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.

If you’re of a certain age, live a peripatetic lifestyle or just get jazzed by camping, then serving as a volunteer host at a U.S. Forest Service campground might be for you.

Search for opportunities here.

Forestcamping.com notes that “national forests and grasslands are dealing with reductions in recreation budgets and staffing. As the national economy slowly recovers, people continue to take camping vacations in the 175 national forests and grasslands across the country. These two factors have increased the need for volunteer campground host/hostess… .

“Duties vary, but as a rule of thumb, a volunteer Forest Service campground host/hostess provides information and assistance to campers, monitors campgrounds for Forest Service, and performs light maintenance duties. In turn, the volunteer receives a campsite and, sometimes, minimal monetary assistance.

“The need for volunteer campground hosts is year round and it not limited to one area or just the summer months. Although the greatest need is during the summer, many national forests and grasslands in the southern and southwestern states are available to campers and during the winter months.”

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.”

Author Robert Hilliard will sign copies of his new book, “A Season on the Allegheny,” Friday from 1-3 p.m. at the U.S. Forest Service Office, 4 Farm Colony Drive, Warren, Pa.

“A Season on the Allegheny” is about a year spent hunting on the Allegheny National Forest. It reveals the history culture, and conservation ethic that make the Allegheny such a special place. Hilliard “explores the differing and often opposing views of conservation and wildlife management while reflecting on the complex history that created and now maintains our national forests.”

The book ranked in the top 20 percent in Kindle Store sales since its release as an eBook over five months ago and now is available as a paperback.

Day-use fees at sites in the Allegheny National Forest and all other national forests will be waived on eight days this year, starting with Martin Luther King Jr. weekend Jan. 14-16.

Visitors also will not have to pay fees June 9 for National Get Outdoors Day; Sept. 29 for National Public Lands Day; and Nov. 10-12, Veterans Day weekend.

The U.S. Forest Service does not charge for access on 98 percent of its 193 million acres, and more than two-thirds of its approximately 18,000 recreation sites nationwide can be used for free. They include picnic sites, campsites, beach and lake areas, trails, boat launches, and cabins.