# Low cost or free campsite recommendations? (east coast)



## Lost Ear (Dec 27, 2012)

Hi, everyone. Spring break is about to start for me this weekend and continuing through next week. So I'm looking forward to camping for the first time in years.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find much free or cheap campsite that is open this early in the year. Found a site which is helping called, http://freecampsites.net/usa/

I have a rather large 9 person tent and a queen sized air mattress so electric hookup would be a plus but I can always hook it up to my car to inflate the air mattress (though I would not be able to charge my phone which is essential).

I am a photographer and would love to be able to have access to some hiking trials. I would LOVE it if I can find a campsite on the mountain.

I would like your recommendations please :gaptooth:

thanks!


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## froebeli (Feb 14, 2012)

Try National Forest or National Park sites. Some are free this time of year, but no services. Where on the East Coast are you specifically looking? It's a pretty big area.

Try this website for National Forest Campgrounds 
http://www.forestcamping.com/dow/list/nflist.htm


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

You might have to take a look at some RV camp sites.. some do have tent pads... Most of them are open year round...


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Have you checked state parks in the areas you want to visit? Many offer very low cost tent camping sites.


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## RonM (Jan 6, 2008)

In Delaware we have Lums Pond State Park close to I-95 and Killens Pond in the center and Trappe Pond in the Sothern end and Cape Henlopen S.P. along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean..........


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

I reserved a campsite right on the St. Laurence river for $19 a night at a NY state park. I think that's pretty cheap.


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## Lost Ear (Dec 27, 2012)

Sorry for not clarifying exactly where on the east coast. let say, about 6-8 hours of driving distance from DC? Likely either west or south. Yes, still a pretty big area but hopefully that will cut out about half of the potential suggestions.

I only have about $50 left in my camping budget (I know, that's crazy tight but that gas and food does not count toward that $50).

One of the reason why I'm wanting to go camping and have such a tight budget is due to the fact that I was just terminated from my job (though I'm currently contesting that). I just need to get far away from DC for a few days at least and I cannot afford to spend too much outside my budget. I'm saving my gas and food budget for this trip so no worries there. I am hoping for $10 or less a night campsite.



froebeli said:


> Try National Forest or National Park sites. Some are free this time of year, but no services. Where on the East Coast are you specifically looking? It's a pretty big area.
> 
> Try this website for National Forest Campgrounds
> http://www.forestcamping.com/dow/list/nflist.htm


Checking that site out, looking good! thanks! :goodjob:



simi-steading said:


> You might have to take a look at some RV camp sites.. some do have tent pads... Most of them are open year round...


I'll have to check that out  my only concern is the pricing. RV camp sites sound like it would cost more?



Danaus29 said:


> Have you checked state parks in the areas you want to visit? Many offer very low cost tent camping sites.


I am trying to find out more about that. Problem is that I am not completely sure of where to look. The links above from froebeli looks good for this.



RonM said:


> In Delaware we have Lums Pond State Park close to I-95 and Killens Pond in the center and Trappe Pond in the Sothern end and Cape Henlopen S.P. along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean..........


Delaware is not far enough from DC, heh. I just want to be physically away from a source of stress that I am having at the moment :sob:



JJ Grandits said:


> I reserved a campsite right on the St. Laurence river for $19 a night at a NY state park. I think that's pretty cheap.


Not really wanting to go that far up north this early in the year. I have not camped in years so warmer temp would be easier to manage. Thanks


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

Checkout national forests and state forests. WE've camped in plenty of them over the years for free. It is pretty primitive camping though.


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## OkieDavid (Jan 15, 2007)

I doubt you will have much luck finding a free ELECTRIC campsite. I also have a recommendation for you. Recreation.gov
Also, Federal campsites are usually priced by the amenities available at the site and not based on the camping unit. Low end starts with primitive site and goes up to water, electric,sewer etc..

Good luck in your pursuit.


