Reply to Upcoming changes for C&O Campgrounds

I just purchased the 12th edition of the TrailGuide published by the Great Allegheny Passage. According to the TrialGuide, all C&O campgrounds will become fee campgrounds after Labor Day 2016. Reservations will need to be made through www.Recreation.gov.

Beginning in 2017, the water from the pumps will be NON-POTABLE. You will need to bring a purification device or plan accordingly.

If that's how its going to be then Ive done my last ride on the C&O. I never planned my camping stops, I enjoyed the freedom of riding and stopping where wanted. bye bye C&O

I thought this was discussed a couple of years ago but was pulled back because the feedback was negative? I haven't seen any recent articles saying this is going to happen. Maybe the Trail Guide jumped the gun as it was proposed at their time of publication? If so, it's the quietest change from free to pay park I've seen.

Anyways, if it happens, it wouldn't affect whether I go or not. I'll still go and pay for the access to the campgrounds that are neatly spaced for trail users. Can't imagine it would be much.

None of this is shocking. Our government has literally starved the park service of funding for years and they are now forced to come up with alternate ways to fund the parks. In the C&O's case it's funding to keep the trail free of fallen trees, treating and testing the water pumps, mowing the lawns along the corridor, keeping the campsites nice, maintaining the port-a-johns, etc. God forbid we raise a single dime in taxes so we can have nice things. Sounds like it's either charge a fee or close the park entirely. I'll pay the fee if I have to.

John this was discussed just last year. Now it would be $20.00 at a hiker/biker and $40.00 at the big campsites and you have to plan where you are going to camp ahead of time into your ride. You just can't do that. No one knows what the weather is going to be like weeks or months in advance. If there are going to be any trees down or detours and if your body is going to do 30 or 60 miles that day. One year I camped out at the Paw Paw Tunnel campsite, The grass was 10 inches high and the hiker/biker ones were worse. The point is they don't offer you much and they don't even want to take care of the pumps anymore. They need to skip the camp ground fees and set it up like the Mickelson Trail. You can buy a 3 day or annual riding pass.The annual riding pass was $15.00 last time I looked. Wear it like a fishing license. That way you get a little money off of everyone riding the trail and not just get the people camping. The people that have money or lazy can still do a credit card run and not be affected. Sorry if that last comment made anyone angry.

Last comment doesn't make me mad, it just makes me wonder why any one would think rich or lazy are the only 2 reasons a person wouldn't want to camp. Not angry...just kind of dumbfounded by the lack of thought.

That said - I think your permit idea is a better option as well.

Yep that's me. Sometimes I just say things without thinking it through and get myself in trouble. :)

I just made a phone call to verify. The person I talked to said yes that the larger drive into campsites (5 of them) will be going up in price and that you will need online reservations but he did not know of any changes that would take place to the hiker/biker campsites and thinks them will remain the same. However he did say he was not 100% sure on the hiker/biker sites. Just wanted to pass this info along and that was straight from the office.

I understand that to maintain the C&O requires incoming revenue but hopefully it wont come to fee camping at the hiker/biker sites. It would just take away the freedom of the trail.

This issue has been discussed and tabled several times. I don't mind paying a small fee considering what you get for your money but at times it would be difficult to plan a number of camping spots in advance. The best they could do would be to install a lock box on the honor system. Part of the C&O usage is the many camping options and diversity of the terrain. I don't want to be forced to plan an itenerary that weather and terrain might change. Instead of pissing people off maybe the Park Service should concentrate on trail improvements.

Are there any weblinks you can provide that would allow us to verify (or contact to verify) the camping fees? Nat Parks Svc site didn't have anything I could find. Thanks,

I'm planning a trip on 9/08 to 9/14...Connellsville to DC, more information on this would be appreciated, I plan on using mostly hiker/biker sites but will use the bunkhouse in Hancock and the Antietam creek camp area

I normally don't respond to things like these because it tends to get misunderstood and blows up into something different. We pay taxes endlessly that get redistributed to all kinds of things, but the government is irresponsible and simply lazy. If not they come up with lame, pathetic, and all kinds of other excuses why they have to charge. $20 per person, $40 for other things. If that's the case then the trail should be in pristine condition: no pot holes, no fallen trees across the trail, no exposed hazardous roots, no hazards, and no other excuses. If they don't want to, then I'll take care of those things and keep the charges. The government sections are just another way to get more money for nothing. The GAP and Montour Trails around Pittsburgh are all taken care of by volunteers. They should get the money for doing the things they get done. Besides, what about the taxes in the first place that established the trails, poster or announcement boards, and other things. In my opinion the government groups are worse than little kids that are spoiled. They start something and eventually don't keep up with it. Seriously, how much does it really cost to cut grass, cut the branches and trunks of fallen trees, and a few other things. When the government shut down in 2013, within 48 hours all of the latrines were band-strapped closed, the handles were removed from the water pumps, and people were told to get off of the trail immediately. I know, a friend and I planned the whole summer to bike in the fall, but couldn't go to the bathroom or get water. That is beyond pathetic.

Relax. The C&O is free. The GAP is free. You pay no admission and never have. The C&O portion is part of the NPS. The same NPS that has seen budget cuts again and again by the same anti-tax crusaders in congress. The government spends money on all kinds of crap I agree but the NPS is not one of those. They do great work and great things. They're already running a skeleton crew at the C&O...it's quite amazing they keep the C&O maintained as good as they do. They we just exploring the possibility of charging admission since they're starved for funding but nothing came of it.

They will probably have to start charging for entry to the park. But what will happen is that the government will then conclude that they are self-funded and don't need tax money, so in the end the services will not improve. I agree they do a good job now, but if they can't sustain the potable well water, the trail will lose a lot of its appeal. When I biked the whole thing in one day (two Junes ago) I had only enough gatorade for the first 50 miles, after that it was all well water. Granted that's extreme, but the bikers and hikers even more so cannot carry enough water, and there are very few convenient places to stop without having to veer far off course. Please maintain the water pumps!

About water, there are portable filtration systems that are very inexpensive - so that would be my alternative.