North Atlantic Coast Camping????

[mforrington]

Hello all!
I'm biking from Kennebunkport, ME, to Summit, NJ, via 8 different states, and using the AdventureCycle Atlantic Coast maps #1 & 2. I'm hoping to camp for most of the trip, but I'm finding that campgrounds, even for a single person on a bike with a tent, are between $25 and $50 a night. Back home, we have some campgrounds that are known mainly to the locals or sports enthusiasts, such as climbing campgrounds for $2 a night. I know that $2 is extremely cheap, but I'm wondering if anyone knows of any smaller, non-ritzy/touristy campgrounds that cater more to college-aged or general bike-bum type of people.
Thanks!!!

[JayH]

Not really, $25 is about the standard tent price I have seen.  The other option is warmshowers.org and possibly doing a lot of research beforehand on places that you may be able to camp for free.   However, these places might not be terribly close to the Atlantic Coast route.  There are places in the catskills, the Adirondacks that are free but not really close to the Atlantic Coastal route which goes through the Shawangunks but not exactly through the catskills which are further north.

You might be able to find some free spots in NW CT if you can find where the Appalachian Trail goes through and if any of them are close enough to the road to get to but as you can see, there isn't anything that you're going to come across that will scream "Camp here!" unless you do a lot of research beforehand.   I think your best bet is warmshowers.org and places like that, contact the local police station/church/ in your intended area and network, network, network...

Jay

[indyfabz]

It sounds rediculous, but that's what most places charge up that way. I came down from Bar Harbor to Philly after crossing the country. I don't recall any cheap camping except for maybe a state park outside of Freeport, ME, and that was in '99.

This spring I did a 3-day on the ACA route from Port Jervis to Philly. I camped at a commerical place on route just south of Port Jervis. The owner gave me a price break because I was on a bike. Think he charged me $15. The campground at Worthington State Forest on Old Mine Road is a great place to stay, and the ride there from Port Jervis is sweet. $25 for non-NJ residents. While there are almost no services between Port Jervis and the campground, you can drop your gear and ride the relatively short distance into Delawar Water Gap, PA. There is a diner and pizza place there along with a couple of other more expensive places to eat. No grocery store, but there is a C-store with limited selection of groceries. I would not recommend stealth camping in the Delaware Water Gap Nat. Rec. Area unless you take serious anti-bear measures. There are a lot of them up that way. Worthington in on the AT so there are group sites with bear lockers. An employee there told me they would never turn a cyclist away, so no need to make a reservation.

I also camped at Dog Wood Haven on Lodi Hill Road on the PA side of the river across from Milford, NJ. (The campground is listed on the map addendum now that Bull's Island campground is closed.) The owner is a nice guy. He also charged me $15 since I came on a bike and offered me a beer. The local grocery/liquor store in Milford may not look like much from the outside, but it has a good selection of groceries. And the pizza place in town is good.

In theory, you can stealth camp along the D&R trail between Frenchtown and Stockton, but you have to look carefully for s spot as the area between the trail and the river can be rocky, overgrown and/or not level enough for a tent. South of Stockton, things get a little more developed, but I can see maybe fiding a secluded spot if you look hard enough. Forget it once you hit L'Ville as the trail runs behind houses and right against the canal.

Send me a PM if you would like more info. on this part of the route.  BTW...I was just in the Summit area on Sunday. Our club does an annual ride from New Hope, PA to Cobble Hill in Brooklyn.