Everyone has their favorite camgrounds. This is one of mine. It’s free, it’s rustic, and it’s right on an amazing river. There are only a few sites and no trailers are allowed which helps keeps things quiet. There are moose, elk, wolves, bears (both kinds), fisher, marten, goshawk, cougar, wolverine, mountain goats, mule deer(along with antelope and white tail further down the valley) and various other animals like bighorn high up on the cliffs. It’s also raptor heaven - with golden eagles, bald eagles, osprey and hawks plentiful. The camp also borders a one million acre wilderness area. There’s a small meadow witha mixture of aspen and pine, as well as wildflowers. There are also mountains surrounding the site and thick pine forest. Every single aspect of this area - right down to the forest floor is scenic. Coming from suburbia to this camp for the first night is an incredible revelation. The quiet is stunning, the air incredibly clean,and the ambience very wild yet also soothing. Water is obtained by a hand pump or by boiling what you get from the river. While some look down on car campgrounds, I see them as our most important campgrounds. People can get to them easy, they are “the beginning” of the wild country, and they provide alot of fun for families and those weary after driving long distances(arriving at night,tired or disabled etc). Keeping these open and affordable to all Americans is a step in maintaining interest in our public lands and the endangered species that live in the habitat. Passion and love for the outdoors is not measured by how expensive your tent is, or how much gear you own from a high end company, or wether you only camp at long hike-in campsites. It’s measured by heart, and by those who share these specials places with people they care about.
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The fee increases still leave even the priciest campgrounds a relative bargain at $17 a night. But the new charges at five of Sequoia’s 54 campgrounds are also a sign of things to come, in California and nationwide. Spurred by Congress and squeezed by other costs, national forest managers will be jacking up fees to support local projects.
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That was a few years ago. Today if there’s one thing wolves aren’t, it’s carefree. Across Alaska and the far West to the upper Midwest, a new war on Canis lupus, the North American gray wolf, or timber wolf, is underway.
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“Our Euro is so up, and gas is dirt cheap,” said the 45-year-old wedding photographer, who plan to ship the car to Germany after his adventure. “We pay $8 a gallon in Germany, so we enjoy pumping gas at three bucks a gallon.”
I would agree with this except for the Illinois part. We do have the Shawnee NF, and that’s about it. It doesn’t get much more un-scenic and trampled as northern Illinois. If you love the outdoors, central/northern Illinois should be just about last on your list.
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Pergams — who blames the nature disconnect to “videophilia,” or too much time spent with electronic games, television, DVDs and the Internet — says the fallout can be obesity, depression and attention disorders. And, both say, it can lead to a fundamental lack in appreciating and protecting nature.
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In separate actions yesterday, the U.S. Forest Service lifted most of the access restrictions in place since the October wildfires and officials said campground fees were not covering the cost of maintaining the facilities.
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Uranium mines don’t belong next door to one of the seven wonders of the natural world.
Yet a British mining company plans to drill exploratory holes on federal land within three miles of the Grand Canyon.