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## Lost Ear (Dec 27, 2012)

I don't mind going without electricity if I have to. Might end up just grabbing my old phone for that week since the battery can last much longer than my smartphone. Would definitely need to purchase one of those DC to AC inverter though.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Are you wanting to g this weekend? If so, I think I might be able to help you out with a free place.... 5 hours from DC... in the foothills to the west of the mountains..


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## greg_n_ga (May 4, 2012)

All kinds of places here. I have never payed for a camp spot !! 70% of the land in this county is USFS lands, creeks, rds, camps and trails are everywhere and free !! Also you can camp all along the infamous Chattoga River !! Don't worry about banjo music !! That movie made the local people look like idiots !! Funny how movies can have such a negative impact on the locals of an area !!


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Got your message and replied back Lost Ear... Let me know when you want to go, and I might be able to hook you up with something you might be interested in...

If that doesn't pan out, take a look at Horseshoe Flats Campground in Scottsville VA... .I've camped there a few times out on float trips down James River.... 

The lady that owns the place is SUPER nice and cool... She's a hugger.. you can't camp without a hug.. 

Sadly The Dew Drop Inn isn't in business last I heard though.... (If you were a Walton's watcher, you'd know the place)


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## Lost Ear (Dec 27, 2012)

Been chatting back and forth with Simi-steading. Got a spot until this Tuesday so thanks, simi-steading, for your help! :thumb:

That will give me plenty of time to find other camp spot afterward for the rest of the week.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I've wondered if you looked at weather... And now you know why I asked  It's going to be COLD and raining for a good chunk of the weekend out in WV... Pretty much the whole eastern seaboard within the distance you want to drive for that matter.... 

There are some places on the property you could shelter next to rocks and sandwich yourself between the fire and rocks, but I've camped in those conditions, and it's not fun...

Any more, I'm a fair weather camper, and don't usually take the first trip out until Memorial weekend... 

Since you're just getting started with camping, I'd really suggest you wait until the weather gets a little nicer... If you take your first trip out and end up cold wet and miserable for a couple days, you may end up getting pretty discouraged.... 

I've done a few survival camps that were purposely scheduled for a time when weather was bad... It really made me rethink how hard it is to survive when your surroundings are less then ideal.. If the temperature is going to stay under 55 or 60, I just don't go... But then again.. I'm getting older and am a lot less resilient.. 

If you change your mind though.. let me know...


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## Lost Ear (Dec 27, 2012)

Thanks. I'm now looking up the weather report to see whether the southern states are still good for camping.

Guess I'll have to consider just visiting my family rather than doing anything special.

Thank you all, and especially Simi-steading!, for all of the advice.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

No problem... .It does look like if you head to the southern end of VA or WV or maybe even MD, you might miss some of the rain and cold weather.. Looks like it's going to cut across the middle of the state most the weekend and beginning of the week.. 

We've done a lot of camping in the area... PA, NJ, MD, WV, VA... We've gotten a lot of it down pretty pat.. Just ask if you need anything..


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## Lost Ear (Dec 27, 2012)

I seem to have decided on holding off on camping until later on in the year. Maybe after the semester ends in May or so. Just gonna clean up the apartment real well and maybe at the very least, figure out where I can head out for a day of photo shooting in the mountain.

I am still very interested in learning more about any recommended sites around here but I do not have the same sense of urgency on this matter anymore.

Thanks.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Lost Ear

How rough are you willing to tolerate, no shopping centers, few service stations, no restaurants nearby, no power or water? If a location on the Intercoastal Waterway in eastern North Carolina has any interest contact me.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

You sure wouldn't have enjoyed this past weekend out in WV.. it was cold and wet and raining... real wet... creeks flowing over their banks, and roads flooded out...

I spent about an hour Monday in the rain and about 45 degrees with a shovel clearing out a water run down the side of the hill just up from the house... It was blocked up with debris and flowing out into a roadway and into my driveway.... Had to get it done before it ended up washing away a lot of dirt and gravel.. 

