Agency-listedPA DCNR Bureau of Forestry - Elk State ForestFee
Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road)
Drive-up · public land · PA · 41.46953, -78.11407
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: 1 vehicle(s).
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road)
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,054 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road)NIFC · 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 Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road) · public land · PA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- +Urgent care6 mi
- MMechanic6 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- OOutfitter6 mi
- @Mail7 mi
- WWater12 mi
- EVEV fast charger21 mi
- RxPharmacy22 mi
- PPropane23 mi
- ShShower26 mi
- DDump28 mi
- LLaundry28 mi
- AAir-up30 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 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 — Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road)
Access
Drive-up
Land
public land
Elevation
2,054 ft
State
PA
Coordinates
41.46953, -78.11407
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road) · public land · PA (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townCameron · ~3.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~6.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~27.7 mi
- GroceriesOllivette's Surefine · ~6.5 mi
- PharmacyBuchanan Brothers Pharmacy · ~21.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicBucktail Medical Center · ~21.9 mi
- HardwareTrue Value · ~25.7 mi
EV charging — from Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road) · public land · PA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger20.8 mi straight-line N — Kightlinger Motors, COUDERSPORT, PA · EV Connect · CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 14 within 50 · 127 within 100 · 608 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)33.5 mi — Clearfield, PA - Tesla Supercharger, Clearfield
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO40.2 mi — Walmart 1769 (DuBois, PA), DuBois
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)31.6 mi — Kinzua Bridge State Park, Kane, PA (at a park) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-04-14 · hours: 8am to sunset 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 355462 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road) · public land · PA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.
Open Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road) elsewhere
Other camps near Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Elk State Forest roadside campsite 053 Whitehead View (Ridge Road)~0.1 mi · fee
- Elk State Forest roadside campsite 055 Whitehead Pavilion (Ridge Road)~0.4 mi · fee
- Elk State Forest roadside campsite 018 Brooks Saddle (Ridge Road)~2.4 mi · fee
- Elk State Forest roadside campsite 052 Gaswell (Ridge Road)~4.6 mi · fee
How we know this — Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road)
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, Elk State Forest (district 13), 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: No. DCNR description: "Elk State Forest. Visit the PA State Parks and Forests Reservation System to reserve and view additional details." 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: Cameron, about 3.4 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 Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road)
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 — Elk State Forest roadside campsite 054 Whitehead Hideout (Ridge Road)
Water on public land →Dumping grey & black →Fire rules & restrictions →How to read this 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 →