Agency-listedPA DCNR Bureau of Forestry - Buchanan State Forest · dispersedFee
Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 Tower
Drive-up · public land · PA · 39.94914, -77.93727
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →The land manager lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
DCNR records: trailer access, 3 vehicle(s).
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 Tower
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,453 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 TowerNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 Tower · public land · PA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel3 mi
- MMechanic3 mi
- OOutfitter3 mi
- @Mail3 mi
- GGrocery3 mi
- RxPharmacy3 mi
- EVEV fast charger7 mi
- WWater10 mi
- ShShower10 mi
- HHardware11 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- +Urgent care16 mi
- PPropane16 mi
- AAir-up26 mi
- DDump27 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 3 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 Tower
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land · dispersed
Elevation
2,453 ft
State
PA
Coordinates
39.94914, -77.93727
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 Tower · public land · PA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townMercersburg · ~8.3 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~9.5 mi
- FuelPensinger's · ~2.6 mi
- Propane / LPGSheetz · ~16.1 mi
- Dump station~27.1 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~3.1 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~3.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicKeystone Urgent Care · ~15.7 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~10.6 mi
EV charging — from Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 Tower · public land · PA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger7.2 mi straight-line N — Fort Littleton, PA - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach26 within 25 mi · 73 within 50 · 522 within 100 · 949 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO21.5 mi — Hancock Western Rail Trail Parking Lot, Hancock
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)3.3 mi — Cowans Gap State Park, Fort Loudon, PA (at a park) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-05-12 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 397535 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 Tower · public land · PA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 62 · ~10.8 mi NW
- Highway rest areaNHS PSP Weight Enforcement Station S26 · ~14.6 mi E
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 1 · ~15.9 mi W
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 47 · ~18.5 mi SE
Open Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 Tower elsewhere
Other camps near Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 Tower
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV020 Tower CCO~1.1 mi · fee
- Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV014 Route 75~1.3 mi · fee
- Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV013 Lincoln Trail~1.7 mi · fee
- Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV001 Bums Inn~7.3 mi · fee
How we know this — Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 Tower
Stay limit
7 nights (no more than seven consecutive nights)
Permit
You must have a valid camping permit and be at a designated campsite when roadside camping. A camping permit will not be issued to anyone under the age of 18. The permit holder must occupy the site listed on the camping permit within 24 hours of the arrival date listed on the camping permit. Most campsites in Pennsylvania state forests can be reserved 11 months in advance to noon of the day of arrival.
Area rules
Individuals must vacate a site for at least 48 hours before reapplying.
Source
public land records
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry designated campsite, Buchanan State Forest (district 2), DCNR type "Motorized". Coordinate is DCNR's own, from its public Designated Campsites layer read 2026-08-15: https://maps.dcnr.pa.gov/agsprod/rest/services/BOF/Camping/MapServer/0 (the layer behind https://maps.dcnr.pa.gov/bof/camping/). DCNR records the positional source for this point as "PaMAP". FEE. DCNR (read 2026-08-15 at https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/what-to-do/stay-overnight/overnight-prices-and-policies): "Motorized roadside, hike-in roadside, equestrian, and rustic campsites can be reserved for a fee of $10.00 a night for Pennsylvania residents and $15.00 a night for non-residents. Additional taxes and fees may apply. These prices are effective as of November 3, 2022." Reserve through the PA State Parks and Forests reservation system (888-727-2757); this site carries a reservation system ID in DCNR's layer. Stay limit: DCNR (https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/what-to-do/stay-overnight/motorized-roadside-camping) - "A camping permit will be valid for no more than seven consecutive nights." and "Individuals must vacate a site for at least 48 hours before reapplying." "Roadside camping is required to be done at designated campsites that are identified by a name or number." Fire: DCNR (https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/what-to-do/stay-overnight/backpacking-and-primitive-camping) - "No campfires are permitted when the state forest district forester determines the forest fire danger to be high, very high, or extreme." From March 1 through May 25 you must have the district's permission to have a campfire at all. Check with the district before you go. DCNR Permit field: Yes. DCNR description: "Buchanan State Forest. Located on Tower Road, McConnellsburg, 1.74 miles from Aughwick Road. Gravel and grass parking lot that can hold 1 camper trailer of any size or 3 vehicles with tents. Easy access but not secluded. Visit the PA State Parks and Forests Reservation System to reserve and view additional details." DCNR note: "<Null>" Not field-checked by us. Seasonal road closures and district-level restrictions are not in this layer - check with the district office. Nearest USGS GNIS populated place: Buchanan Summit, about 2.1 mi straight-line. | auto:agency-trust 2026-08-18: state agency GIS record with a source URL and coordinates, confidence not low. Fee value is the agency's own, not field-checked. Not field-verified -- confirm access, road conditions and fire rules before you go.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 Tower
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite BV009 Tower
Stay limits →Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Reading your camp page →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →