Agency-listedPA DCNR Bureau of Forestry - Buchanan State Forest · dispersedFee

Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH008 Culvert Field

Drive-up · public land · PA · 40.00991, -78.14870
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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, group camping, 20 vehicle(s).

USGS topo — contours & terrain
USGS topographic map of Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH008 Culvert Field
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Aerial image of Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH008 Culvert Field
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Weather outlook — at Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH008 Culvert Field
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,268 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH008 Culvert FieldNIFC · 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 SH008 Culvert Field · public land · PA

15 MI30 MI60 MIYOUR CAMPN ↑Water · 11 miWDump · 21 miD7-Eleven · Propane · 27 miPTravel Centers of America · Fuel · 4 miFMarathon · Grocery · 5 miGPaul B MacDonald’s Pharmacy · Pharmacy · 9 miRxAce Hardware · Hardware · 18 miHMechanic · 4 miMBreezewood Truck Wash & Storage · Laundry · 5 miLSouth Showers · Shower · 11 miShAir-up · 38 miABroad Top Area Medical Center · Urgent care · 13 mi+Keystone Outdoors · Outfitter · 14 miOMail · 5 mi@Breezewood, PA · EV fast charger · 5 miEV
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
  • FFuel4 mi
  • MMechanic4 mi
  • GGrocery5 mi
  • EVEV fast charger5 mi
  • @Mail5 mi
  • LLaundry5 mi
  • RxPharmacy9 mi
  • WWater11 mi
  • ShShower11 mi
  • +Urgent care13 mi
  • OOutfitter14 mi
  • HHardware18 mi
  • DDump21 mi
  • PPropane27 mi
  • AAir-up38 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 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 SH008 Culvert Field

Access
Drive-up
Land
public land · dispersed
Elevation
2,268 ft
State
PA
Coordinates
40.00991, -78.14870
Cost
Fee

Nearby & resupply — around Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH008 Culvert Field · public land · PA (OpenStreetMap)

  • Nearest townMercersburg · ~17.9 mi
  • Drinking waternone within 10 mi
  • FuelTravel Centers of America · ~4.5 mi
  • Propane / LPG7-Eleven · ~26.6 mi
  • Dump station~20.9 mi
  • GroceriesGateway Travel · ~4.6 mi
  • PharmacyPaul B MacDonald’s Pharmacy · ~9.0 mi
  • Hospital / clinicBroad Top Area Medical Center · ~13.2 mi
  • HardwareAce Hardware · ~18.1 mi

EV charging — from Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH008 Culvert Field · public land · PA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

Nearby restrooms — around Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH008 Culvert Field · public land · PA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

Open Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH008 Culvert Field elsewhere

Other camps near Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH008 Culvert Field

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

How we know this — Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH008 Culvert Field

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 at the end of Fire Tower Road, 0.32 miles from Bark Road, Harrisonville. Very large grass field that can hold 10 camper trailers or 20 vehicles with tents. Gate at site entrance must be kept closed except when entering and exiting. Good site for organized group camping or events. Site is secluded but shade is limited. 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: Budds Place, about 0.5 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 SH008 Culvert Field

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.

Before you go — Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH008 Culvert Field

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 →