Day: May 17, 2025💾

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Allegheny National Forest Dispersed Campsites

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Allegheny National Forest Dispersed Campsites (shown on this map with a round Yellow Camp logo) are free-to-use with a 14-day stay limit in any 30 day period. Many of these campsites are informal areas used for camping, others like along Forest Road 160 and 259 near Jakes Rock;s and along Lolita Grade have enhanced gravel pads/parking areas. Unlike New York State, they do not have formal markings at the sites.

In the Allegheny National Forest there are a variety of back country roads, offering primitive roadside camping.

  • Campsites are free to use, and have no facilities except for a fire ring and a pull-off from the road, and sometimes a site reinforced with gravel.
  • As noted below, some campsites have additional facilities.
  • Don't make a mess of campsites, pack out any garbage left over.
  • Burn only dead and down trees, don't bring in wood from out of state.
  • You can camp up to 14 days per 30 day period in Allegheny National Forest -- no permits are required.

Updated 5/11/2020 - Additional sites along Loleta Grade shown on this map, this new map separated out from NYS campsite map and includes additional information about developed recreation areas, roads and trails.

Please see also information on dispersed, roadside and back-country camping in New York State, Pennsylvania (including DCNR's free-Motor Vehicle Camping program) and West Virginia.
Terrain Map: Mohawk Noses and Gravel Pit in 1956
Map: Severence Hill Trail
Map: South Bradford State Forest

Cheap, frugality and not just buying shit 🗑️

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“Spend money on this you care about and bring you joy.” – Somewheres from the internet or a book I read

People often remark about my thriftiness. They think I’m trying to save money. Which is not untrue, indeed I want that off-grid homestead. But also it’s more than saving money. It’s about not producing a lot of waste I have to get rid of soon after purchase.

Truth is that I think a lot about the lifespan of products and the maintenance and repair which is a very big part of ownership. I think about the clutter they represent, the time and stress they bring to life. Just because a product is cheap initially, doesn’t mean it will be cheap in your lifespan and your mind.

Chicken Co-op Cabins 🐔

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I have to say I’m more than a bit inspired by Aldo Leopold turning an old chicken coop into a cabin. I know Shed to Cabins are popular nowadays but there are certainly many properties out there with diapolated old barns, primative cabins and other structures that could be renovated into something livable, especially with my low standards. Structures that provide little to the sales price of the land but could provide a good starting point without starting from scratch.

Using an existing building not only would reduce costs but also cuts back on landfill and development of raw land. Yet, it need not be a full modern house if that’s not my goal. Renovating could be a lot of fun, a chance to have some awesome bonfires burning old wood and debris and getting some back fill for other projects. It would be a chance to put the spin on the structure without all this woke green stuff or the vinyl and gypsum board of suburbia.