Volunteer for a National Trails Day work day June 1 with the North Country Trail in the Allegheny National Forest chapter.

Crews will be start work at 9 a.m. at Chappel Bay near Route 321, south of the Bradford Ranger Station, along the Kinzua Arm of the Allegheny Reservoir. Workers will build a short bog bridge of native material and reroute a small section of the trail away from a wet area.

Work should be completed in one day. Tools and hard hats will be provided, but volunteers should pack lunch and water. Gloves and sturdy footwear are recommended.

If you or your organization or business would like to get involved, contact Mike or Tina Toole  at (814) 723-4714 or e-mail nct001@verizon.net.

All trails for motorized vehicles in the Allegheny National Forest have been closed as of April 1.

ATV and motorbike trails are scheduled to reopen May 24 and remain open through Sept. 29. Snowmobile trails will remain closed until December.

Allegheny National Forest ATV trail system riders must purchase either a daily pass at a cost of $10 per day, or an annual pass at a cost of $35. Passes are available at the supervisor’s office in North Warren;the  Marienville Ranger District office; the Bradford Ranger District office in Marshburg; the Tionesta Visitor Center; Forest Lodge and Campground in Marienville; the Russell City Store; Brookville Motor Sports, and Leisure Time in Corry

For information, call the supervisor’s office in Warren at (814) 723-5150,  the Marienville Ranger District at (814) 927-6628, or the Bradford Ranger Station at (814) 362-4613.

Officials from the Allegheny National Forest chapter of the North Country Trail Association got to meet Joe LaFont from the History Channel show “Swamp People” during the Erie Sport & Travel Expo March 2 at the Bayfront Convention Center.

Contributed photo

From left are Keith Klos, chapter president; LaFont; and Karen Klos, chapter communications liaison, PR & fundraising coordinator and organizer.

The fourth annual Allegheny 100 is scheduled to take place June 7-9 on the Allegheny National Forest Chapter’s stretch of the North Country Trail.

The Allegheny 100 Challenge is an endurance event in unsupported backpacking. It’s not a race, but an attempt by all entrants to finish the course in 50 hours. There also are 25-mile, 50-mile and 75-mile challenges on the same trail for those of differing skill levels or those who don’t want to commit to the longest course.

The coursewill extend from just south of Marienville, at Vowinckel, to Willow Bay near the New York border. The hike’s direction rotates every two years, giving short-distance hikers a chance to complete all 100 miles of trail over time; in 2014 it will run north to south.

Entry donation is $40, which includes membership in the North Country Trail Association, trail shuttle service and a T-shirt. Preregistration is limited to the first 100 hikers and closes May 31 at noon for shuttling service and T-shirts. Walk-ins are welcome the day of the event until 5 p.m. if spots remain open.

The challenge will start June 7 at 6 p.m. and continue until June 9 at 8 p.m. Hikers must bring their own food, drinks and gear. Leave-no-trace principles and safety will be discussed before the hike. U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, of Howard Township, Centre County, R-5th Dist., will release the hikers June 7.

There were 82 hikers who participated in the Allegheny 100 in 2012, a 382 percent increase in participation since the inception of the event in 2010. There were 33 hikers who attempted the 100 miles a year ago; 31 chose to hike the 50-mile option and 18 hiked the 25-mile challenge.

The 2012 Allegheny 100 Challenge participants. Contributed photo

For event or sponsorship information, contact Karen M. Klos at 8320 Route 337, Tidioute, PA 16351-4318; (814) 484-7420; or nct001@verizon.net.

For hiking strategy questions,contact three-time 100-mile participant Michael Merry at michaelmerry@rocketmail.com.

For information on the North Country Trail, contact the North Country Trail Association, 229 E. Main Street, Lowell, MI 49331; call toll-free at (866) 445-3628; e-mail hq@northcountrytrail.org.; or visit northcountrytrail.org.

For information on the ANF chapter, contact chapter president Keith W. Klos at 8320 Route 337, Tidioute, PA 16351-4318; (814) 484-7420; or nct001@verizon.net.

Jan. 21 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day — will be the first of four fee-free days the U.S. Forest Service will offer on its managed properties this year, including the Allegheny National Forest.

