Take time when plotting camping trip

The camping season gets into full swing this week, but some serious questions loom like a dark thunderhead. Among them:

•Why do hot dogs come in packages of eight while buns come in packages of six or 12?

•What’s the best way to cope with the noisy all-night party in the next campsite – with a louder boom box or a pair of ear plugs?

•Is this the year that PETA will target mosquito swatting as animal abuse?

Pay your way: The access pass has become an essential item on the Northwest camper’s packing list.

Although North Idaho is still pretty much immune, cash-strapped public lands managers are charging fees at more and more prime locations.

A Northwest Forest Pass is required for parking at 18 trailheads in the Umatilla National Forest, 29 trailheads in the Okanogan, and 81 trailheads, three picnic areas and six boat launches in the Wenatchee.

The pass is required at nearly all national forest sites in Western Washington. The Bead Lake boat launch, however, is the only spot where the pass is required on the Colville National Forest. The pass costs $5 a day or $30 a year.

A Natural Investment Permit is required for parking at Washington State Parks. The pass costs $5 a day or $50 a season.

A Vehicle Use Permit is required for using Washington Fish and Wildlife Department public fishing and hunting access sites and boat launches. The permit is free with a fishing license. Non-anglers can purchase them for $10.95 anywhere hunting and fishing licenses are sold.

People who plan to visit national parks, national forests and certain BLM sites this year have a few bargain options to consider:

•The Golden Age Passport is a great big federal thank you to older Americans. For a one-time $10 fee, the card offers citizens age 62 and older lifetime access to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges and sites, national parks, national forests, BLM, and Corps of Engineers day-use areas. The pass also entitles the holder and everyone in his vehicle to 50 percent discounts on camping and other fees.

If you’re 62 or older, this is the pass to get. The Golden Access Passport offers similar lifetime benefits for citizens who are blind or who have other permanent physical disabilities.

•The Golden Eagle Passport is the best option for active outdoor travelers younger than 62. For $65 a year, it covers the vehicle entrance (no matter how many people are in the vehicle) and day-use fees for nearly all national parks, forests, BLM and federal wildlife refuges. If you’ve already purchased a $50 National Parks Pass, you can upgrade it with a $15 Golden Eagle decal.

This Golden Eagle Passport is clearly the cheapest option of you’re going to visit a national park or two, refuges (such as Turnbull), and national forests where the Northwest Forest Pass is required.

The Spokane clearinghouse for all of the federal passes is the BLM Office, 1103 N. Fancher Rd., telephone 536-1200.

Fishing for campsites: The area’s stiffest competition for campsites this week is likely to be up the Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe rivers, where the fishing will open Saturday.

Both streams are running mostly clear and coming down slowly but steadily since their little Sunday surge from weekend rains. Both rivers are holding the best cutthroat trout populations since they were severely set back by floods in 1996.

But realistically, if you don’t have a scout saving a campsite along these rivers by today, make your fishing visit a day-trip this holiday weekend.

Procrastinators who wait until Friday can still find vacant campsites as long as they’re willing to travel a little farther away from population centers or avoid the popular campgrounds – as in bring-your-own-Porta-Potty.

Fuel for thought: Joe Peak of the Enaville Resort on the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene recalls the gas crunch of 1979, when the government banned the sale of gasoline on Sundays.

“We thought it was going to kill our business,” he said, “but it worked the opposite. That was the year we were discovered. People looked for outdoor destinations closer to home rather than taking the big expeditions to Yellowstone or wherever.

“With the high price of gas, I think the same thing will happen this year.”

Forest Service employees already are keeping an eye out for campers who violate the 14-day maximum stay rule, Peak said.

Campers who are greedy with a site or those who don’t want to pay for the extra fuel required to haul trailers back and forth might be tempted to hog campsites for longer than they’re allowed. The fine generally runs around $75.

Mountain passes clear: Driving to the St. Joe and North Fork of the Clearwater rivers will be easier than it’s been for Memorial Day weekend in normal snow years. The Forest Service reports that snow is off Moon Pass, Gold Pass and Hoodoo Pass.

But many forest roads still have snow blocking sections of road. For example, you can drive about only 4 miles up the road from the St. Joe River toward Heller Campground.

More fees, less service: The dollar signs of the times are emerging in the Colville and other national forests this summer. Camping fees at many (not all) sites are increasing from $10 to $12, but with major staff cuts in progress, the forest is warning visitors that services such as garbage collection and toilet cleaning will be less frequent.