CAMPANAC.Powered by public lands intelligenceMore Than Just Parks

U.S. Forest Service · Allegheny National Forest · PA

Red Bridge (PA)

Reservable, and full this SaturdayEvery one of the 36 sites on offer is taken this Saturday, and the record lists no site held back for a walk-up. read 16:03 UTC

We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →

Watch for a cancellation Book on recreation.gov ↗

Right now: Taking bookingsSites offered on 10 of the next 10 nights; a database flag says not open read 16:03 UTC
A night: $20–$40Across the site types the agency prices
Sites: 8464 on recreation.gov

Photos · n/a

60 ftLongest rig

1,400 ftElevation

589 ftWater · Allegheny Reservoir

7.9 miNW of Kane, PA

74%Tree cover

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 11 notices

In the agency’s own words

Red Bridge Campground sits on the eastern shore of the Kinzua Arm of the Allegheny Reservoir in northwest Pennsylvania, offering a peaceful getaway for families and outdoor enthusiasts. Keep reading

Recreation

The campground offers swimming and bank fishing, with a boat launch nearby. For hikers, the North Country National Scenic Trail crosses SR 321 one-eighth of mile south of the campground. Over 4,000 miles long, the North Country National Scenic Trail stretches from New York to North Dakota. The Allegheny National Forest has nearly 100 miles of this trail between the New York state line and PA-66, maintained by volunteers from the Allegheny National Forest Chapter of the North Country Trail Association.

Facilities

Red Bridge offers 65 reservable campsites each with a picnic table, fire ring and tent pad. Hot showers, vault and flush toilets, drinking water, and a dump station are provided. Some sites are waterfront while others have views of the water. Sites with electricity, water and sewage hookups are also available. Three sites have rentable cabins. Amenities such as firewood, ice, interpretive services and 24-hour campground attendants are offered at the site.

Natural Features

The Allegheny National Forest covers nearly half a million acres and is populated primarily with black cherry, maple and other hardwoods. The Kinzua Dam, built in 1965, impounds the Allegheny River to form the 25-mile-long Allegheny Reservoir. The campground is well wooded with mature black cherry, hemlock and birch trees. The grounds are off the Longhouse Scenic Byway, a 29-mile loop that circles the Kinzua Arm of the reservoir. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (814) 362-4613.

Charges & Cancellations

Cancellations or changes must be made through Recreation.gov

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

What the agency tells you

Rule

Cabins are NOT available until until the 1st WEEKEND after opening , coinciding when water is turned on, as weather permits.

Rule

Check out time is 12:00 pm for campsites; 11:00am for cabins. Check in time is 2:00pm. Camping fees must be paid by 2:00 pm - please find campground hosts to check in.

Rule

Don't move firewood: To limit the spread of invasive tree-killing pests, firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Some states have quarantines and may confiscate your firewood. Please help protect our forests from invasive species by obtaining your firewood at or near your camping destination and burning it on-site. Visit dontmovefirewood.org for more information.

Everything else this campground posts · 8

Rule

Interagency Senior and Access passes are accepted at most sites and are valid for the pass holder and any accompanying passengers in a private vehicle. Pass holder must occupy the site. The pass only allows a discount on the campsite, not utilities. Pass can not be used for cabins.

Rule

It is illegal to discharge weapons, firearms, or fireworks within the Recreation Area.

Rule

Please build fires only in the fire ring or grill provided. Dead material down on the ground can be used for fires; live trees, shrubs, and plants can not be cut or damaged.

Rule

Please place trash in provided receptacles. Do not burn trash or food in the fire ring. This invites wild animals into the campground.

Rule

Pets must be on a leash at all times and cannot be left unattended. Pets are not allowed on the beaches. Please clean-up after your pets.

Rule

The closest boat ramp is Kiasutha Boat Launch.

Rule

CABINS: Pets are allowed. There is a $25 per pet, per stay fee and must be paid prior to arriving. Please pay the campground host. Any damage should be reported to the camp host before leaving, please.

