Camping in Pennsylvania: Best Months, Booking and Fire Rules
Across Pennsylvania's 3 NOAA reference stations, camping weather is mild from April to October, with average highs of 61 to 84 F and lows of 41 to 66 F. Nights at or below freezing show up from October to April, most often in January, when they average 24.7 a month. State park sites are booked through Pennsylvania State Parks and Forests Reservations, up to eleven months ahead.
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The best months for camping in Pennsylvania
By NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals, camping weather in Pennsylvania is mild April to October. Pick the station nearest your campground below; high ground runs colder than any station.
- Jan37° / 23°Freezing nights
- Feb40° / 24°Freezing nights
- Mar49° / 31°Freezing nights
- Apr61° / 41°Freezing nights
- May71° / 51°Mild
- Jun80° / 61°Mild
- Jul84° / 66°Mild
- Aug83° / 64°Mild
- Sep76° / 58°Mild
- Oct64° / 46°Freezing nights
- Nov53° / 37°Freezing nights
- Dec42° / 29°Freezing nights
Each month shows the average high and low across the state’s reference stations, in F. Mild means an average high of 60 to 85 F with lows of 40 F or more. Freezing nights means the stations average one or more nights a month at or below 32 F.
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| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35 F | 21 F | 26.2 |
| February | 37 F | 21 F | 23.8 |
| March | 44 F | 28 F | 21.8 |
| April | 57 F | 38 F | 8.2 |
| May (mild) | 68 F | 49 F | 0.4 |
| June (mild) | 77 F | 59 F | 0 |
| July (mild) | 81 F | 64 F | 0 |
| August (mild) | 80 F | 63 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 74 F | 57 F | 0 |
| October (mild) | 62 F | 46 F | 0.4 |
| November | 51 F | 37 F | 9.2 |
| December | 40 F | 28 F | 21.5 |
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| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41 F | 26 F | 22.5 |
| February | 44 F | 28 F | 19.6 |
| March | 53 F | 34 F | 11.8 |
| April (mild) | 65 F | 44 F | 0.8 |
| May (mild) | 74 F | 54 F | 0 |
| June (mild) | 83 F | 64 F | 0 |
| July | 88 F | 70 F | 0 |
| August | 86 F | 68 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 79 F | 61 F | 0 |
| October (mild) | 67 F | 49 F | 0.1 |
| November | 56 F | 39 F | 5.4 |
| December | 46 F | 31 F | 17.2 |
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| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36 F | 21 F | 25.4 |
| February | 40 F | 23 F | 23 |
| March | 49 F | 30 F | 18.9 |
| April (mild) | 62 F | 41 F | 6.3 |
| May (mild) | 72 F | 51 F | 0.5 |
| June (mild) | 79 F | 59 F | 0 |
| July (mild) | 83 F | 63 F | 0 |
| August (mild) | 82 F | 62 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 75 F | 55 F | 0 |
| October (mild) | 63 F | 44 F | 2.4 |
| November | 51 F | 34 F | 13.7 |
| December | 41 F | 27 F | 23.4 |
How to book a state park campsite in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources takes reservations through Pennsylvania State Parks and Forests Reservations. The longest advance booking its page states is eleven months.
How far ahead you can book
Most campsites in Pennsylvania state parks can be reserved 11 months in advance to noon of the day of arrival.Pennsylvania DCNR, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
First come, first served sites
Advance reservations are available for almost all campsites. Unreserved sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.Pennsylvania DCNR, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Quoted from Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources pages read October 18, 2026. Windows and fees change, so confirm on the booking site.
Camping outside a campground in Pennsylvania
Backpack campers are permitted to camp in most areas of the forest without a permit if staying no more than one night in any location.Pennsylvania DCNR, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Campfires when you camp in Pennsylvania
Campfires in state parks and forests
Fires are permitted only in provided fire rings or grills. Gas and propane camp stoves are permitted. Please be careful with fire. Fires must be attended at all times and extinguished before leaving the campsite.Pennsylvania DCNR, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Where fire restrictions are posted
Campfires are not permitted when the fire danger is high, very high, or extreme; and from March 1 through May 25, unless authorized by Elk State Forest.Pennsylvania DCNR, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Current restrictions: Pennsylvania DCNR Bureau of Forestry.
Pennsylvania camping questions
Camping in other states
Where this page’s facts come from
- State park, forestry and federal land pages (read October 18, 2026). Booking windows, reservation systems, campfire rules, fire restriction sources and rules for camping outside a campground, each quoted word for word with a link to the page it came from.
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020 (read October 18, 2026). Average monthly high, low and nights at or below 32 F at 150 reference stations, the same stations the heat season and heating season pages use.
- National Weather Service alerts (live, read in your browser when the page loads). Red Flag Warnings, Fire Weather Watches, Fire Warnings, Freeze Warnings and High Wind Warnings, read live from api.weather.gov.
- National Weather Service 7 day forecast (live, read in your browser when the page loads). The weekend forecast for the ZIP code a visitor enters, read live from api.weather.gov.
Climate figures are NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals at 3 reference stations in Pennsylvania. Rules are quoted from agency pages and can change.