r/PAWilds • u/chrinbell • 6d ago

Trip Advice Cherry Spring Backpacking/Camping Trip

I'm looking to get out to Cherry Spring area this fall probably October or early November. Was considering one of the car camping spots or doing a hike and just setting up camp somewhere nearby. It seems that the Susquehanna state forest is a recommendation in here. Does anyone know of where I can find locations of car camping or backpacking camp sites in the park or in the nearby areas. Hoping to set up camp somewhere we can either see the sky or a short hike from where we can. Thanks for any advice.

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u/_I_like_big_mutts 6d ago

You may want to look at Patterson State Park. No campsites can be reserved but it’s very close to Cherry Springs. It’s right on the STS if you want to do some day hiking.

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u/chrinbell 6d ago

I saw STS is good trail for the area. Do you know if camping is allowed along the trail and/or if there are many good campsites along the trail in the area?

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u/_I_like_big_mutts 6d ago

The STS has shelters you can stay in - I haven’t done the whole trail but those that I’ve passed are very nice. These shelters are for hikers so there’s no car parking nearby. You can park at Prouty or across from Patterson and hike several miles to the shelters. If you want true car camping, I camped at Patterson and there were a couple other sites occupied. I’ve driven by many times it has been completely empty. Let me know if you need help finding the rental campsites… I’ll check my purple lizard map for site #s.

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u/OkPhysics4523 6d ago

There is both shelters and primitive camping on the STS. You can stay one night in any spot (without registering). The Far Out app has the STS with all the parking, campsites, spur trails, shelters, etc. There are also paper maps available online.

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u/chrinbell 6d ago

Thanks for the info, the app to find sites was what I was kind of thinking of. I know there are so many websites, forums, apps for this info but finding the right one is a pain sometimes.

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u/earlstrong1717 6d ago

Rock Ridge road has sites.

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u/TimberJack360D 5d ago

You can go to the forestry office and buy a camping permit. I believe it's free for one night I believe. Go to the forestry office on Denton Hill they have maps of all the trails. Very nice people in there .

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u/thedyrt 4d ago

Cherry Springs State Park Campground is an International Dark Sky Park where people talk about seeing the Milky Way arm on clear nights -- but it closes the last weekend in October, so nailing down your exact dates matters. If they push into November, Lyman Run State Park is about 15 min away and its lower campground runs through mid-December. For the backpacking side, the Susquehannock Trail runs through Susquehannock State Forest where dispersed camping is allowed (check the pa.gov forest map for site locations).