Bookings are up at many parks - in some cases by as much as 30 percent. And some campgrounds were filled on weekends even before Memorial Day, the traditional kickoff of the camping season. Many in the camping community believe that the bad economy is causing this sudden interest in the great outdoors, with people who are worried about finances forgoing a stay at a fancy resort or a trip overseas in favor of a sojourn in the woods that can cost 10 bucks a night. Gas prices that are significantly lower than last summer’s (albeit rising) may also be affecting decisions to hit the road. Suzi Dow, who with her husband, Fred Dow, writes guides to United States Forest Service campgrounds, said that back in April, traffic to their Web site, Forestcamping.com, reached 300,000 hits a day, a rate they don’t normally see until summer, and the queries were decidedly more familyfocused. “In the past, young people, singles, were writing to us saying, ‘Hey, I want to go to Glacier National Park and want to do it in two weeks,’ Ž Mrs. Dow said. “Now we’re hearing from families who want to know where to go so their 10-year-old son can go fishing and 13-year-old daughter can have hot showers.Ž
Although certain parks have always been magnets, camping in general has been declining for a generation, according to the National Park Service. In 1980, there were 3.93 million overnight tent stays at Park Service properties, including the country’s 58 national parks, which contain 861 campgrounds ranging from primitive (pit toilets) to modern (hot showers); last year, 2.95 million stays were registered.
“I’m optimistic,Ž said David Barna, the chief of public affairs for the National Park Service, whose budget this year increased to $2.5 billion from $2.4 billion last year. “Typically, when the economy is not in good shape that bodes well for the park service,Ž Mr. Barna said. Indeed, bookings at the 141 national park campgrounds in the National Recreation Reservation Service were up 9 percent from January through March 26 over the same period last year. In addition to Park Service properties, there are 5,800 campgrounds in national forests and grasslands, not to mention campgrounds in state parks.
The New York Times
