Nobody
Hello, I'm planning to go out camping with a few friends soon. My thought is to have a camping experience in total wilderness for maybe 3 days, so we will camp in our tents overnight. Does anyone know a place with mountains, rivers/creek/pond/lake(would be nice to have), near maryland. I am aware that maryland doesn't have much, so virginia, west virginia, Penn, are fine. i'm willing to drive 200 miles and i live in 21042. thanks!
@c_kayak_fun i was looking at this place before i asked. can i camp in the forest instead of in the camp sites? and are there any wild life to watch out for there?
Answer
I live in Western PA so I have backpacked and camped all around areas near you. For what you are seeking Monongahela National Forest in WV will be your best bet. You are a little closer to Shenandoah National Park but that is ridiculously busy and crowded in the summer (it often gets more visitors per year than any other National Park in the country because it is so near large cities.) The trails and campsites in Monongahela are wonderful -- you feel like you are in the Swiss Alps in some areas of it. You can get a trail guide to the region: Amazon and REI stores sell the Monongahela National Forest Hiking Guide for about $15.
My favorite trails there are Spruce Knob, Dolly Sods, Cranberry Backcountry and Otter Creek Wilderness. Plenty of options for a 3 or 4 day trip with incredible scenery and a variety of terrain. Check out Seneca Rocks when you are there (near Spruce Knob) -- 1000' vertical cliffs where the Army used to train its mountain troops. You can hike up the back and there is swimming in the river along the base of it.
ADDED: To answer your question, we always backpacked so we would just choose a campsite anywhere along the trail in the woods that looked nice. The trail along Red Creek has some nice spots -- sandy areas with shady trees right along the water. Just make sure you follow the rules for setting up a place to use as a toilet. Bury it at least 200 feet away from any water so it doesn't contaminate it. You do need to bring trail maps or the hiking guide though because some parts of the trails cross private farmland especially before you climb to the ridges and the owners might not like you camping there. But once you get back into the woods and valleys and ridges you are pretty much free to pick your own spots. Remember it is a National FOREST not a National Park so the rules are not as strict.
As far as animals, there are lots of deer, foxes, possums, raccoons, porcupines and beaver (you will see their dams and ponds in some areas). Occasionally you will see black bears -- they are not dangerous unless you are between a mom and her cubs. If you come across cubs, just stop and back slowly away and go around where they are. Black bears rarely hurt anybody and will usually run away if you yell at them. The ones I have seen in WV are fairly small. Some rocky exposed ridges will have rattlesnakes on sunny days so watch for them if you try to climb on rocks. They are not a huge problem -- in all the hundreds of trips I have taken down there in 40 years of camping I have only seen a rattlesnake twice and they were just hanging out sunbathing and didn't even notice me.
Don't leave food out at night when you camp because squirrels and raccoons will try to steal it. The trails can be rugged and rocky in places so be sure you have good sturdy hiking boots. Bring your own water or a filter or water purfication kit when you hike back in -- because of the beaver ponds in the area you can get Giardia infection from the water. The flatter trails are in Dolly Sods and Otter Creek and Cranberry Backcountry. Spruce Knob and the Roaring Plains require a lot of steep up and down hill hiking but you get better views.
I live in Western PA so I have backpacked and camped all around areas near you. For what you are seeking Monongahela National Forest in WV will be your best bet. You are a little closer to Shenandoah National Park but that is ridiculously busy and crowded in the summer (it often gets more visitors per year than any other National Park in the country because it is so near large cities.) The trails and campsites in Monongahela are wonderful -- you feel like you are in the Swiss Alps in some areas of it. You can get a trail guide to the region: Amazon and REI stores sell the Monongahela National Forest Hiking Guide for about $15.
My favorite trails there are Spruce Knob, Dolly Sods, Cranberry Backcountry and Otter Creek Wilderness. Plenty of options for a 3 or 4 day trip with incredible scenery and a variety of terrain. Check out Seneca Rocks when you are there (near Spruce Knob) -- 1000' vertical cliffs where the Army used to train its mountain troops. You can hike up the back and there is swimming in the river along the base of it.
ADDED: To answer your question, we always backpacked so we would just choose a campsite anywhere along the trail in the woods that looked nice. The trail along Red Creek has some nice spots -- sandy areas with shady trees right along the water. Just make sure you follow the rules for setting up a place to use as a toilet. Bury it at least 200 feet away from any water so it doesn't contaminate it. You do need to bring trail maps or the hiking guide though because some parts of the trails cross private farmland especially before you climb to the ridges and the owners might not like you camping there. But once you get back into the woods and valleys and ridges you are pretty much free to pick your own spots. Remember it is a National FOREST not a National Park so the rules are not as strict.
As far as animals, there are lots of deer, foxes, possums, raccoons, porcupines and beaver (you will see their dams and ponds in some areas). Occasionally you will see black bears -- they are not dangerous unless you are between a mom and her cubs. If you come across cubs, just stop and back slowly away and go around where they are. Black bears rarely hurt anybody and will usually run away if you yell at them. The ones I have seen in WV are fairly small. Some rocky exposed ridges will have rattlesnakes on sunny days so watch for them if you try to climb on rocks. They are not a huge problem -- in all the hundreds of trips I have taken down there in 40 years of camping I have only seen a rattlesnake twice and they were just hanging out sunbathing and didn't even notice me.