Rule

There is a 2 vehicle limit per site. Any additional vehicals will be charged $5.00 per day.

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Source: recreation.gov facility notices, quoted verbatim · Sep 9, 2026

Tents and rigs

Sites: 84 · 10 walk-in, 3 cabin
Hookups: 22 electric, 11 water, 8 sewer
Longest rig: 60 ft
Accessible sites: 3
Pets: Allowed at 66 of 70 sites
Campfires: 65 of 69 sites
Shade: Every site

Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets: Flush Toilets; FLUSH TOILETS on 1 of 70 campsite records
Showers: Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind; SHOWERS on 1 of 70 campsite records
Drinking water: Yes; DRINKING WATER (PEAK SEASON) on 1 of 70 campsite records
Dump station: Yes; recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
Boat ramp: Yes
Firewood: Mentioned
Stay limit: 14 nights; recreation.gov facility rule maxStay

Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026

Water, toilets and showers: counted from this campground’s own campsite records, shown above · Sep 12, 2026

Around the campground

On the water: Reservoir, River; Boating; Fishing; Hiking
Night sky · 5th darkest of 48 in PA: Bortle 4
Fall color · reported 8 days ago, in McKean County: Peak color

Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Fall color: More Than Just Parks foliage tracker, joined to this campground by the county the report names · Oct 8, 2026

Full this Saturdayread 16:03 UTC

How full the weekend is nationally.

OpenBooked

Every one of the 36 sites on offer is taken this Friday and Saturday. 45 are free on Mon, Oct 19. read 16:03 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t

Booking windowThrough October 25Bookable now through October 25, 2026, the end of this reservable season, and again for April 4, 2027 through April 15, 2027. Today at 10 AM ET, availability opens through April 16, 2027.recreation.gov

Max stay14 nights2-night minimum on weekendsthe facility record

A night$20–$40plus $8 to reserve, once per bookingthe agency’s rate schedule

A weekend$48–$88DerivedFriday and Saturday, everything includedours, from the lines above

If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservation; this campground publishes its own terms toorecreation.gov’s schedule

Runs itU.S. Forest ServiceBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record

Watch for a cancellation

Watch this campground

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Tell me when the season opens

Watch for the season to open

One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Book on recreation.gov ↗

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 18

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Forest Service

A night, per site$20–$40

Standard nonelectric$20

Premium Site$24

junk$25

Standard Electric$29

junk$39

Fhu Site$40

Group areas, a night$120–$130

Rates for the season the campground is in now, Apr 3, 2026 to Oct 25, 2026.

The booking feerecreation.gov

Reservation fee, booked online$8

One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.

Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.

What a stay costs

One nightDerived$28–$48

A weekend, Friday and SaturdayDerived$48–$88

Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $20–$40 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.

If your plans changerecreation.gov

Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10

Cancellation fee$10

Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night

No-show$20 + your first night

“Cancellations or changes must be made through Recreation.gov” · this campground’s own terms

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 6

Sign price: recreation.gov facility rate schedule, quoted as the agency publishes it · Sep 10, 2026

Booking fee, change fee, cancellation fee, no-show: Rules and Reservation Policies, Recreation.gov, the published fee schedule, curated by hand into lib/reservation-fee-schedule.json (9 rows, each carrying its own verbatim sentence). The publisher states these policies were last updated September 2019. · Sep 9, 2026

This campground’s own terms: recreation.gov facility cancellation policy for this campground, quoted verbatim. Recreation.gov states that policies listed for specific locations supersede its site-wide policies. · Sep 9, 2026

The two totals: Derived by CAMPANAC by adding the agency’s own published nightly rate to recreation.gov’s own published reservation fee. Both components are cited above; the addition is ours and is shown only where every component is known. · Sep 9, 2026

Who keeps the booking fee: Recreation.gov facility policy text, Dead Swede Campground (facility 234221) · Not on the national policy page. This is agency policy text recreation.gov publishes on individual campground pages; this site holds it verbatim on 45 active campgrounds (campground_rules.cancellation_description, scripts/load-facility-rules.mjs). · Sep 9, 2026

