Finding places to camp, any help?

Anyone have some tips on how to find a place to camp?

I'm going to be driving from VA to WI next week, and would like to pitch a tent somewhere pretty to make the drive less crummy. I'll pass near a couple large campgrounds, but I believe they are closed this time of year.

I can always just curl up in a sleeping bag in my back seat at a rest stop, but that wont be fun at all.

Any tips are appreciated!

Neat, found a way to find some. Search for .gov sites for the individual state.

http://parks.ky.gov/reservations/campgrounds/

Still would appreciate any tips!

It would help to know your approximate route, and the area where you plan to stop each night.

If you can get as far as southern Ohio one night (not a horribly long drive from western VA), you might check out Old Man's Cave state park, near Logan, OH. There's an interesting gorge that can be a mile or so stroll, adjacent to the campground, to a 5 mile round trip to a waterfall.

Near Yellow Springs, Ohio (Springfield/Dayton area), about 5 miles south of I-70, is John Bryan State Park, with a lovely, little-used campground and another pretty gorge walk along a creek. Yellow Springs is a neat little town, with a couple of colorful local eateries due to Antioch College being there.

Near Crawfordsville, IN, about 20 miles south of I-74, you might check out Shades State Park. Again, there are about 15 miles of hiking trails, laid out in intersecting loops of about 2-3 miles each, so you could tailor an pleasant late afternoon stroll.

Coming across Kentucky, the Red River Gorge area in Daniel Boone National Forest (I think) and Natural Bridge State Park immediately adjacent are very scenic.

Mammoth Cave National Park might also be a pleasant stop.

If you're a Boy Scout, Scout leader (or maybe former Scout), local scout councils often have a camping area they use. You might contact them to see if they could be used.

Hey there,

That looks like a good route to take, Natural Bridge State Park in Kentucky, then Shades State Park in Indiana.

It looks like Shades State Park doesn't allow overnight stays at this time of year, though. I'm not sure about the park in Kentucky, either.

I know Shades doesn't allow use of its backpacking campground in winter, but I thought the Class B tent sites were open. If not, there's another state park, Turkey Run, about 10 miles away (they both lie along the same creek, Sugar Creek.) Turkey Run has a lodge and Class A campground - but same terrain, and some nice hiking trails. Haven't stayed there in years, though - I usually prefer Shades because of its backpack campground, about 2 miles in and accessible only by trail.

I don't know, I will give these places a call before I leave just to make sure.

How'd you come to know so much about these places? Age and experience, or is there something special to look for?

Age, experience, word of mouth from other hikers, a couple of letters to state DNRs asking about parks that allow backpack camping, and asking staff and customers at backpacking stores, "Where's a good place to go?" Also, check out the racks of information folders at one state or national park - the rack usually has folders for lots of other parks in the same system.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas as well!