Everyone is Welcome 



555 



through the national forests on the 

 roads or highways, along the trails, or 

 into the back country. 



Some States require the nonresident 

 hunters to hire a guide, but no one has 

 the right to require a person to employ 

 a guide for recreation travel over the 

 national forests. 



One should remember, however, 

 that much of the back country is primi- 

 tive. An injured person or one who is 

 lost might die before he is found. It is 

 unwise for inexperienced or poorly 

 equipped persons to travel in the back 

 country. All persons who contemplate 

 such a trip should get the advice of the 

 forest ranger as to routes of travel, 

 equipment, clothing, and supplies: It 

 can get extremely cold any month of 

 the year at high elevations; only the 

 foolhardy novice goes poorly shod, 

 clothed, and equipped into the back 

 country. 



Although many public facilities are 

 provided in recreation areas, some 

 people want the comfort and conven- 

 ience of a cabin or a hotel room. Con- 

 sequently, private capital has been 

 permitted to construct hotels, lodges, 

 and cabin camps in national forests. 

 The prices charged are subject to 

 approval by the Forest Service, and the 

 fees collected for the use of the land go 

 to the United States Treasury. 



Many persons have also been per- 

 mitted to construct summer homes on 

 Government land, in places not needed 

 for public use. The owner of a summer 

 home pays an annual rental to the 

 Government. 



Organizations, such as units of Boy 

 Scouts, Y. M. C. A., Y. W. G. A., mu- 

 nicipalities, and churches, have been 

 permitted to construct organization 

 camps for their own use in places where 

 there will be no interference with 

 more public uses. The camps perform 

 much the same function as organiza- 

 tion camps owned by the Government, 

 but, being privately owned, are for the 

 primary use of the organization that 

 owns them. 



The forest supervisors and rangers 

 who are in charge of the individual 



national forests and ranger districts are 

 the men who are intimately acquainted 

 with local conditions ; they are the men 

 who administer the recreation areas. 



Only general rules can apply to rec- 

 reation areas, which extend from New 

 Hampshire to Florida and from south- 

 ern California to Minnesota. Some 

 areas are at sea level; others are at 

 10,000 feet. Some are in the rain- 

 soaked forests of the western slopes of 

 Oregon and Washington; others are 

 in the deserts of New Mexico and Ari- 

 zona. Some recreation areas are open 

 to the public yearlong. Others are open 

 only in summer. Some forest areas are 

 closed to all use during periods of high 

 fire hazard. On some forests, campfire 

 permits are required, even at estab- 

 lished camp and picnic areas. 



Because of all these different condi- 

 tions, anyone who is planning a trip 

 through a national forest should find 

 out in advance what local conditions 

 are, what facilities are available, and 

 what equipment is recommended. 



GENERAL INFORMATION can be had 

 by writing to : Regional Forester, For- 

 est Service, United States Department 

 of Agriculture 



Bankers Securities Building, Phila- 

 delphia 7, Pa. (For information 

 about national forests in the New Eng- 

 land and Eastern States as far south 

 as Virginia.) 



Madison Building, Milwaukee 3, 

 Wis. (For information about national 

 forests in the Lake States and States 

 along the Ohio River and the Missis- 

 sippi River as far south as Missouri.) 



Glenn Building, Atlanta 3, Ga. (For 

 information about national forests in 

 the Southern States and Gulf States 

 as far west as Texas and north to 

 Arkansas. ) 



Federal Building, Missoula, Mont. 

 (For information about national for- 

 ests in the Inland Empire Montana 

 and the Panhandle of Idaho.) 



Post Office Building, Denver 2, Colo. 

 (For information about national for- 

 ests in the Central Rocky Mountains 

 Colorado and Wyoming [east of 



