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Top officials at the U.S. Forest Service blame it rising gas prices, the popularity of video games and the Internet, and an increasingly urban and aging population less interested in camping. Critics focus on fees charged for hiking trails and visitor centers, a proliferation of noisy off-road vehicles and the declining proportion of the Forest Service budget dedicated to recreation. James Johnston, a policy analyst with Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, spent the last year camping out in 67 national forests and talking to 400 people. He concluded that while fewer people may be using the woods, fewer trails and campgrounds are open and there are more people riding noisy off-road vehicles. "They think that it's harder to find solitude," he said of the people he talked to.  The national forests date to 1891, when Congress authorized reserves to protect forests from cut-and-run logging. The system has grown to 155 national forests covering 190 million acres.A Forest Service survey revealed 204.8 million visitors a year in the period 2000-2003 and 178.6 million for 2003-2007 -- a decline of 13 percent. When compared to the rising population, the proportion of Americans visiting national forests is falling even faster. Scott Silver, executive director of Wild Wilderness in Bend, Ore., sees a strong correlation between the imposition of fees and declining visits. "They raised the fees, and people stopped coming," he said. "Now that they've seen demand drop, they're saying 'Oh my goodness, we've got to figure out how to increase visitation.'" Top Forest Service officials reject Silver's assertion about fees. They attribute the decline primarily to the older and more urbanized population, and increasing popularity of electronic entertainment and to rising gas prices. "We are seeing less participation in overnight camping than the quick day trips," said Forest Service recreation director Jim Bedwell. SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS AND OTHERS  directories of Free campgrounds The most comprehensive guides to free and inexpensive campgrounds in the East and West -- "must-haves" for budget-minded RVers. Save $5 by buying both East and West editions together. Learn more or order. Top of Page Get your FREE RV Travel Newsletter every week - sign up now.
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