The contract: Reservation Gods: Who Stole Our Campsites and Sold Them Back to Us, More Than Just Parks, April 2025 · Apr 1, 2025

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

recreation.gov availability, read 16:03 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

84 sites · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 64 mapped sites

90 ftbetween you and the next site, typically

98%of tent sites sit clear of electric or RV sites

Most roomLoop BWAT 025 180 ftLoop BWAT 027 168 ftLoop CWAT 044 162 ftLoop CNON 050 156 ftLoop BNON 035 154 ft

Least roomLoop REDW 061 50 ftLoop REDW 062 50 ftLoop CNON 052 51 ft

Source: Derived by CAMPANAC from recreation.gov per-site coordinates (nearest-neighbor distance) · Oct 12, 2026

All 84 sites

77 of 84 sites located

Standard32RV / electric19Walk, hike or boat in10Cabin or shelter3Type not stated13

006 007 009 016A 016B 018 021 023 026 028 030 031 032 033 034 035 036 037 038 039 Cabin 017 Cabin 019 Cabin 020 022 024 025 027 029 040 041 042 047 049 050 051 052 053 054 055 043 044 045 046 048 11 12 13 15 21 22 41 42 43 51 52 001 002 003 004 005A 005B 008 010 011 012 014 015 056 057 058 060 063 064 065 059 061 062

Aerial · Esri World Imagery

Sites: recreation.gov (RIDB), coordinates as published · Aug 23, 2026

Imagery: Esri World Imagery

SleepsTakes aUp to

Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 77 of the 84 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 64 of the 84 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.

Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.


