Camping spots near I-80, WY to PA

[BillTheHiker]

I leave Boise in a few days for east coast and am looking for camp site recommendations. I want to do about 500-600 miles per day and stay close, maybe 5-10 miles, to I-80.

I think I have the first night covered and plan to hunt for something near Flaming Gorge, WY. It looks like there is Forest Service land near I-80 so hopefully I can find a dispersed site there. After that there may not be much dispersed camping, but NE, IA, IL, IN, PA all have some state campgrounds not far from I-80 but have never used them. I would rather pay to do that, or even KOA, than stay at a Walmart.

 

[Vic Harder]

We stopped in Flaming Gorge on the way home from Utah this spring. Red Canyon Campground. We were the only people there!

40.895448, -109.514853 on google maps

 

[BillTheHiker]

Thanks. Looks like it is about one hour from I-80.

 

[DavidGraves]

Hi Bill

If I remember correctly, I 80 lies alongside an older US Rt 30.

Particularly west of the Missisippi you will find nice older small towns which often have a tourist camp at or near the center of town.

Some of these can be charming, with shade trees, fresh water, an outhouse and even showers.......I used to travel Oregon-Virginia regularly and enjoyed making 300 miles on I-80 in the AM and then a more leasurely couple hundred along the old route.

East of the Miss, not so much.

Sure whith my Spell checked workedd bitter.

David Graves

 

[longhorn1]

Get the All-stays app. Many Army Corp of Engineering sites in Iowa and Illinois. National Forest Campgrounds also as you move East. We are staying at one of the Army Corp sites near Iowa City on our way to Colorado in late Sept. jd

 

[iowahiker]

We camp along I-80 frequently and the campgrounds we use more than once (meaning they are good or better):

Flaming Gorge NRA northeast side: Firehole which is scenic.
North of Sundance, WY: Reuter
North of Ogallala, NE: Lake Ogallala SRA
South of Kearney, NE: Fort Kearney, SRA
Western Iowa: Lake Anita SP
Northwestern Ohio: Harrison Lake SP
Western Indiana: Shades SP (we loop south to avoid Chicago)
Eastern Ohio: Findley SP or Alum SP (part of looping to avoid Chicago)
Pennsylvania: We have never been unhappy in any PA SP, a nice collection.

 

[Foy]

Pawnee State Park is on the western edge of Lincoln, NE and is just a couple of miles off of I-80 and very close to where NE-2 turns southeast towards I-29 for those using that route to the mid-Atlantic and southeastern states.

Nice campground, well shaded, EZ in and out.

Foy