Evening star., 1940-05-26
1kERAkOO LAKE
EoRESr CAMP

sHtRANoo LAKE oepo'
SoRESr CAMP
natural beauties and wonders as the
Peaks of Otter, 1000 feet high;
Crabtree Falls, highest in the Blue
Ridge, and the Tye River Valley,
more nearly described as a canyon
Still rather inaccessible, this region
will be opened to the public at large
for the first time when the Blue
Ridge Parkway is completed. There
Is one point in this forest, however,
which is easily reached by motor car
from Washington, and which is
probably better known than all the
other attractions put together. This
IS Sherando Lake Forest Camp.
Seventy-five thousand persons Wis
tied it last summer.
Before you establish any mental
misconceptions of Sherando Lake
Forest Camp, let me say that, liter
ally, it is a camp in a forest. #
that basic idea does not appeal to
you. don't 60 to Sherando. AS the
brief bulletin of the camp indicates,
the enjoyment of the sojourner at
Sherando is limited only by his
ability to enjoy what is offered him.
There is no lodge where rooms may
be rented: there are no housekeep-
ing cabins; there is no lunch stand
or dining room. There is only a
camp in the forest.
Best Camp in East.
But what camp, what q forest
and what facilities for the enjoy j
ment of nature! Sherando Lake is
admittedly the best forest camp of
the United States Forest Service
in the East, and that is a ponderous
statement in itself when every forest
camp is characterized by cleanliness,
accessibility, fine facilities and
natural beauty. What sets Sherando
Lake Forest Camp off from other
forest camps is the lake itself, a
shimmering sapphire in the emerald
of the forested mountains. It covers
20 acres, of which about one-fourth
is marked off for swimming, the
rest for boating. At the upper end
Of the lake is an expansive lawn
plot separating the wonderful bath
house from the beach of real sand.
Log booms mark the 4la-foot depth
line for the benefit of non-swimmers,
but experienced natators may swim
all the way out to the island and
the diving platform. Another log
boom delineates small shallow part
of the lake for the little tots to
splash in. There is a lifeguard on
duty at all times during which the
lake is open.
BY now, if you are interested, you
will probably want to know the most
interesting thing of all; how much
does it cost? That question can be
answered in one woodworking
Uncle Sam is your host. You can
not possibly spend any money in
the camp. There are no concessions,
no charge is made by the camp off,
cials for anything. Don't take this
to mean that you can drop into the
camp and be put up for the night
by obliging service employees. You
will find these men very obliging
indeed, but not to the extent of
tucking you in bed. You are more
or less thrown on your own here,
but that is one of the beauties of
the place. If you want to camp,
bring your camping equipment
tents, cooking utensils, small ak, etc.
Firewood, fireplace, a sod tent
floor (Which drains water) and a
parking spur are all provided in
each of the 81 individual camping
sites. Running spigot water, tested
every two weeks, is near each camp
site, as we'll as sanitary facilities.
Need Aid Of Car.
A small store is situated at the
entrance of the camp, but for staples
and big orders you will have to drive
to Sherando P. O. or even into
Waynesboro, IA miles away. The
Idea is to bring with you prac-
tically everything you will need.
This is simple enough to do If you
are staying only one or two nights.
If you stay the two-week limit,
of course. you will need to re-
provision yourself occasionally at
the three places mentioned above.
An automobile is essential.
So much for camping. There are
no cabins. nor housing of any kind.
Two picnic shelters are provided in
the center of the picnic areas.
Through these picnic areas 100
tables are arranged. When the
tables run out, there are still plenty
Of places for picnicking. AS many as
1000 people can be accommodated
In one day in the camp, but that
Is about twice as many as there
should be. Sundays are the most
crowded days, with July 4th the
very peak. Except on the fourth,
there is practically no danger of
being unable to find a picnic or
camp spot, because reserve camp
areas are found up the valley from
the lake. Naturally, as the lake is
the "raison d'etre" of the camp,
the best spots for picnicking are
near it and the wonderful sand
beach, which is central to the entire
camp.
Radiating out from this central
recreational zone are several short
hiking trails. One goes around the
lake near the waters edge. Another
climbs the cliff above the lake to