AWAT	006	standard nonelectric	50 ft			103 ft	126 ft	698 ft	$20–$24
AWAT	007	standard nonelectric	35 ft			103 ft	61 ft	638 ft	$20–$24
AWAT	009	standard nonelectric	40 ft			109 ft	95 ft	537 ft	$20–$24
BNON	016A	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		139 ft	527 ft	68 ft	$25–$40
BNON	016B	standard electric	35 ft			139 ft	550 ft	142 ft	$25–$40
BNON	018	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		85 ft	322 ft	157 ft	$25–$40
BNON	021	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		85 ft	328 ft	136 ft	$25–$40
BNON	023	standard nonelectric	45 ft			108 ft	82 ft	392 ft	$20–$24
BNON	026	standard nonelectric	30 ft			126 ft	121 ft	353 ft	$20–$24
BNON	028	standard nonelectric	30 ft			127 ft	221 ft	349 ft	$20–$24
BNON	030	standard nonelectric	45 ft			90 ft	183 ft	466 ft	$20–$24
BNON	031	standard nonelectric	20 ft			65 ft	303 ft	388 ft	$20–$24
BNON	032	standard nonelectric	35 ft			58 ft	304 ft	295 ft	$20–$24
BNON	033	standard nonelectric	45 ft			65 ft	367 ft	340 ft	$20–$24
BNON	034	standard nonelectric	15 ft			58 ft	352 ft	237 ft	$20–$24
BNON	035	standard nonelectric	25 ft			154 ft	506 ft	164 ft	$20–$24
BNON	036	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		105 ft	376 ft	165 ft	$25–$40
BNON	037	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		94 ft	467 ft	122 ft	$25–$40
BNON	038	standard electric	60 ft	50 amp	yes	94 ft	540 ft	168 ft	$25–$40
BNON	039	type not stated	25 ft	50 amp	yes		603 ft	82 ft
BNON	Cabin 017	cabin electric	20 ft	100 amp		141 ft	404 ft	196 ft	$120–$130
BNON	Cabin 019	cabin electric	20 ft	100 amp		111 ft	260 ft	242 ft	$120–$130
BNON	Cabin 020	cabin electric	25 ft	100 amp	yes	75 ft	152 ft	313 ft	$120–$130
BWAT	022	standard nonelectric	45 ft			108 ft	190 ft	293 ft	$20–$24
BWAT	024	standard nonelectric	45 ft			140 ft	under 10 ft	531 ft	$20–$24
BWAT	025	standard nonelectric	45 ft			180 ft	under 10 ft	533 ft	$20–$24
BWAT	027	standard nonelectric	45 ft			168 ft	88 ft	520 ft	$20–$24
BWAT	029	standard nonelectric	45 ft			90 ft	127 ft	549 ft	$20–$24
CNON	040	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		61 ft	474 ft	473 ft	$25–$40
CNON	041	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		61 ft	417 ft	466 ft	$25–$40
CNON	042	standard nonelectric	35 ft			87 ft	385 ft	382 ft	$20–$24
CNON	047	standard nonelectric	45 ft			123 ft	243 ft	442 ft	$20–$24
CNON	049	standard nonelectric	45 ft			123 ft	311 ft	319 ft	$20–$24
CNON	050	standard nonelectric	45 ft			156 ft	203 ft	295 ft	$20–$24
CNON	051	standard nonelectric	25 ft			60 ft	308 ft	146 ft	$20–$24
CNON	052	standard nonelectric	30 ft			51 ft	221 ft	223 ft	$20–$24
CNON	053	standard nonelectric	40 ft			60 ft	278 ft	165 ft	$20–$24
CNON	054	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		135 ft	401 ft	159 ft	$25–$40
CNON	055	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		87 ft	465 ft	323 ft	$25–$40
CWAT	043	standard nonelectric	50 ft			117 ft	301 ft	523 ft	$20–$24
CWAT	044	standard nonelectric	45 ft			163 ft	123 ft	606 ft	$20–$24
CWAT	045	standard nonelectric	45 ft			121 ft	102 ft	565 ft	$20–$24
CWAT	046	standard nonelectric	45 ft			68 ft	120 ft	478 ft	$20–$24
CWAT	048	standard nonelectric	35 ft			68 ft	179 ft	410 ft	$20–$24
MANAGEMENT SITES1	11	type not stated					220 ft	447 ft
MANAGEMENT SITES1	12	type not stated					125 ft	331 ft
MANAGEMENT SITES1	13	type not stated					217 ft	219 ft
MANAGEMENT SITES1	14	type not stated
MANAGEMENT SITES1	15	type not stated					321 ft	118 ft
MANAGEMENT SITES1	16	type not stated
MANAGEMENT SITES2	21	type not stated					170 ft	316 ft
MANAGEMENT SITES2	22	type not stated					28 ft	432 ft
MANAGEMENT SITES2	23	type not stated
MANAGEMENT SITES4	41	type not stated					352 ft	515 ft
MANAGEMENT SITES4	42	type not stated					353 ft	373 ft
MANAGEMENT SITES4	43	type not stated					244 ft	535 ft
MANAGEMENT SITES5	51	type not stated					366 ft	227 ft
MANAGEMENT SITES5	52	type not stated					218 ft	240 ft
RED	001	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		76 ft	372 ft	228 ft	$25–$40
RED	002	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		95 ft	351 ft	323 ft	$25–$40
RED	003	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		137 ft	407 ft	521 ft	$25–$40
RED	004	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		95 ft	314 ft	406 ft	$25–$40
RED	005A	standard nonelectric	40 ft			137 ft	272 ft	633 ft	$20–$24
RED	005B	standard nonelectric	40 ft			114 ft	315 ft	521 ft	$20–$24
RED	008	standard nonelectric	30 ft			114 ft	215 ft	517 ft	$20–$24
RED	010	standard electric	30 ft	50 amp		55 ft	95 ft	408 ft	$25–$40
RED	011	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		55 ft	123 ft	354 ft	$25–$40
RED	012	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		75 ft	160 ft	280 ft	$25–$40
RED	014	standard electric	25 ft	50 amp		76 ft	309 ft	206 ft	$25–$40
RED	015	type not stated	35 ft	50 amp			339 ft	121 ft
REDD	056	walk to				51 ft	184 ft	266 ft	$20–$24
REDD	057	walk to				75 ft	132 ft	311 ft	$20–$24
REDD	058	walk to				76 ft	71 ft	374 ft	$20–$24
REDD	060	walk to				74 ft	47 ft	424 ft	$20–$24
REDD	063	walk to				69 ft	13 ft	493 ft	$20–$24
REDD	064	walk to				84 ft	110 ft	445 ft	$20–$24
REDD	065	walk to				84 ft	189 ft	427 ft	$20–$24
REDW	059	walk to				89 ft	under 10 ft	463 ft	$20–$24
REDW	061	walk to				50 ft	under 10 ft	486 ft	$20–$24
REDW	062	walk to				50 ft	under 10 ft	500 ft	$20–$24
S&P	S&P Full Hook Up	type not stated
S&P	S&P Standard Electric	type not stated
S&P	S&P Standard Nonelectric	type not stated
S&P	S&P Tent Only Nonelectric	type not stated