I was cold, wet and miserable and covered in mud... I thought about how non enjoyable it would have been for you trying to camp that weekend... It took me the rest the day to get warm after that.. a full weekend, it would have taken you a week to get warm..


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## Lost Ear (Dec 27, 2012)

agmantoo said:


> Lost Ear
> 
> How rough are you willing to tolerate, no shopping centers, few service stations, no restaurants nearby, no power or water? If a location on the Intercoastal Waterway in eastern North Carolina has any interest contact me.


I am pretty open to living as primitive as possible eventually. If I am not bringing my wife along, then I wouldn't mind trying that out  I'm sure my wife would be coming along eventually but not until her camping/survival confidence improves.



simi-steading said:


> You sure wouldn't have enjoyed this past weekend out in WV.. it was cold and wet and raining... real wet... creeks flowing over their banks, and roads flooded out...
> 
> I spent about an hour Monday in the rain and about 45 degrees with a shovel clearing out a water run down the side of the hill just up from the house... It was blocked up with debris and flowing out into a roadway and into my driveway.... Had to get it done before it ended up washing away a lot of dirt and gravel..
> 
> I was cold, wet and miserable and covered in mud... I thought about how non enjoyable it would have been for you trying to camp that weekend... It took me the rest the day to get warm after that.. a full weekend, it would have taken you a week to get warm..


Yeah, I'm kinda glad that I didn't camp this past week. Still feels a bit disappointed that I missed a chance to camp. Gonna have to wait another month before I have time to try camping again. At least I had managed to set up the tent in my mother-in-law's front yard to check it out. I'm excited to camp 

Here is a pic of what I was trying to snap during camping. Snapped this at my mother-in-law's place which have some gorgeous night sky!

Spring Break Snaps

I know that camping out in an empty field or mountain top would make for a much more majestic pic than that! I'm still tuning my focus on this kind of pics but this summer should give me a lot of chance to make a lot of sharp and bright star pics


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

You got some picture taking talent.. I never can get those time lapse picture to turn out right... Don't have a good enough tripod nor a remote for the shutter.. pushing the button by hand ruins it fast.


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## Lost Ear (Dec 27, 2012)

Thanks!  These pic was actually the first time I could get the stars in focus. By the time I was done with that two, I was just too cold to stay outside any longer. At least I learned some trick to make it much faster to check my focus on the stars. I was snapping 'full' quality pics just to check the focus but I found that if I ramp up the ISO to the max, I would get a messy image in a much much less time that can still show me the focus quality. Sound simple and it seem like something that most photographer would have already through of much earlier than it took me :ashamed: just one of those DUH! moment :hammer:

NEEWERÂ® Timer Remote Control RS-60E3 For Canon made all of the differences. I set it to start a few minutes AFTER I have pressed the shutter button on the remote. And then in the same action, the remote would keep the shutter open for like 30 minutes in bulb mode. If you have a Canon camera that's compatible and we meet up, I could show you how it works. Made it much much easier!

:EDIT: oh, if you have a canon dslr, you should check out magic lantern. It's a 'hack' you install on your memory card to add crazy amount of functionality to your camera, including an intervalometer that allow you to do essentially the same thing as the timer function in the remote control. My camera, Canon T4i, is too new for a stable version of magic lantern at the moment so I have not had much chance to mess with that yet.


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## Hollowdweller (Jul 13, 2011)

How about Dolly Sods in WV. There is red creek campground there, which is usually full, but if you don't mind carrying your gear say 200 feet from the road there's numerous small paths with camping sites off the main drag.

It is the highest plateau east of the Mississippi and the topography and plants are like Canada. Only thing is there may be SNOW. Check first. 

I go backpacking there a lot. Here's some pictures.

This is off Blackbird Knob Trail

















This is where Red Creek Trail and Fisher Springs Run Trail crosses red creek. We camped her on our honeymooon 26 years ago but the pic is recent.









