Welcome to Pennsic!
A few landmarks (mostly swampy) to know about.
These are all camps that are well known (and throw great parties), so they're helpful for navigating around in the dark. Click on the image to load the full-sized image. Descriptions are below, note that the descriptions were written before I made this map.
You might also find this interactive Pennsic map I'm working on useful, click on the block link and it highlights the block on the map:
Of course we start with The Pleasure Pavilions, aka The Camp Formerly Known As Vlad's. Let's call them TPP for short.
Everyone knows where The Pleasure Pavilions/Vlad's is. It's down by the lake, between the lake and the paved road around the lake. At that point, the paved road is called the Great Eastern Highway.
You can always get directions back to TPP, and they're just around the bend (of course :-) ) from Brewer's Road. Go counter-clockwise a hundred or two feet on the Great Eastern Highway and then turn right onto Brewer's Road. Brewer's Road is a straight shot back up to the Serengeti.
Mr. Lutz is a professional photorapher so I'll just link to his site, you'll have to go there to look at the awesome photo:
Ron Lutz's photo of The Pleasure Pavilions
Wulf's Den, at the north corner of E27, is also a major landmark on the east/south side of the lake.
If you go clockwise on the Great Eastern Highway (the paved road around the lake) from TPP, Wulf's Den is at the next T intersection, Great Eastern Highway & Abandon Hope. Walking from TPP, Wuld's Den is on the left and across the ditch (they have a bridge).
From Wulf's Den you can either continue clockwise around the lake on Great Eastern Highway, or turn left down Abandon Hope, into the southeast corner of Pennsic swamp.
Three Swans is also in E27 but at the southeast corner of E27, the diagonally opposite corner from Wulf's Den.
Everybody knows where Three Swans are. Their bar and (small) firepit area are almost literally on the road there, and they are very often open and entertaining. A great place to stop and chill for a few minutes, or hang out for a more extended period of time.
Even if Three Swans are not open, there's almost always someone there and they're generally just great people, they'll steer you to where you need to go.
Three Swans is a bit deeper into the swamp, in the heart of the southeast corner of Pennsic and the Swamp, and there are lots of camps that throw famous parties nearby. I'll give you directions for them below, in #5.
How To Find Three Swans:
Three Swans is at the intersection of The Causeway and Myfan Way, which is also next to the bridge over the creek (more directions below). There are two ways to get to Three Swans from Wulf's Den.
Option one, assume you're standing in the road looking at the front gate of Wulf's Den, at Great Eastern Highway & Abandon Hope. Turn left off of Great Eastern Highway onto Abandon Hope, go a hundred feet or so and then turn right onto Myfan Way, and proceed down Myfan Way to the five-way intersection, Myfan Way and The Causeway, where Three Swans will be on your right. Ignore the T-intersection in the middle of Myfan Way, that's the Cul-de-Slack (where I camp).
Or you can keep going on the Great Eastern Highway, counterclockwise around the lack, past Wulf's Den to the next intersection, which is a T intersection of Great Eastern Highway & The Causeway. Turn left off of Great Eastern Highway onto the Causeway, and proceed to the next intersection, which is Myfan Way and The Causeway, where Three Swans will be on your left.
By the way, the famous torch lit Pennsic photo by Ron Lutz is of the Causeway. Mr. Lutz is a professional photorapher so I'll just link to his site, you'll have to go there to look at the awesome photo: Ron Lutz's photo of the torch lit Causeway
The Lost Boys are at the opposite end of the swamp from Three Swans, in the south west corner of the map, at the intersection of Great Eastern Highway and Frog's Way, on the left as you proceed counterclockwise along Great Eastern Highway. They're one of the best known swampy camps, especially at that corner of Pennsic.
The Island, ake E31, is just across the bridge near Three Swans. Lots of classic Swampy camps. More on them in #6, below.
If you keep going East up the Causeway, (actually technically it's southeast), Rogues are on the left and on the right is Clan McGroyne Lowlanders and Rogue's Refuge.
Clan McGroyne Lowlanders and Rogue's Refuge are at the end of The Island's path, so you'll also find them if you go across the bridge near Three Swans and walk all the way around The Island.
Back at Three Swans, if you exit Three Swans, turn right, do NOT go up The Causeway on the right but instead go 5-10 feet further and take the LOWER right turn, and go back the unnamed road into E28 (on the map it's just labeled "gravel drive") you'll find a bunch of great camps.
EDIT: As of just before Pennsic in 2023, the "gravel drive" is no longer a dead end, and instead continues all the way to the Great Eastern Highway. END EDIT.
Vagabond is right at the corner there, across from Three Swans.
Timberwolfe, Order of the Cask and Die Fledermaus are down at the end of the gravel road.
Visit this area on the right day/evening and you'll find Carnival Happening happening.
Across the foot bridge near Three Swans you'll find The Island. The creek splits into two branches upstream of The Island and rejoins further downstream near E28.
One of the land agents from the Island kindly sent me a map:
Clan Kindred of the Wolf, camp #2 on the map, is right at the foot bridge, at the top/north end of the map of E31.
Iron Tide (#1) is a small camp to the right of Kindred, I don't really know them, I think they're new-ish.
Follow the path left of Kindred's gate and around, down Kindred Way, to find all sorts of classic swampy camps.
About 100 feet down Kindred Way, you'll find:
Wyrdwood (#2), then Nox Draconis (#3), then The Nightstalkers (#4) are on your right.
House Dunn Phalin (#7) is on your left.
Then Shadowstorm (#6) on your right and Clan Shadowfire (#8) on your left.
Past Shadowstorm and Shadowfire the path branches in a Y.
Coney Island's (#9) entrance is usually just at the Y, to the immediate left of the Classic.
On the right branch of the Y, Kindred Way continues to the right, past The Classic swimming hole on the right; be careful here after dark, don't wander into the creek!
Just past The Classic is Revelwood (#10). They're usually closed at night and they're right next to the Classic, so it's not a good idea to go by there unless they're actually lit up and open.
The left branch of the Y is Stony Trail (you'll understand why after you walk it).
About 50 feet further down Stony Trail is the ford across the creek. The creek is very wide and shallow there, and there are often stepping stones put in place by the camps there.
Across the ford, Rogue's Refuge (#12) is on the right and Clan McGroyne Lowlanders (#11) are on the left.
Just uphill from Rogue's Refuge and Clan McGroyne Lowlanders the trail rejoins The Causeway.