Hidden Hollow Campground

The gravel crunch of tires announces your turn onto Unnamed Road, where tall oaks and maples crowd the edges of Hidden Hollow in Fernwood State Forest. The air carries a mix of pine needles and wood smoke, punctuated by the distant crack of rifle shots echoing from the nearby open-air shooting range. As twilight settles, a band of raccoons boldly emerges, weaving between campsites and scaling picnic tables, their masked faces illuminated by lantern light. Their fearless curiosity becomes a nightly ritual, inviting campers into an unexpected communion with the forest’s cheeky residents.

Morning unfolds with birdsong woven into the steady rhythm of nearby gunfire, marking hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Trails through the state forest offer quiet pockets for exploration, where undergrowth crunches beneath boots and shafts of sunlight speckle the path. For those willing to forage, fallen branches and dry limbs carpet the forest floor, providing ample firewood for evening flames—though an axe comes in handy. Bloomingdale lies several miles away, but many find themselves content to linger here, drawing stories from the wild and the hum of human activity mingling in the air.

Each campsite at Hidden Hollow features a paved parking pad just wide enough to wrestle a fifth wheel into place, flat ground for tents, a weathered picnic table, and a fire ring eager for crackling logs. The free restroom, while convenient, wears the character of a well-used public facility, occasionally overrun by flies, prompting some campers to seek the quiet privacy of the woods for their needs. Registration is self-serve, reinforcing the campground’s no-frills charm and inviting visitors to embrace simplicity. Nightfall brings a chorus of gunfire from the range, a persistent backdrop that some learn to tune out, while others find it a vivid reminder of the land’s multifaceted character.

Hidden Hollow holds a quiet tension between solitude and activity, where forest whispers are layered with human sounds. Campers return not for polished comforts but for the raw, honest blend of wildlife encounters and the steady pulse of distant rifle shots. Here, the unexpected camaraderie with raccoon bandits and the shared crackle of firewood weave together into stories that stretch long after the embers fade.