip planner to plan your route from coast to coast.

Our community provides the best free camping information available. Free campgrounds can be hard to find. Freecampsites.net makes it easy. We give you a simple, map based search engine to find free and cheap camping areas. Community reviews and ratings provide you with up to date information and help you select the best camp site for your next camping trip.

This is a platform for sharing campgrounds and camp sites you have discovered. We are community driven, and while we will be adding many free camping spots, we hope that you will add some of your favorite camping places as well. By sharing camping information freely, we can all spend less time researching campgrounds, spend less money, and more time camping. If everyone contributes a few campsites, we’ll all have more places to go camping.

Please come back and let us know what you find!

We are not actively seeking Wal-Marts, truckstops or other parking lots and will not be adding very many of these. There are enough Wal-Mart and truck stop directories out there already. However, if a member of the community finds one of these locations to be useful for overnight RV parking and creates an entry, we may approve the listing.

Please come back and let us know what you find!

Read Also: Camping Near Bullhead City Az

Ricketts Glen State Park

If gorgeous landscapes and scenic views are what you hope to get out of free camping in Pennsylvania, consider spending a few nights at Ricketts Glen State Park.

Home to Glens Natural Lands , the 94-foot Ganoga Falls, and 20 other park waterfalls, Ricketts Glen is a little piece of paradise tucked away in northeast Pennsylvania!

Find A Rental Property In Central Pennsylvania From Triple Crown Corporation

With so many great spots for free camping, youll have to spend an extended amount of time in Central Pennsylvania just to get to them all. If youre looking for a home base in the Central Pennsylvania area, let Triple Crown Corporation provide you the perfect rental property to call home.

With rental communities in Camp Hill, Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Middletown and New Cumberland, Triple Crown Corporation properties are conveniently located close to multiple free Central Pennsylvania campsites as well as numerous other fun activity options. You can check out our wide variety of rental properties and locations to find the right Central Pennsylvania neighborhood for you.

The Triple Crown Corporation team works tirelessly to keep all of the properties within our communities up to date through regular upgrades so you can be confident youre moving into a cutting-edge, modern home. To find out more about top-quality rental properties in the Central Pennsylvania area, contact Triple Crown Corporation today.

Recommended Reading: Camping World Rv Sales Burlington

Raccoon Creek State Park

As one of the most popular locations for free camping in Pennsylvania, Raccoon Creek is largely known for its array of winter activitiesincluding cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, ice-skating, and others.

The park is open year-round and is equipped with 172 tent and trailer campsitescomplete with modern facilities and other amenities!

Best Spots For Free Camping In Pennsylvania

Gettysburg, PA / Round Top Campground

Whether youre looking to escape the hustle and bustle of life in Philadelphia or you want to explore the many mountains and valleys that make up the Pennsylvania landscape, theres no better way for the outdoor enthusiast to spend the weekend than with free camping in Pennsylvania.

Contact your state park or forest for a current camping permit, pack a bag of camping equipment, and start planning out your next camping trip to one of our 23 best spots for free camping in Pennsylvania!

Recommended Reading: Sunset Beach State Park Camping

Colonel Denning State Park

Location: 1599 Doubling Gap Rd, Newville, PA 17241

In Doubling Gap find Colonel Denning State Park just forty miles north of Gettysburg commemorating William Denning, a Revolutionary War veteran.

Explore nature in multiple ways, such as on a bike, on horseback, or out on Doubling Gap Lake, fully stocked with trout.

Children can learn to use a map and compass with multiple skill levels available at the park office or nature center.

Many acres are open to hunting, trapping, and dog training during designated seasons.

The park has three paths totaling 3.5 miles to explore, but the Flat Rock Trail is the most notable. The difficult, steep climb rewards you with a 180-degree panorama of the Valley.

Take in the fall colors and hawk migration from the Flat Rock overlook. Pick up the trail next to the Visitors Center.

Colonel Denning Park is a trailhead for the Tuscarora State Forest and the Tuscarora Trail, which spans 252 miles with eighteen miles of trails total.

From the first day of trout season to the last day of deer season in December, the 49-site tent and trailer campground is open. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring all close to a sanitary dump station and non-flush toilets.

Bring the family dog with you to enjoy the park and the quiet solitude of nature.

Pine Grove Furnace State Park

Location: 1100 Pine Grove Rd, Gardners, PA 17324

Pine Grove Furnace State Park, less than twenty miles north of Gettysburg, offers a haven ready to make your next vacation amazing.

Because its situated at the northern extremity of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the park boasts various unique features, including spectacular vistas of the mountains surrounded by the Michaux State Forest.

Add in two mountain lakes and the Appalachian Trail Museum to make the park near perfect.

