The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
First year of tent camping a success
The first year of primitive tent camping at Lakeshore Reservation in North Perry Village proved to be successful.
That’s according to a report from Lake Metroparks, which owns the 84-acre park based at 4799 Lockwood Road. North Perry Mayor Ed Klco shared highlights from the document at the Feb. 7 Village Council meeting.
During the 2018 camping season at Lakeshore Reservation, which ran from May 2 through Nov. 30, the single, primitive campsite on the property was used 87 times, Klco said, citing the report prepared by Lake Metroparks Executive Director Paul Palagyi.
Lakeshore Reservation and seven other Lake Metroparks properties provide a total of nine sites for tent camping by groups of up to eight people. All campsites have designated areas to pitch a tent; a place to build a fire; a grill; and a picnic table.
All of the participating parks offer one campsite except for Lake Erie Bluffs in Perry Township, which has two camping areas. The camping season at Lakeshore Reservation and six other parks runs from May 2 through Nov. 30. But the site at River Road Park in Madison Township is open through Labor Day; and camping at Girdled Road Reservation in Concord Township can be done year-round.
With Lakeshore Reservation taking 87 reservations from campers last year, it ranked fifth out Lake Metroparks’ nine primitive campsites in terms of usage.
Palagyi said that statistic reflected a “great start” for the Lakeshore Reservation campsite. W hat typically happens with Lake Metroparks’ campsites in their first year, he said, is that people will go and camp at that location for the first time, and then share their experience with other friends or family members by word of mouth or social media.
“And then (campsite usage) grows after the first year,” Palagyi said.
To put Lakeshore Reservation’s first-year campsite performance in perspective, Palagyi noted that the park system’s most frequently rented campsite was one of the two at Lake Erie Bluffs. That campsite received 116 reservations.
In December 2017, Palagyi attended a North Perry Village Council meeting to answer questions about Lake Metroparks’ plans to create the primitive campsite at Lakeshore Reservation.
He explained to residents and government leaders that no more than eight people, two vehicles and two tents would be allowed in association with camping at any one time.
Palagyi also said that anyone reserving a site must be 21 or older, and are required to register online or by phone to camp at any of Lake Metroparks’ sites. A permit must be displayed in campers’ vehicles so park rangers can identify who is visiting the location. No mechanical devices, for example, a generator, may be brought to the campsites.
Although some residents and council members voiced concerns about overnight camping taking place in a park that’s located in a residential area, Palagyi tried to allay their fears by giving a clear idea where the activity would take place.
“We would remove brush and create a clearing of about 100 feet in the middle of the park with equal distance from the east, west and south borders,” Palagyi said during his presentation. “We want to get it as center and as far from property lines as we can.”
During the first season, the only incident that sent police to the campsite was an aggressive raccoon that wouldn’t stop bothering a family that had been camping, he said.
Palagyi’s report that was summarized by Klco at the Feb. 7 meeting also included statistics on overall visitation at Lakeshore Reservation, which features 1.8 miles of trails and 2,700 feet of Lake Erie shoreline.
In 2018, Lake Metroparks estimated that 91,639 visits were made to Lakeshore Reservation, which has its entrance on Lockwood Road where it meets the northern end of Antioch Road.
The report also said annual overall visits to the park have been steady in recent years, fluctuating between 85,000 to 100,000, depending on summer weather.
“So really, it’s a very quiet and productive park for our residents,” Klco said.