Price: Derived by CAMPANAC: each site takes the per-night rate this campground publishes for the site’s own site type (recreation.gov rate schedule). recreation.gov publishes no per-campsite fee, and a site whose type carries no published rate is left blank rather than called free · Sep 11, 2026

25 of 84 listed

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number

Coordinate41.77694, -78.88611

The mapSee it on the map

The driveDirections ↗

The phone814-368-4158

The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Also near here

KiasuthaAllegheny National Forest · 1.0 mi

Morrison Boat Access CampgroundAllegheny National Forest · 3.8 mi

DewdropAllegheny National Forest · 5.4 mi

Pine Grove Boat Access CampgroundAllegheny National Forest · 7.4 mi

Hopewell Boat Access CampgroundAllegheny National Recreation Area · 9.7 mi

Handsome Lake Boat Access CampgroundAllegheny National Recreation Area · 10 mi

Getting there

From Warren, Pennsylvania, take PA-59 southeast. Turn right onto Longhouse Scenic Drive (Forest Road 262), then turn left onto State Highway 321 and continue to the campground on your left. Fromthe east, take PA-59 to PA-321 South and turn left. Continue down PA-321 S to the campground on your right. From Kane, take PA-321 North. Cross the Kinzua Arm of the reservoir on the big bridge and the campground will be on our left just past Red Bridge Bank Fishing.

Directions: Driving directions as the agency wrote them · Sep 9, 2026

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Today70°Showers And Thunderstorms100% rain

Tonight30°Rain Showers Likely then Mostly Cloudy64% rain

Saturday48°Mostly Sunny9% rain

Saturday Night28°Widespread Frost

NWS forecast for Kane, PA

Source: National Weather Service, CTP forecast office · Oct 16, 2026

Typical weather

Typical October night 35°F, day 59°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical February night 13°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

90°32°0°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: KANE 1NNE, PA (USC00364432), 8 miles away and 350 ft higher

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, monthly normals · Sep 8, 2026

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it · a letter you can send

What threatens this place

developing

Allegheny National Forestdrilling

You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.

Source: MTJP Threatened Lands map · Sep 28, 2026

Who answers for this land

Red Bridge (PA) is in Pennsylvania’s 15th congressional district. Its representative, Glenn Thompson (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Source: U.S. Census district boundaries and the MTJP Congressional Public Lands Score

Who can change it · 3

Write to somebody who can change it

Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.

The member who votes the moneyGlenn ThompsonU.S. Representative · Pennsylvania’s 15th district
Open their contact form ↗Their record →
Your senator, on the same appropriationDavid McCormickU.S. Senator · Pennsylvania
Open their contact form ↗
Your senator, on the same appropriationJohn FettermanU.S. Senator · Pennsylvania
Open their contact form ↗

Read the draft, or change the wording

For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.

To Glenn Thompson

Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.

Subject Walk-up camping at Red Bridge (PA), Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania

Dear Glenn Thompson,

I’m a constituent in Pennsylvania’s 15th district. I tried to camp at Red Bridge (PA), Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania, and couldn’t.

recreation.gov lists 64 of the 84 campsites the agency files at Red Bridge (PA), and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 36 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked.