Fees typically are not in effect on nearly 98 percent of national forests and grasslands. The Allegheny National Forest does have fees in place for many day-use areas, boat launches, campgrounds and other sites.

Approximately two-thirds of the 17,000 developed recreation sites in national forests and grasslands can be used for free, including camping and picnicking.

Some 6,000 developed recreation sites to require recreation fees, which the Forest Service says are used to provide visitor services, repairs and replacements and facilities maintenance.

Other fee-free days are June 8, National Get Outdoors Day; Sept. 28, National Public Lands Day; and Nov. 9-11, Veterans Day weekend.

Concessionaires who operate campgrounds and other amenities may choose whether to participate in the fee-free days. Contact your favorite campground for more information.

Glenn Barthelson Jr., of Erie, shot a crab-claw 10-point buck in the Allegheny National Forest, Forest County.

Barthelson’s deer is among the candidates for the NWPA Outdoors Deer of the Year. Vote for your favorite at goerie.com/deeroftheyear. Voting ends Dec. 31, and the Deer of the Year will be announced Jan. 6 in the Erie Times-News and on www.GoErie.com, along with an Editor’s Choice pick.

You can still submit your deer photo to the GoErie Hunting and Fishing gallery.

Evidence still abounds in and around the Allegheny National Forest of the windstorm that dropped trees throughout that region July 26.

Some roads and many trails were closed for a time. The ANF is 517,000 acres — two-thirds the size of Rhode Island — so it’s clear the ranger districts at Marienville and Bradford have their cleanup work cut out for them, and many trails still are blocked, if not impassible.

A number of trees have fallen across the Songbird Sojourn Interpretive Trail, which starts at the Forest Road 157 trailhead south of Marienville. Some are easily stepped over; others require a bit of bushwhacking.

The Songbird Sojourn Interpretive Trail outside Marienville is blocked in a few spots by fallen trees from a recent storm.

A 5.3-mile stretch of Dunahm Siding Road through State Game Land 29 in Warren County will be closed for road repairs.

The road runs through SGL 29 from Dunham Siding on the Allegheny National Forest to Chapman State Park. Pennsylvania Game Commission Land Management Group Supervisor Richard T. Cramer said he expects the road to reopen by the end of September, in time for small game and archery deer seasons.

“As part of the road project, we will replace 76 culvert pipes and upgrade the existing road surface,” Cramer said in a news release. “The project is designed to alleviate soil erosion and drainage issues that affect the water quality in the West Branch Tionesta Creek. To further improve water quality, the entire road surface will have a new, updated stone running surface.”

A campground that has been closed for two years still ranks among the top 100 in the country in one website’s list.

TripleBlaze users rank the Beaver Meadows Recreation Area, near Marienville in the Allegheny National Forest, as the 78th best place to camp in the country. It’s the only Pennsylvania campground on the list.

Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio is No. 1, followed by Yosemite National Park.

Beaver Meadows features 38 campsites in two loops.The day use area, featuring a boat ramp, restrooms and trails, remains open.

Concessionaire Allegheny Site Management had managed the campground since 2006. When the concession permit expired in 2010, the Forest Service and AMS elected not to renew because of low use. Marienville District Ranger Rob Fallon closed the campground for the 2011 season to evaluate the future of the site.

According to recreation.gov, “Any proposal for the future of Beaver Meadows Campground would involve an opportunity for public input and include an environmental, social and economic analysis of the effects of the proposal and other alternatives suggested by the public. Any questions or comments regarding this closure should be directed to the Marienville Ranger District at (814) 927-5700.”

TripleBlaze says its rankings are based on an algorithm that accounts “for the average rating and number of reviews for a campground, the number of people who have camped or wish they could camp at that campground.”

The Marienville Ranger District of the Allegheny National Forest will put on an open house Aug. 4 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the district information center on Route 66, 2 miles north of Marienville.

The open house will showcase new interpretive Exhibits that explores the history of the forest from its purchase in 1923 to the present. The display highlights the recovery of the land and showcases the multiple uses of the land today.

Ranger Robert Fallon and information center staff will be available to answer questions.

For information, call Herb Clevenger at (814) 927-5712.