View Full Version : Camping within a few hours of Baltimore
DownYonder
06-25-2021, 15:25
Not AT related but hoping someone can make a suggestion.
I have 2 nephews who are 15 & 17 living in Baltimore. They have never been camping but purchased tents, bags, pads, cooking gear, etc. but not backpacks. State and Fed campgrounds require you to be 18yo. Any suggestions within a 3-4 hours drive of Baltimore they can go.
This makes me realize how lucky I was to grow up 1 hour away from the GSMNP where we started backpacking in junior high school.
Dolly Sods!! Most beautiful place I've been to on the east coast !!
DownYonder
06-25-2021, 16:18
Dolly Sods!! Most beautiful place I've been to on the east coast !!
Thanks!! I had completely forgotten about that area. They could raft the Gauley also!!
I definitely recommend WVA and specifically the Sods, but, they could also hit the AT along any point right? Maybe SNP?
globetruck
06-26-2021, 09:57
Dolly Sods is amazing but unfortunately it’s asp increasingly packed. Parking along FR75 is at a premium. But wow that place is amazing!
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I definitely recommend WVA and specifically the Sods, but, they could also hit the AT along any point right? Maybe SNP?
SNP has an online form for permits and an email response serves as the actual permit. The form doesn’t ask for age information and I don’t think you have to be 18. Of course, a wilderness permit means they’d be camping in the backcountry and need some type of backpack. But there are numerous places where one can walk a short distance to legal backcountry camping.
Online form: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/bc-permit.htm#collapseOne
Trip ideas: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/backcountry-trips.htm
I am surprised there is a minimum age to camp in a park campground. After I got my drivers license at age 16, I camped in car campgrounds in many parts of CA including state campgrounds on the beach and in Yosemite. I was never asked about my age.