disney4dan 68 Posted December 21, 2012 Report Share Posted December 21, 2012 I am helping our troop plan another adventure and figured I would go to the experts for some campground reviews! My first stop was We Camp Here, but the campgrounds being considered by the troop have not been reviewed on there yet. Not sure how many scouters out there, but a good thing to keep in mind is we try to find state park campgrounds with larger sites and the ability to keep our "thundering herd" away from other campers so the kids don't bother other campers as much. They are good kids, but if you ever put a group of more than 3 boys aged 11 to 14 together away from home after being on the road for hours, well, quiet is not a word that comes to mind. Especially the first night out. We try to have them exhausted by the second night so they sleep and don't make as much noise.On the way down, the first overnight we are considering is Frances Slocum just outside of Wyoming PA. This would allow us to visit the Steamtown National Park. On our trip to DC last year, a lot of us were disappointed that we went by this NP and did not stop so we want to spend some time there this trip. Any thoughts? While in the Gettysburg area, we are trying the lottery for MacMillan Woods which is for scouts, but have these two campgrounds in mind for Plan B if we don't get selected for MacMillan:http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/caledonia/index.htmhttp://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/pinegrovefurnace/index.htmThanks in advance for anyone who can provide some thoughts on these CGs! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dblr....Rennie 224 Posted December 21, 2012 Report Share Posted December 21, 2012 Just remember that next year is the 150th anniversary of the battle so plan on large crowds and lots of traffic, they were busy last summer with lots of constuction to get ready so hope that helps. Steamtown will be a great stop if they like trains ( all boys should) there is plenty to see, we got in on a shop tour when we were there I thought it was great but the wives bored quickly. There was also a steam ride not sure if it still operates or not. Sounds like you should have a great trip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
disney4dan 68 Posted December 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2012 Steamtown should be a blast - the kids love trains and the scoutmaster started a second career with a group of guys who actually build model railroad sets for people who have the $$ but not the time to set one up. These guys managed to make a career out of a fun hobby - I've been meaning to ask if it has spoiled the fun. He was telling me about how much some of the model rail engines can go for - way out of my pay grade!I had forgotten about the 150th. That should add some challenges to the trip. I guess, as long as we can find a decent group camp site somewhere, the boys will have fun. I hope I get the time off from work again, I'm looking forward to it as well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big Kahuna aka John 71 Posted December 22, 2012 Report Share Posted December 22, 2012 Dan,I can only comment on my experience with Francis Slocum. We tried to stay there once. We got to the site opened the truck doors and in like 2 minutes had about 20 mosquito bites. My daughter was 8 at the time and had about 30 bites. I actually threw her in the truck and went back to the check - in station. The lady at the check in station stated that it was unusual but that they had other complaints and the mosquitoes were bad that year. We ended up moving our reservation to Promised Land State Park. It is a few miles off I 84 and still close to Scranton. I would recommend you stay there with the scouts. It is my favorite park in Northeast PA. Lots of sites, two lakes, plenty of trails, and the lake store sells ice cream. You will love Promised Land. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wak648...Bill 94 Posted December 22, 2012 Report Share Posted December 22, 2012 Frances Slocum is 10 minutes from me and is beautiful campground. It probably is the closest to Steamtown NP of all the state campgrounds in the area. There are a couple of private CGs that are local that our pack uses for the week end outings.Also you have 2 boyscout camps very close to Scranton. One being Goose Pond about 1/2 hour east of Scranton and Achela about 1/2 hour southeast. They are run by the Northeast PA council. Give the council a call and maybe they could help you. There number is 570-207-1227 and the website is http://www.nepabsa.org Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wak648...Bill 94 Posted December 22, 2012 Report Share Posted December 22, 2012 If you need any info on the Scranton/Wilkes Barre are let me know. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
disney4dan 68 Posted December 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2012 Thank you guys for all the feedback! I will pass on the information to the scoutmaster on Thursday's meeting and see what we can do. Looking forward to the trip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tim5055 120 Posted December 25, 2012 Report Share Posted December 25, 2012 We stayed at Pine Grove as a base to visit the Hershey RV show. It's a nice quiet park with lots of hiking and fields for games. But, there is a little walking involved. When I booked, I found the staff helpful on the phone to pick a site that would be good for the dogs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
disney4dan 68 Posted January 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 Reservations are made and the kids will be starting to sign up for the event at tonights troop meeting. Looks like it will be a fun event with a stop along the way at Steamtown in Scranton, followed by most of the time in Gettysburg area doing as many free tours as we can, a trip into DC again so some of the new kids can give it a try, and probably Delware National Water Gap on the way home. Here's hoping we can keep all the kids healthy this trip! (Stomach bug ran through the whole troop on the last trip). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wak648...Bill 94 Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 Where did you guys decide on staying during the trip? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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