These are the Lions Head Cliffs off Rocky Point Trail









The actual Lion Head looking across the Red Creek Canyon at the "unamed Vista" cliffs that are off Rorhbaugh Plains trail.


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## Hollowdweller (Jul 13, 2011)

This is south of Dolly Sods, Roaring Plains. This is a place called "The Point" which is on an unoffical bushwhack trail called the canyon rim. It is the intersection of Roaring Creek and Long Run Canyons. In the distance you can see the full 24 miles of North Fork Mt and Seneca Rocks









This is a closer look at Seneca Rocks









We call this "The Mother of Talus Fields" it's a 5 mile walk from the road and the trail cuts thru it diagonally. You must walk carefully. You can see me standing about 2/3 way up.


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## Lost Ear (Dec 27, 2012)

Wow, that is EXACTLY the kind of landscape I would love to photograph. Particularly with long exposure of star


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## Lost Ear (Dec 27, 2012)

Hollow dweller, do the place have a lot of regulation such as not being open after sunset and whatnot? I'm going to try to look up this info but figured that someone who actually been there might be able to tell of their experience with whatever restriction might be there.

Thanks


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

There's a good bit of free camping in GA...


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## Wis Bang 2 (Jan 12, 2010)

PA state forest land has free camping. You need a permit from that State forest DCNR office ONLY if you stay in the same place each night.

Look up Thunder Swamp trail system in the Poconos, 55 miles of marked trails w/ numerous access points and some good trout fishing...


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## Hollowdweller (Jul 13, 2011)

Lost Ear said:


> Hollow dweller, do the place have a lot of regulation such as not being open after sunset and whatnot? I'm going to try to look up this info but figured that someone who actually been there might be able to tell of their experience with whatever restriction might be there.
> 
> Thanks


It's a federal wilderness. There's no opening and closing hours. But if the snow is too deep they close off the road to the top.


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## Lost Ear (Dec 27, 2012)

Hollowdweller said:


> It's a federal wilderness. There's no opening and closing hours. But if the snow is too deep they close off the road to the top.


Sorry for asking about the policy of the place. Being deaf, my father always dealt with getting the campground and finding out the policies and whatnot when I was growing up. So I've grown to be cautious about breaking policies and whatnot because when the 'authorities' confront me, the communication can break down quickly due to me being deaf and I want to avoid any rash decision that may be provoked by that communication breakdown.

I can just drive to a parking lot nearby and then just walk out to wherever I want to camp out at? No reservation or permit needed? Is there parking that I can park at? (my car is a convertible so I'll have to be sure to wash it clean of food scent first before I leave it alone in the wood for a few days)

Thanks!


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## pheasantplucker (Feb 20, 2007)

This may be too late but keep it tucked away for future reference. If you come to Ohio (Southeast), there is a great place to camp for free. It is called the AEP (American Electric Power) Recreation Land. Basically it is reclaimed land from stripmining. It has over 60,000 acres of land with around 600 lakes and ponds and there are almost 400 campsites available. None that I know of have electrical hookups. You do need to apply online for a user permit. Takes 3 minutes and it's free. Have that with you when you go. The place is near a small town near McConnelsville. Lots of good fishing, beaver, whitetail, songbirds.


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## Lost Ear (Dec 27, 2012)

pheasantplucker said:


> This may be too late but keep it tucked away for future reference. If you come to Ohio (Southeast), there is a great place to camp for free. It is called the AEP (American Electric Power) Recreation Land. Basically it is reclaimed land from stripmining. It has over 60,000 acres of land with around 600 lakes and ponds and there are almost 400 campsites available. None that I know of have electrical hookups. You do need to apply online for a user permit. Takes 3 minutes and it's free. Have that with you when you go. The place is near a small town near McConnelsville. Lots of good fishing, beaver, whitetail, songbirds.


Never too late  I am keeping everything from this thread in mind for future reference. I am planning to go camping with my wife in the next few months. For now though, I'm preparing to go on a 3-days hiking trip thru part of the Shenandoah national park later on this week


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