Hiking paths in the park range in length from a fourth of a mile to six miles, and a part of the Appalachian Trail runs through the parks heart, clearly marked with white blazes, making it simple to discover and follow.

Bikers, boaters, anglers, swimmers, and wildlife lovers will adore all the activity options the park offers. Swimming is available at both Fuller and Laurel Lakes public beaches.

The spring and fall bird migrations are excellent periods to go birding with binoculars.

Pine Grove Furnace State Park offers camping, or you can book the historic two-story Paymasters Cabin. Grab a campsite with easy access to electricity, water, toilets, and warm showers.

Each site offers a picnic table and a fire ring with access to a store for anything you may have forgotten. Finally, a few designated campsites allow pets to make your vacation even more enjoyable.

Read Also: Camping World In Bowling Green

Best Free Camping Inpennsylvania

By Nathan Swartz

The northern stretches of the Keystone State from the Allegheny National Forest to the “Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania” officially known as Pine Creek Gorge, are full of state and national forestland offering free campsites.

In the national forest itself, spots exist at Millstone Creek near Loleta PA, as well as along the northern border’s Forest Road 160 outside of Warren. Expect primitive camping, with a fire ring and picnic table at some of these sites, pit toilets at others, but otherwise more or less bare-bones camping sites.

Through the rest of this part of PA, state forest camping can be had in abundance. Elk and Moshannon State Forests are home to numerous, though unlike many a dispersed camping experience you may be used to elsewhere, some of these sites are reservable. Expect little to no cell service across the entire region.

Granite Hill Camping Resort And Bed And Breakfast

Free Camping Near Gettysburg Pa

Whether you come to relax, to experience the areas rich Civil War history or to enjoy the great outdoors, you will find something to make everyone in the family happy at Granite Hill Camping Resort and Adventure Golf.

Covered shuffleboard pavilion and swimming pool at Granite Hill Campground near Gettysburg.

This scenic 150-acre Civil War era farm is the largest campground in Gettysburg and has a mix of woodlands, tree-dotted meadows and grassy rolling hills. With 300+ sites, visitors have the choice of staying in the bright sunshine or relaxing in forested seclusion among tall trees.

Granite Hill offers everything from private tent sites to spacious pull-thru sites catering to the largest RVs and Big Rigs, as well as a wide range of options in group camping and rustic cabins in a wooded setting.

If camping isnt your style, enjoy a stay at the Historic Granite Hill Bed & Breakfast. This beautifully restored brick farmhouse dates back to the 1860s and stood witness to the Battle of Gettysburg as well as 150+ years of local history.

Granite Hill offers a wide variety of amenities, activities and camping near Gettysburg National Park. It is conveniently located far enough away from the crowds and commotion of downtown, yet close enough to have easy access to everything.

Adventure Golf at Granite Hill is like no other course on the East Coast. Overlooking Lake Lily, the course starts with an unusual waterfall and cascading streams from atop their own Stone Mountain.

Read Also: Camping Near Burgess Falls State Park

Artillery Ridge Campground And Horse Park

For those looking for camping near Gettysburg National Park, you cant get much closer than Artillery Ridge Campground and Horse Park.

Billed as the closest campground to history, Artillery Ridge is located upon the very grounds where the Union Artillery Reserve was placed during the Battle of Gettysburg. The campground is within walking distance to Gettysburg Battlefield trails, museums and monuments.

Family fun activities include fishing in a stocked catch and release fishing pond, miniature golf, heated swimming pool, and a large playground. They also have areas for basketball, volleyball, cornhole and horseshoes, as well as a game room with billiards and bingo.

Artillery Ridge is a full-service facility offering more than 400 sites for RV camping, tent camping, cabin camping and equestrian camping along with equestrian day use. Campsites are available with or without hookups and include primitive as well as full-service cabins that can accommodate 4 to 6 people..

Every site, whether basic, premium or secluded has a picnic table and fire ring and there is easy access to multiple bath houses.

This campground is pet friendly with a fenced area to let your dog run free.

Artillery Ridge is the only campground in Gettysburg that offers overnight accommodations for horses. In addition to stalls, they have a warm-up riding arena and round pen, as well as open gate corrals.

  • Location: 610 Taneytown Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325

Koa Gettysburg / Battlefield Koa

Located about five miles from Gettysburg, the Gettysburg KOA Campground gives campers easy access to modern amenities while being surrounded by nature. No matter what your idea of camping is, KOA can provide accommodations for you.

From luxurious RV glamping to rugged tent sites, Gettysburg KOA offers something for every experience level and comfort need.

If you prefer cabin camping, Gettysburg KOA lets you enjoy a hassle-free experience with many of the luxuries you have at home. What could be better than enjoying the peace and serenity of nature while getting a good nights sleep in a comfortable bed?

