Bald Eagle State Forest is one of those quiet, lesser-known spots that we love! It is just off I-80 in Pennsylvania, and camping here is free. The Bald Eagle State Forest is lush and green, with several hiking trails for longer walks. In our time here (one day only, mid-week) we saw almost no one.
The most remarkable part of camping here is the privacy of the sites. They are spread out across the forest rather then crammed together into a “campground”. Site #2, where we bedded down for the night, had its own private gravel road. We enjoyed exploring the immediate area, and also road-walking the quiet gravel paths. While here, we saw deer, hummingbirds and ravens.
The most challenging part of this stay was the registration process, which involved calling the ranger station, providing a great many details about our rig, address, contact info, etc. Then having to pick up the paper copy of the registration at the ranger station (which was 15 miles away). If you have a means to print the paperwork, you can avoid this step.
What’s Awesome:
–Privacy! Campsites are miles apart. We didn’t even see anyone else while here
— Price– This rustic campsite was totally free!
— Lush green forest
— A level camping pad
— Trails/hiking nearby
— The site was clean and the road in was well-maintained
— Convenient to I-80 if you are passing through
The Downside:
— A somewhat lengthy paperwork process to register
— From our site (#2) we could hear some road noise from I-80
— No pit toilets (not a big deal for us, but something to be aware of)
We are working on building a record of all the neat free/cheap camp spots we find along the way.
To check out our other campground reviews organized by region here.