Calm Before The 4Th Full Campgrounds Expected For Long Holiday Weekend

Dick Goodman first saw Farragut nearly 60 years ago as a U.S. Navy swabby struggling through boot camp on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille.

The 77-year-old returned to the former naval station last year to work as a campground host with his Australian-born wife, Teena.

“I couldn’t be more happy about what this place has become,” Goodman said, beaming at the lush forest and grounds around him. A fat ground squirrel scarfed up cracked corn, hummingbirds filled the air and an evening grosbeak took a dip in a nearby birdbath.

But don’t expect the calm to continue, the Goodmans reminded visitors on Wednesday.

By this Fourth of July weekend, hordes of campers will descend on Farragut and other regional outdoor getaways. The long weekend - four days, if you can swing it - is expected to draw scores of campers.

“We anticipate lots of people taking Monday off, so we’re gearing up,” said Al Leiser, the park’s assistant manager.

Farragut, one of the largest parks in the region, filled its reservable sites weeks ago but left about 60 sites open on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Bureau of Land Management doesn’t take reservations. Campers are already filtering into the Huckleberry campground on the St. Joe River, Killarney Lake and Mica Bay.

Most campgrounds will be full by late Friday, officials said.

“If the weather changes and scares people away, some years there’s vacancies,” said Terry Kincaid, the BLM’s outdoor recreation planner in Coeur d’Alene.

The Fourth is always a busy weekend for boaters - if the weather cooperates.

Forecasters predict temperatures in the 70s and 80s.

“The weather report I have looks like it’s going to cool down but be partly cloudy,” Kincaid said. “That’s better than some years.”

Don’t expect to arrive Saturday morning and pitch a tent in one of Eastern Washington’s popular campgrounds. Not if the weather stays good.

In Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, campgrounds closest to Spokane will likely be full from Friday through Tuesday, chief ranger Dan Manson said. Late-comers might find a campsite by driving farther north along the 150-mile-long reservoir, to less-popular campgrounds, Manson said.

Boat launches will be busy, too.

“When you have water (boaters) will come, as long as the weather is good,” he said.

Reservations are required at two popular campgrounds at Sullivan Lake in northeastern Washington. All the spaces were taken as of Wednesday, but procrastinators should keep trying, said Cindy Reichelt, Colville National Forest spokeswoman.

“People cancel all the time … I’ve gotten in at the last minute before,” she said. “You might not get a lakeside view, but all the campsites are nice.”

Reservation information is available by phone at (877) 444-6777 or on the Internet at www.reserveusa.com.

Twenty-six other Colville National Forest campgrounds fill on a first-come, first-served basis. A few likely will still have spaces on Saturday, Reichelt said.

“There are some great hideaways,” Reichelt said.

Fires are a worry for rangers.

“We haven’t had rain for 15 days,” Reichelt said Wednesday. “We had a tiny bit today, but it just wasn’t enough.”

Fireworks are banned on federal and state land.

The Haug family, of Post Falls, started their vacation on Wednesday to beat the crowds altogether. They’ll be home by the weekend, painting the house.

“We chose to come during the week, before it got too busy,” Debbie Haug said.