Don't leave food out at night when you camp because squirrels and raccoons will try to steal it. The trails can be rugged and rocky in places so be sure you have good sturdy hiking boots. Bring your own water or a filter or water purfication kit when you hike back in -- because of the beaver ponds in the area you can get Giardia infection from the water. The flatter trails are in Dolly Sods and Otter Creek and Cranberry Backcountry. Spruce Knob and the Roaring Plains require a lot of steep up and down hill hiking but you get better views.
Any good camping places recommended?
Cara
So this summer my friends and I want to go on a road trip. We are 17/18 and it's the summer before senior year so we want to do something fun. We live in Nashville TN and are looking for a area with water and UNKNOWN. I don't want anyone to be there I don't want it to be touristy or I really don't want it to be a campground where you pay etc. we will be using tents and have very limited money and we seriously don't want to stay in a cabin or anything like that. Preferably no more than 6 hours away from us. Like I said unknown, very naturey, and have a place to set up a tent. Anyone know anywhere??? It can be a beach or lake or river we don't care. Also there will be probably like 5 or 6 of us! Thanks!
Answer
You can camp for free within any US forest service land or BLM(bureau of land management) land. You can look up maps for where this land is and there will be small signs along the border fences. There are rules such as you can't camp within 100ft of a road and some places won't let you have a camp fire, but you can get around that. Most land on the east coast is privately owned, so finding government land is essential. Some state parks allow it, but most are very crowded. Most likely it'll be in the smoky's or the apalachian mountains. Like I have said, you need to check the maps to see where the forest service land is. I'm not going to sugar coat it, but you may not find anywhere on the east coast where you could be alone even in the woods short of northern Maine, which is out of your six hour area. Most likely you would be run out of any place that you might think you could camp. Spots where you could camp would not be improved at all and you would have to walk into them carrying your gear. If one of you has a high clearance vehicle, you could try some of the forest service roads, but most aren't maintained at all and have large rocks in them or "tank traps"(blocks the road so you can't drive any further.) Public beaches tend to do this too. All that I can say is to really look up the rules concerning where you might like to go. See if anyone else has had a good experience in where you are thinking of. Or if anyone has anything bad to say about the specific place. This will save you a lot of headache when you go. At your age, you are wanting to party like animals, but be aware that every year people do this and get in trouble. Sucks, I know, but that's the way it is. Just keep your buddies in check and you will be fine. I would however recommend western South Dakota in the summer. In the southern part of the Black Hills National forest, you can camp for free just off the forest service roads next to your car as long as you get on the foreset service roads west of Custer or Hill City more than five miles. That being said; You may want to look at National parks and state parks. These will be the only more wild areas that are not private. Never and i repeat Never camp on private ground without permission! Most will call the cops. The ozarks may be another option. You may like the wilds, but your friends may want cell service for their phones, no matter where they are. If you really want that off the grid feel, come west. There are many places that have no cell reception or satalite reception in the northwest. Forget both if you dare to come to Alaska. You should be able to find a place if you scour your maps and figure out the laws in that specific area. Population density maps can help find less people places too. Good luck with your search.
You can camp for free within any US forest service land or BLM(bureau of land management) land. You can look up maps for where this land is and there will be small signs along the border fences. There are rules such as you can't camp within 100ft of a road and some places won't let you have a camp fire, but you can get around that. Most land on the east coast is privately owned, so finding government land is essential. Some state parks allow it, but most are very crowded. Most likely it'll be in the smoky's or the apalachian mountains. Like I have said, you need to check the maps to see where the forest service land is. I'm not going to sugar coat it, but you may not find anywhere on the east coast where you could be alone even in the woods short of northern Maine, which is out of your six hour area. Most likely you would be run out of any place that you might think you could camp. Spots where you could camp would not be improved at all and you would have to walk into them carrying your gear. If one of you has a high clearance vehicle, you could try some of the forest service roads, but most aren't maintained at all and have large rocks in them or "tank traps"(blocks the road so you can't drive any further.) Public beaches tend to do this too. All that I can say is to really look up the rules concerning where you might like to go. See if anyone else has had a good experience in where you are thinking of. Or if anyone has anything bad to say about the specific place. This will save you a lot of headache when you go. At your age, you are wanting to party like animals, but be aware that every year people do this and get in trouble. Sucks, I know, but that's the way it is. Just keep your buddies in check and you will be fine. I would however recommend western South Dakota in the summer. In the southern part of the Black Hills National forest, you can camp for free just off the forest service roads next to your car as long as you get on the foreset service roads west of Custer or Hill City more than five miles. That being said; You may want to look at National parks and state parks. These will be the only more wild areas that are not private. Never and i repeat Never camp on private ground without permission! Most will call the cops. The ozarks may be another option. You may like the wilds, but your friends may want cell service for their phones, no matter where they are. If you really want that off the grid feel, come west. There are many places that have no cell reception or satalite reception in the northwest. Forget both if you dare to come to Alaska. You should be able to find a place if you scour your maps and figure out the laws in that specific area. Population density maps can help find less people places too. Good luck with your search.
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