Agency-listedPA DCNR Bureau of Forestry - Rothrock State Forest · dispersedFee
Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road
Drive-up · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry · PA · 40.32977, -78.08459
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 →Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry 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: fire ring, picnic table, hitching post, trailer access, 2 vehicle(s).
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,610 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln RoadNIFC · 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 Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road · Rothrock State Forest · PA
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- DDump3 mi
- WWater4 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- MMechanic9 mi
- +Urgent care9 mi
- RxPharmacy11 mi
- LLaundry11 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- ShShower17 mi
- OOutfitter18 mi
- PPropane20 mi
- AAir-up34 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, 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 — Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road
Access
Drive-up
Land
Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry · dispersed
Elevation
1,610 ft
State
PA
Coordinates
40.32977, -78.08459
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road · Rothrock State Forest · PA (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureShores Branch (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townCherry Grove · ~2.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~2.7 mi
- FuelMartin Oil Co. / 24 hour fueling site · ~9.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~2.7 mi
- GroceriesMapleton Express · ~9.5 mi
- PharmacyAppleby's Drug Store · ~11.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicBroad Top Area Medical Center · ~9.3 mi
- HardwareMid-State Steel Buildings · ~18.4 mi
EV charging — from Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road · Rothrock State Forest · PA — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.0 mi straight-line N — Team Chevrolet GMC, HUNTINGDON, PA · EV Connect · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach12 within 25 mi · 36 within 50 · 274 within 100 · 926 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)18.7 mi — PA Turnpike - Sideling Hill Westbound, Waterfall
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO29.5 mi — Sheetz Store 352 (Bedford, PA), Bedford
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)11.1 mi — Williamsburg Public Library (at a library) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-05-12 · hours: 2pm-7pm M, T and Th, 11am-4pm W, 12pm-4pm Sat
- 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 307981 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road · Rothrock State Forest · PA — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 62 · ~18.7 mi S
- Restroom6-10 Comfort Station · ~20.5 mi W · NPS
- RestroomVisitor Center Building "(ME)" · ~26.0 mi W · NPS
- RestroomPicnic Area Comfort Station · ~26.5 mi W · NPS
Coming out here — Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road · Rothrock State Forest · PA
- No surface water within about a mile and a half in our records — which is not proof there is none, only that we found none. Plan to carry washing water as well as drinking water.
- Assume no services at all. Most dispersed camping in a national forest has none: no tap, no power, no dump, often no toilet. Everything you need, you bring.
- Power: Dave carries his own — batteries or solar. A generator will run your rig and it is also the thing everybody camped near you can hear.
- Getting online: Dave recommends Starlink. He has had it since SpaceX introduced it, used it for four years living on the road, and it delivers as promised — several hundred nights out, and he can count on one hand the places he could not connect. The cable on his unit runs 150 feet, which is usually all it takes to find enough sky. Starlink → Referral link — Starlink pays Dave $100 in cash if you sign up through it, and that money funds this site and the next trip. It costs you nothing and does not change the recommendation.
Open Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road elsewhere
Other camps near Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Buchanan State Forest roadside campsite SH031 Gracey~14.7 mi · fee
- Tuscarora State Forest roadside campsite 022~15.1 mi · fee
- Tuscarora State Forest roadside campsite 020~16.6 mi · fee
- Tuscarora State Forest roadside campsite 021~16.8 mi · fee
The unit that manages Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road
Roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road is in Rothrock State Forest, a state forest managed by PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry. Stay limits, permits, road closures and fire restrictions are set there, not at the campsite — check before you go. Its page maps every camp in it.
How we know this — Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln 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, Rothrock State Forest (district 5), 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 "NAIP". 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: "Rothrock State Forest. Visit the PA State Parks and Forests Reservation System to reserve and view additional details." DCNR note: "Old log landing grassy area. Promoted campsite for equestrian use." 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: Cherry Grove, about 2.5 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 Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln 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 — Rothrock State Forest roadside campsite 008 Tar Kiln Road
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 →