Camp On A Web Site First Time Running Out To Reserve Sites For Labor Day Weekend

The Labor Day weekend campout, marking the last hurrah of summer, is all about tradition.

But many Inland Northwesterners are taking a newfangled approach to planning their annual jaunts to the lapping waters and whispering pines. They’re turning to the Internet to make reservations at developed campsites run by the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The service is available for the first time this year, and it’s getting good results. Checking in at the Web site is a lot faster in many cases than dialing the toll-free phone number offered in recent years.

“It’s always busy. You can redial 30 times,” says Dean Cox, whose company runs Forest Service campgrounds at Priest Lake, Idaho.

Campsite reservations can be made using the toll-free phone number 877-444-6777 or on the Web site at www.reserveusa.com.

But in each case, you’ll have to do so today to reserve a campsite for the holiday weekend because reservations must be made at least five days ahead. Some people jumped in 240 days ahead - the early limit - to get their favorite spots.

If you don’t have a reservation, don’t sweat. Just con someone in your family into heading out early to get one of the many first-come, first-served sites.

“If I was you, I’d come Thursday. Probably early Thursday,” said Cox, echoing the sentiment of campground hosts around the region.

Another tip: Don’t head for the most popular campgrounds. For example, at Priest Lake, Luby Bay with its gorgeous beach fills up first. But there are fine sites at Outlet and Osprey campgrounds, Cox said, “and people sail right by those.”

In the Colville National Forest’s Sullivan Lake ranger district, the Edgewater campground on the Pend Oreille River is last to fill up. So going there might get you a spot when the big Sullivan Lake campsites are full.

There’s always the option of delaying your camping until the holiday rush is over. Some campgrounds do stay open through September.

Among them are Beauty Creek on Lake Coeur d’Alene and Kit Price on the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.

Another option - actually, a first choice for those seeking solitude - is to stake out a clearing on national forest land. It’s legal to camp anywhere that’s not posted otherwise.

“We have over 250 dispersed sites, along lakes and streams and along the road, where no fee is charged,” said Nan Berger, recreation officer for the Newport Ranger District in the Colville National Forest.

Whenever and wherever people camp, they should be careful with fire, Berger said.

“The long-range fire weather forecast says it will be hot and dry. People should make sure their fire is out before leaving,” she said, noting that last year there was a ban on campfires except in developed sites. “I’m hoping it doesn’t get that dry.”

Another word of caution comes from Kim Dirienz, recreation staffer at Sullivan Lake. She reminds campers of the Forest Service rule that all food not being eaten or prepared must be kept in a hard-sided vehicle so bears can’t get to it.

“We are in bear country. We’re also in cougar country. And if it isn’t them, we’ve got skunks and raccoons,” she said.

Don’t expect your sturdy cooler will keep the critters out.

“A big metal Coleman cooler is like a bear pinata,’ she said. “They roll them around until they open.”

Other news from the land of sunscreen and roasted marshmallows:

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area: The water level in this Columbia River reservoir is unusually high for this time of year. That means a lack of exposed shoreline where boaters can find nice, isolated campsites. The access to boat-in campgrounds is limited, too, said chief ranger Dan Mason.

Reservations are only taken for group campsites at Lake Roosevelt. There are 28 drive-in campgrounds. Mason recommends that people head for those in the outlying areas, such as Hunters, Gifford, Kettle Falls and Evans. Those closest to Spokane, such as Porcupine and Spring Canyon, will be full.

Dworshak Reservoir: By Labor Day weekend, the lake behind Idaho’s Dworshak Dam will be down 80 feet because water is needed downstream to help with salmon recovery efforts. That exposes a lot of shoreline and makes access at boat ramps “a little more challenging,” said resource manager Erik Petersen.

“But I hear the fishing’s great, so that’s a positive.”

For boaters who like to camp along the shoreline, Petersen recommends using a long line to tie up so the craft will remain floating if the water drops overnight.“Sometimes boats are left high and dry,” he said.

Albeni Falls:The water level is high behind the dam that controls Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille River. At the four Corps of Engineers campgrounds along the river, many reserved sites are taken. But there are still first-come, first-served spots and they’re great if you don’t need electricity and water right at your RV site.

Farragut State Park: At the southern end of Lake Pend Oreille, any hot summer weekend is busy. And Labor Day weekend is packed. Only 13 of the 108 campsites in the main campgrounds are NOT reservable. But there’s hope for latecomers. One large group site wasn’t reserved this year, said manager Bryan Rowder, so it will be available first-come, first-served.

For those who aren’t camping out, but just want to boat, picnic or swim, Farragut is a beautiful spot for day use that’s not far from Coeur d’Alene or Spokane.