Tent campers at KOA can get a taste of authentic camping life with access to all the essential amenities.

If you want to explore the Gettysburg battlefield, bus tour tickets are sold from KOA or you can explore on your with a self-guided CD tour.

KOA offers a heated pool, nature trail, gem mine, bike rentals, shuffleboard, horseshoes, corn hole, life-size games and mini golf. Your pet can also enjoy the pet playground.

A nightly movie provides an overview of the town and battle. Bus tours depart from this KOA for the Gettysburg Battlefield or Washington, D.C.

After a day of touring, relax at this quiet, naturally wooded campground. If you just want to stay on site, you can enjoy the heated pool, nature trail, fun-bike rentals, shuffleboard and mini golf.

  • Location: 20 Knox Rd, Gettysburg, PA 17325

Recommended Reading: Is Camping Free In National Forests

Whats The Best Place To Camp In Pa

There are a lot of places with free camping in PA, so it can be hard to decide on which one to choose.

One of the biggest things to keep in mind is what area you want to visit.

Camping in Pennsylvania can essentially be divided into 3 categories based on its regions: West, Central, and East.

Western PA is home to the Pittsburgh Low Plateau, the Allegheny Mountain Section, and several major waterways. Its a good ahead for hiking, fishing, and boating.

Central PA has the Appalachian Mountains running through the middle of it, making it a top hiking destination.

Eastern PA has a mixture of lowlands, valleys, and plateaus. It also has ample rivers, lakes, and forests. The diverse landscape allows it to accommodate all of the common outdoor activities like camping, hunting, and fishing.

Gifford Pinchot State Park

Gettysburg – Battlefield KOA | Gettysburg PA

Location: 2200 Rosstown Rd, Lewisberry, PA 17339

York County offers another beautiful destination just thirty miles from Gettysburg.

Gifford Pinchot State Park was once farmlands and wooded hills before its conversion into a park next to Pinchot lake.

As a full-service park, you can find every outdoor activity you can imagine and seasonal options too.

With almost twenty miles of trails for walkers and a few for bikers or horseback riding and cross-country skiing in the winter, the park is sure to connect everyone to nature.

Enjoy pontoon boat tours out on the water or a guided walk in the evening. In the right season, you can enjoy hunting or fishing along with many other hands-on activities.

Make sure to check out the Mason-Dixon trail and look for giant swallowtail butterflies, all with a beautiful view of the lake.

The park has one of the largest state park campgrounds in the state, with 339 campsites at the southern end of the lake.

For a different experience, try a modern cabin, cottage, or a yurt to keep nature and technology near you. Every site has access to a swimming beach and an outdoor amphitheater.

In addition, some of the campsites are accessible to hiking paths, a boat launching, and a mooring area, along with all the amenities you need.

Read Also: Gold Head State Park Camping

Allegheny Reservoir/ Allegheny National Forest

First up for free camping in Northwest Pennsylvania is Allegheny Reservoir/Allegheny National Forest! This forest straddles the Pennsylvania-New York border and provides many of your traditional outdoor activities. Its 27-mile-long, man-made body of water is a popular spot for swimming, boating, and especially fishing. In fact, multiple record-breaking catches have been made at Allegheny Reservoir!

While many of the forests campgrounds require a fee, there are a variety of nearby campsites that are free to useincluding Clarion River Campsites. These 26 developed tent and RV campsites are complete with toilets and fire road access!

Bald Eagle State Forest

Named after the famous Native American chief, Bald Eagle, Bald Eagle State Forest covers 193,424 acres of high, sharp ridges and tracts of old-growth forest with miles of refreshing mountain streams. Due to its location within the ridge and valley section of Pennsylvania, Bald Eagle State Forest has breath-taking sights you cant find anywhere else in the state.

From the Allegheny Mountains in the northwest to the limestone-rich Susquehanna Valley in the southeast, the Bald Eagle forest district spotlights a series of striking sandstone ridges. Some of Bald Eagle State Forests peaks reach heights of up to 2,300 feet above sea level.

Each year, visitors flock to Bald Eagle State Forest for its numerous trails and natural areas. From the Mid State Trail to the old-growth forests, vistas and countless other multiple areas, Bald Eagle State Forest has something to offer every nature enthusiast. The Poe Paddy area is a particularly popular spot among visitors because of its scenic canyons and rugged ridges.

And with 45 designated motorized camping sites, there is no shortage of space for overnight guests. These motorized campsites each come with off-road parking, a fire ring and a picnic table. Despite the many campsites available, it is still recommended that campers call ahead to reserve a spot and request a permit for no charge.

Read Also: Pace Bend Park Camping Map

Latest Posts

Popular Articles

Stay in touch

To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.