State forest campsites - no longer free

Dcnr had a press release and I am sure it was published in the PA bulletin.
 
lycoflyfisher said:
I am a member of a state lease camp. Anyhow, there has been a group that hauls in a camper and sets up a big tent camp for bear season along the forestry road near our driveway. We wondered if they would be there this year and they were. The only reservable sites on the dcnr site are 20 miles away in a completely different section of the Sproul State Forest. Will be interesting to see how this plays out over time.
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To the best of my knowledge this has never been legal or okay.
 
This just keeps getting better. Now there is a two night minimum after memorial day. I like to book a site for one night if its a long drive to get more fishing time in. This sucks.
 
Agree - the new system penalizes those of us who tended to use the sites in a semi-nomadic way. I'd often stay one night at a site, if I could manage to get away a bit earlier than someone I might be meeting up with, or if it was a convenient place to use as a launch point for a backpacking/fishing trip. At least they aren't doing the one-week minimum that they do with cabins between Memorial and Labor Days. But now you'll have to burn $26.50 just to camp one night and skip the second. Fortunately, I know a few "trailside" sites that will still qualify as free to backpackers. And I usually carry a backpack when I fish :)
 
They're making too big a deal out of this IMO.
Part of the allure with camping, is to just keep things simple.
And makes things up as you go.

I'll prolly use a few places impromptu as I've always done
Getting in late, and out early in the morning.
 
sandflyx said:
New York state forest are still free.
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Oh boy. Here comes the debates and all the threads about how all our neighbors manage their state forests better than the PA DCNR. 😂🤣
 
Making it a 2 night minimum is a big mistake imo there are going to be a lot of reserved campsites not being used the 2nd night... 26 bucks to pull of the road and have a fire ring is getting ridiculous.
 
sandflyx said:
acually pa is a lot better than new york.
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Hey, I was just poking fun at "all the other discussions" happening round here lately.

I think a small fee would have been reasonable, let's say $5. A two night minimum is stupid. These sites require virtually zero maintenance by DCNR staff.

I don't use these sites as I am generally "off the grid" more. I am a backpacker and any backwoods fishing trips are similar in use to a backpacking trip. I still really don't see why I would change that. I can park anywhere and walk a distance from the vehicle into the middle of nowhere with everything I need for free. I don't need a picnic table and a fire ring. I have spent a lot of nights in the PA woods free of charge and have never seen another soul on 99% of those trips.
 
jifigz said:
Hey, I was just poking fun at "all the other discussions" happening round here lately.

I think a small fee would have been reasonable, let's say $5. A two night minimum is stupid. These sites require virtually zero maintenance by DCNR staff.

I don't use these sites as I am generally "off the grid" more. I am a backpacker and any backwoods fishing trips are similar in use to a backpacking trip. I still really don't see why I would change that. I can park anywhere and walk a distance from the vehicle into the middle of nowhere with everything I need for free. I don't need a picnic table and a fire ring. I have spent a lot of nights in the PA woods free of charge and have never seen another soul on 99% of those trips.
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There is a lot involved with dcnr taking care of these campsites. Trash, cleanup, maintenance, security, etc. I know I've seen some of these sites, 2 right near me. New York doesn't do this. I've seen some real discussing ones with human waste all over, empty beer all over, etc.
 
Sandfly, I have seen those issues but the overall problem is people are scum bags and there is not enough law enforcement presence to catch the scumbags and hold them accountable. The same can be said for illegal atv users on state forest land and fisherman who feel the need to leave bait containers and tackle packaging all over.

There was already a reservation program in place to utilize the roadside camping sites. If there was enough dcnr rangers to keep up with who is staying where and pinching those who chose to litter or break other state forest rules we would be in a different situation. The little bit of additional money from reserving these campsites will not result in enough windfall to hire additional rangers.
 
lycoflyfisher said:
Making it a 2 night minimum is a big mistake imo there are going to be a lot of reserved campsites not being used the 2nd night... 26 bucks to pull of the road and have a fire ring is getting ridiculous.
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I agree, it makes no sense you can book a campsite in a state park for one night, there is no minimum. I don't buy the whole maintenance claim as the reason. I'm sure some sites / areas have issues but I doubt the majority of sites have many issues. I think they are doing so that it's the same cost as a stay at a state park campground. Generally if I have a 3 hour or more drive to fish I'll try and find a campsite for the night.
 
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sandflyx said:
There is a lot involved with dcnr taking care of these campsites. Trash, cleanup, maintenance, security, etc. I know I've seen some of these sites, 2 right near me. New York doesn't do this. I've seen some real discussing ones with human waste all over, empty beer all over, etc.
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I don't buy it. I spend a lot of time in state forests near me. The sites have a table, fire ring, and 2b limestone. There is rarely any trash and I don't think that's from the DCNR staff constantly keeping it picked up. These sites are popular, I know that, and booked often.
 
sandflyx said:
New York state forest are still free.
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So I should drive to NY to camp on their SF sites, then drive back down to PA to fish? That seems like a lot of wasted gas. I'm usually a county away from the PA/NY border.
 
I found that the two night minimum only takes affect when reserving a Saturday site. I was contacted by someone with Loyalsock State forest and they said it is a glitch with the reservation system and they will get it fixed. They didn't even realize it was requiring the minimum. So there will be no two night minimum for a site.
 
Beernut said:
I found that the two night minimum only takes affect when reserving a Saturday site. I was contacted by someone with Loyalsock State forest and they said it is a glitch with the reservation system and they will get it fixed. They didn't even realize it was requiring the minimum. So there will be no two night minimum for a site.
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I'm a little confused.
So, there is no two night minimum - except for weekends? Usually meaning Friday and Saturday night
Which is what lots of private campgrounds do now
 
dryflyguy said:
I'm a little confused.
So, there is no two night minimum - except for weekends? Usually meaning Friday and Saturday night
Which is what lots of private campgrounds do now
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There never should have been a two night minimum. For some reason it only showed up when booking a Saturday. There won't be a two night minimum at all once it's fixed.
 
Beernut said:
There never should have been a two night minimum. For some reason it only showed up when booking a Saturday. There won't be a two night minimum at all once it's fixed.
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There never should have been a fee charged for something that doesn’t have a shitter, a shower and electricity to begin with.
 
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