1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Red Bridge (PA) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule.

I’m not asking you to run Red Bridge (PA). I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund.

The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them.

Sent about Red Bridge (PA) (Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania) via campanac.com

To David McCormick

Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.

Subject Walk-up camping at Red Bridge (PA), Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania

Dear David McCormick,

I’m a constituent in Pennsylvania. I tried to camp at Red Bridge (PA), Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania, and couldn’t.

recreation.gov lists 64 of the 84 campsites the agency files at Red Bridge (PA), and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 36 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked.

1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Red Bridge (PA) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule.

I’m not asking you to run Red Bridge (PA). I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund.

The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them.

Sent about Red Bridge (PA) (Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania) via campanac.com

To John Fetterman

Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.

Subject Walk-up camping at Red Bridge (PA), Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania

Dear John Fetterman,

I’m a constituent in Pennsylvania. I tried to camp at Red Bridge (PA), Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania, and couldn’t.

recreation.gov lists 64 of the 84 campsites the agency files at Red Bridge (PA), and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 36 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked.

1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Red Bridge (PA) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule.

I’m not asking you to run Red Bridge (PA). I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund.

The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them.

Sent about Red Bridge (PA) (Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania) via campanac.com

How we know this · 4

Contacts: Contact forms from @unitedstates/congress-legislators · Sep 9, 2026

The figures in these drafts: Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress (CRS Report RS20643) · Updated December 4, 2025 · “The ship’s final procurement cost was $13,316.5 million (i.e., about $13.3 billion) in then-year dollars.”

The figures in these drafts: Salary Table 2026-GS, Incorporating the 1% General Schedule Increase, Effective January 2026 (U.S. Office of Personnel Management) · Effective January 2026 · “Grade 5, Step 1: $34,799 (annual rate, before locality pay).”

The figures in these drafts: Update to Civilian Position Full Fringe Benefit Cost Factor, Federal Pay Raise Assumptions, and Inflation Factors used in OMB Circular No. A-76 (OMB Memorandum M-08-13) · March 11, 2008 · “the civilian position full fringe benefit cost factor needs to be adjusted downward, from 36.45 percent to 36.25 percent”

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from

Right now: recreation.gov is offering sites on 10 of the next 10 nights, which isn’t something a closed campground does. The U.S. Forest Service’s own database, though, flags it not open with no reason or date; the flag is named under How we know all this.

Listed not open: USFS EDW Recreation Opportunities, openstatus field: a not-open flag in a database, with no reason and no date published; read there since Sep 9, 2026. A flag, not a notice, so this page doesn’t call it a closure. · Oct 16, 2026

Sites on recreation.gov: recreation.gov’s own month availability payload for this facility, asked for October 2026, November 2026 and July 2027. It names 64 of the 84 campsites the agency files here, and every one of them carries an answer either way. A campground nobody has read carries no answer at all, never a no. · Oct 11, 2026

Elevation: USGS 3DEP elevation point query at this campground’s coordinate · Sep 7, 2026

Tree cover: NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC), one 30 m cell at this coordinate, taken as the median across the 77 campsites here that carry a reading · Sep 9, 2026

Water: USGS National Hydrography Dataset, nearest perennial lake, reservoir, river or stream to this campground’s coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate: 0.26 mcd/m² of artificial all-sky glow, ranked against the 48 rated federal campgrounds in Pennsylvania · Sep 8, 2026

Sky-glow model: Duriscoe, Anderson, Luginbuhl and Baugh (2018), a simplified model of all-sky artificial sky glow derived from VIIRS Day/Night band data, the National Park Service sky-glow model

Fall color: More Than Just Parks foliage tracker, joined to this campground by the county the report names · Oct 8, 2026

Reported by: Pennsylvania DCNR, reported peak color · Oct 8, 2026

Cell signal: the Forest Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.

Nearest town: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 places, measured by CAMPANAC to the town boundary; population is the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate · Sep 9, 2026