Evening star., 1961-05-14
PLENTY IN NEARBY STATES
!. Camp Sites? They're Easy to Find
. BY CHARLES COVELL
Star Outdoor Editor

4N tdkeS only a quick glance at
what nearby Maryland and
Virginia have to offer to show
that, with certain reservations,
there should be plenty of sites.
National park and national
forest facilities coupled with
State parks and forests offer
excellent camping opportuni-
ties, as good or better than
you'll find almost anywhere else
along the Eastern Seaboard.
The Blue Ridge in Virginia
has its Shenandoah National
Park and George Washington
and Jefferson National Forests,
all open to camping. The Army
Engineers with their Kerr Res
ervoir (Buggs Island Lake, and
PhApott Dam, also in Virginia,
have many campsites.
:. Parks Offer Camping
In addition, the Old Domin-
lon, has a first-class park sys-
tenn offering tent camping in
many cases as well as cabins.
Even nearby Fairfax County
has some sites. The park au-
thoEity, now developing Burke
Lake, has installed sanitary
facilities and will have a few
places for tents.
Out near Manassas the
Northern Virginia Regional
Park Authority is developing
Bull Run Park. on the historic
creek just this side of the
battlefield. That, too, will have
some campsites.
Maryland, unfortunately, has
no national park nor national
forest but it, too. has an excel
lent State park system as well
as State forests.
Crowded on Week Ends
The certain reservations boil
down to this:
l. Reserve your campsites in
advance if you can and (2) if
you can't, get there in mid =
week to be sure of a site.
The two national forests =
with their more than a million ..
acres naturally offer by far the
greatest camping opportunities :
and even on week ends you can :
be pretty sure of a place. If the
regular camping areas are
filled, you are permitted to :
camp nearby.
Virginia State parks. open
from April Is to October is
with a maximum of IA days
OF camping. operate on a first
come, firSt-served basis. From
Friday evening until late Sun
day they are crowded but at
other times a family can usu- 5
ally find a campSite especially
If they arrive early in the
morning or between 3 and 6
pm. when there are the great
est number of checkouts. s
Charges at these parks run '
$3.50 a day for six persons in
cluding swimming privileges {
and there are sanitary facili- .
ties. usually with showers, and
laundry equipment.
Reservations Accented
Maryland parks are open
from April l to October ex-
cept in mountainous Garrett \
County where the season is =
May to September /.
Charges run from $l.2 to 50 =
per campsite per day according
to the facilities and the maxi |
mum stay is the same as Vir-
ginia'S, IA days.
There is one important diff
ference, however. Reservations
are accepted and if they do
not make reservations. campers
are advised to arrive before
5 pm. They also are urged to
be prepared to stay overnight {
in a nearby motel if no site is
available.
A particular sore spot as it ,
was pointed out the other night
at the second of the YMCA's
series of camping meetings is
pets.
The course is being given !
Tuesdays at 8 pm. at the Alex
andria branch of the Y, 81 West
Glebe road, and Thursdays at
the same time at the Silver {
Spring branch, Hastings drive
and Granville avenue.
Pets are permitted in Vir- j
ginia State parks or Shenan-
doah National Park if on leash. I
Maryland bars them from its
even there dogs must not be
cabin, camping. beach or pic {
mic areas. Only in the national
forests are they welcome, and
allowed to roam lest they run
deer.
Fire Permit Needed
In all things except one the
national forests allow the
camper complete freedom.
There are no charges except in
areas operated by concession
aires, campers may cut fire
wood or boughs for a bed,
something that is banned in
State parks, and firearms are
permitted. These also are
barred in State parks and al
lowed in State forests only in
the hunting season.
The one exception is fire.
The national forests require
permit if a camper wants to
start an open fire although
he can cook all he likes on
camp stoves. Ranger offices
issue permits.
Although there are desig-
mated camping areas both in
George Washington and Jeffer-
son National Forests, campers
also may set up their tents
wherever they like and at any
time of year as long as they
have the permit to start an
open fire.
Fishing, Hunting Available