Worse Trip Ever...

[Glocke12]

Just returned from what is probably the worst camping trip ive ever had..This was in Rothrock state forest in PA

So, really the only motivation for me to go to this place was due to the fact that there is an area here that contains what are thought to be the only surviving old growth hemlocks left in the state. Estimates place the age of these trees to at least 400 years, and I was curious to see what a 400 year old tree looks like up close.

I got in contact with the office that serves the forest service district, and asked for the most secluded drive in campsite they had available. They assigned me to campsite #4. Also this was supposed to be a Thursday through Sunday trip.

I ended up getting a late start Thursday, and did not get to the site until close to six pm. Once I saw it, I seriously debated turning around and going back home. The campsite itself was located between two switchbacks on a fairly heavily traveled forest service road. It was basically a giant gravel pad, that looks like it was a parking lot at one time that was turned into a "campsite". There were hardly any grassy areas where one could setup a tent..It was all gravel, and amongst the gravel there was a ton of broken glass. there was also no tree cover at all.

In the end I decided to stay since i had already driven 3 hours and didn't want to drive another 3 hours to get home. I found a spot that was somewhat suitable for a tent and setup. The next three hours, in a word, sucked. Whenever a car would drive up or down the switchbacks, a huge cloud of dust would be generated and drift through the campsite.
Eventually the traffic stopped at around nine pm and I just went to bed.

The next day I decided to make the most of the situation, and just did some dayhikes in the area...while hiking back to camp I crossed paths with a group (maybe a dozen) of college students. Once I got back to my "camp" I saw that these students had parked their three cars in the campsite I had reserved. Granted, there was room for "many" cars there, but I had to go through a permit process to camp and park there, and these kids did not do that.

At this point I was pretty much left feeling like I was camping in a public parking area.

Pretty disgusted with this trip, I ate, went to bed, and packed up at six am to head for home...

Pics of the "secluded campsite"I asked for:




the intruders vehicles





While there were some positives to this trip, namely the day hikes I took which were very nice....the negatives far outweighed any enjoyment i got from them.


Now, a few weeks back I went to a different state forest, and this is the site I was given.

[MacGyver]

Re: Worse Trip Ever...

Just returned from what is probably the worst camping trip ive ever had

I've wound up at bad sites when going to a new park more than a few times myself. I sometimes wonder if they're just giving the less popular sites to people who aren't familiar with the park to keep the more popular sites available or to keep the foot traffic spread out among all the sites. I've also gotten the impression that some of the employees they have working the desk at State parks and forests have never actually camped before and don't know what campers are looking for. I like my tarps and I like 'em easy to set up, so I'll always ask for a site with a good number of trees in the middle it. I also like a smaller site because they don't tend to be as torn up as the larger sites. So imagine the frustration when I roll up on a site after a long work week, ready to chill out for a couple of days, and I'm standing in the middle of a wide open site that you could probably drive an 18 wheeler through. I've done what you did - camped for a night and left disgusted the next morning.

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Worse Trip Ever...

It will make you appreciate the good sites. Been there on a bad trip though, this spring.

[Bigdog57]

Re: Worse Trip Ever...

Yep, been there done that. Paid once for two day/nights at a KOA in Orlando, close to "Da Mouse"..... yeah, early June no less - worst possible place and time! But the only week I could get off from work. I asked for a 'tent spot'. They gave me a tiny triangular sliver of grass on the edge pf the back perimeter road, a chainlink fence separating me from a large baseball field. The bathhouse was close by (can you say 'all night foot traffic'? Sure, I knew ya could!) and the RV dump site was close by the other direction - so constant RV traffic, day and night. I did have a picnic table and a water spigot. But the only reason they called ths a 'tent spot' is they couldn't get an RV onto it! I pitched my three man dome tent and stayed the first night. Next day did a day trip south of Orlando to visit "Gatorland" (nation's biggest reptile research site anda tourist attaction - I like snakes and gators!), and the Warbird Rework Facility at the Kissimmee Airport - fantastic place for an aviation buff! Prices at the usual tourista places (Seaworld, etc) was prohibitively high, and faggitabbout Mouseland! Sheesh. Gas prices (then at $1.15 a gallon in north Florida, about 2000), were $1.75 average in the Mouseland area. The Mafia could learn from Mickey and Crew.
Oh, did I mention that ball park - they left those marvelous huge sun-bright outfield lights on ALL night! Wonderful nightime ambience for sleeping.
I left the second evening after my day trip. Just as well - it rained cats&dogs all the way back to Tallahassee.

I haven't set foot in a KOA since.......

[Dust Devil]

Re: Worse Trip Ever...

One way of lessening the likelihood of getting a bad spot is to pull up the campground map and Google Earth, then try to match up campsites with the Google Earth view. Doesn't always work, but it does help in picking out a more than likely good spot, particularly if it's a reservable campsite. I look for things as mentioned above: tree cover, distance to neighboring sites, on the path to the restrooms, trash dumpsters, etc., size of site. I've managed to come up with some pretty nice sites using this method.

KOAs aren't consistent. I've had ones with nice grassy areas well separated from the RV area, and I've had small sites that slope and are almost in your neighbor's space. Not a fan of them, but they do have all the amenities and sometimes they are the only option in an area.

[Glocke12]

Re: Worse Trip Ever...

One way of lessening the likelihood of getting a bad spot is to pull up the campground map and Google Earth, then try to match up campsites with the Google Earth view. Doesn't always work, but it does help in picking out a more than likely good spot, particularly if it's a reservable campsite. I look for things as mentioned above: tree cover, distance to neighboring sites, on the path to the restrooms, trash dumpsters, etc., size of site. I've managed to come up with some pretty nice sites using this method.

KOAs aren't consistent. I've had ones with nice grassy areas well separated from the RV area, and I've had small sites that slope and are almost in your neighbor's space. Not a fan of them, but they do have all the amenities and sometimes they are the only option in an area.

Yeah....I should have done google earth, not sure why I did not, especially since I used google earth for the earlier trip (site in third picture in my OP). I think I just took it for granted than since the previous site was good, this new site would be good also.

Honestly, I think the spot I was given for this past weekend was originally a parking area that they later on turned into a campsite. I just can't imagine anyone in their right mind that even remotely has a clue about camping choosing an area between two switchbacks as a campsite, and than going in and clearing away all the trees and laying down a ton of gravel.

Heck, the campsite I have cleared out in my own backyard is nicer than that.




Lesson learned I guess..Do more research before a trip..

[ppine]

Re: Worse Trip Ever...

Most of my difficulties have been from obnoxious people in close proximity. Sometimes we join the party. Sometimes we leave.

Really wet prolonged weather can be a challenge, but can usually be overcome. I haven't had any really bad experiences in about 20 years.