Camping with dogs (Dover, Penn: live, storage, safety)

[tmorrisn]

I've never really been camping before (hangs head in shame), but I'm going in 3 weeks. I'd like to meet my sister somewhere between here and Baltimore (either along the Turnpike or off of 70) to go camping, and I want to bring our dogs. It doesn't have to be exactly in between - just not too far off that route to keep our driving times under 3 hours.

I'm looking for a place that allows dogs, has somewhere they can swim and cool off (a deeper creek is good enough), and would have enough dog friendly activities to occupy us for a weekend. Oh and my husband wouldn't mind spending a few hours fishing

I'm sure there are plenty of places that fit the bill - I'm just so overwhelmed by all of the state parks/private campgrounds that I'd rather go off of personal recommendation.

Thanks in advance!

[dblea65]

Theres a Place in Dover, PA... Gifford Pinchot State Park, I lived there so not sure about the Camping, Heres a Site that you can look at showing what all it has... We used to take our Dog there to swim.
Pennsylvania State Parks - Gifford Pinchot - PA DCNR

Hope this helps... Enjoy yout ime with Family..

Mike

[Hopes]

I've camped everywhere, except central PA where you want recommendations.

I just wanted to quickly comment on the dogs. We've camped with our dogs.

For your dog's safety, your dog should sleep in your tent with you. Be prepared to sleep with a wet, muddy dog if you take it swimming or it's a rainy weekend.

You must keep dogs on a leash for safety reasons too.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that their dog will be okay off the leash, or tied up at the campsite. Needless to say, they can become bear food if left loose and/or unattended.

You need to be mindful to not have food (dog food, people food, toothpaste, chewing gum) in your tent, at your campsite and keep a minimum in your car. Study appropriate food and garbage storage. Get Bear Smart Society - Camping (http://www.bearsmart.com/backcountryManners/Camping.html - broken link)

Since you've never camped, I highly recommend reading up on bear safety.

There's no reason to avoid camping. You just need to be knowledable about how to not attract bears and what to do if you encounter a bear. I'm not trying to scare you. My family and dogs have survived bear encounters without incident. We've camped for decades even during droughts when bears were super hungry. Our bear knowledge is what kept our bear encounters uneventful.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I've camped everywhere, except central PA where you want recommendations.

I just wanted to quickly comment on the dogs. We've camped with our dogs.

For your dog's safety, your dog should sleep in your tent with you. Be prepared to sleep with a wet, muddy dog if you take it swimming or it's a rainy weekend.

You must keep dogs on a leash for safety reasons too.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that their dog will be okay off the leash, or tied up at the campsite. Needless to say, they can become bear food if left loose and/or unattended.

You need to be mindful to not have food (dog food, people food, toothpaste, chewing gum) in your tent, at your campsite and keep a minimum in your car. Study appropriate food and garbage storage. Get Bear Smart Society - Camping (http://www.bearsmart.com/backcountryManners/Camping.html - broken link)

Since you've never camped, I highly recommend reading up on bear safety.

There's no reason to avoid camping. You just need to be knowledable about how to not attract bears and what to do if you encounter a bear. I'm not trying to scare you. My family and dogs have survived bear encounters without incident. We've camped for decades even during droughts when bears were super hungry. Our bear knowledge is what kept our bear encounters uneventful.

What kind of bears does PA have?

[dblea65]

Black Bear... But also Yote's are a problem.. and there have been Mountain lion spotted...