CAMPING PA-502

The information below answers some of the questions most frequently asked about camping in the National Forests. For more detailed information than is supplied here and elsewhere in this booklet, write to the appropriate Regional Forester listed on the inside back cover.

Camping season: Usually runs from May 30 through Labor Day weekend, but in milder climates some campgrounds have a longer season and others are open year-round. Except where weather is too severe, campgrounds may be used at any time, but after the regular season, water is turned off, flush toilets are locked, and garbage is not collected.

Reservations: None are required. Campsites are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so come early if you're heading for one of the more popular campgrounds.

Length of stay: As long as you wish at many campgrounds, but at some of the more popular areas visits are limited to 2 weeks.

Equipment: Bring your own tent, sleeping and cooking equipment, and plenty of food—fresh air builds the appetite.

Trailers: Small trailers may be used where designated parking space is large enough for car and trailer, but water, electrical, and sewage connections are not provided, and waste water is not permitted to drain on the ground. Some forests, however, offer separate trailer accommodations and provide these facilities, and there are also some commercially operated trailer camps in the forests.

Campfires and cooking: Fires may be built at campgrounds and other designated sites without a permit except in California. Before entering back-country or wilderness areas, check with District Rangers for permit requirements. Cut fuelwood is available at some campgrounds; at others you gather your own. You are not allowed to cut standing timber, bushes, or other vegetation. For quick and convenient meals, use of a gasoline stove is suggested.

Water: Most campgrounds have safe drinking water. Hot water and laundry facilities are available only when supplied by concessionaires.

Supplies: Fresh milk, ice, and other provisions can be obtained in nearby towns and sometimes from concessionaries.

Pets: You may bring pets, but they should be kept under control. Pets are subject to State laws; some States require that dogs be kept on a leash in established camp and picnic grounds.

Firearms: They may be carried in the forest and fired where safe and in compliance with State laws; they are specifically prohibited in Federal and State game refuges within the National Forests.

Fees: The Forest Service charges an entrance fee at most developed campgrounds and other recreation areas. Fees are $1 to $3 per day for motor vehicle entry to areas designated for entrance fee collection. This fee may be paid upon each entry, or a Federal "Golden Eagle" passport may be purchased for an annual fee of $10. This passport allows the purchaser and all persons accompanying him in one private non-commercial vehicle to enter all designated recreation areas of the Forest Service, Department of Agriculture and the National Park Service, the Bureau of Sports Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Bureau of Land Management of the Department of the Interior, any time during a 1-calendar-year period. The passport is good for as many visits as the purchaser wishes to make.

In addition to the entrance fee, special user fees are charged for extra services, such as electricity, hot water, cut firewood, boat-launching ramps, and bathhouses. For hunting and fishing, State licenses are required. No charges are made for using the roads, trails, lakes, and streams, where no special facilities are provided.