Despite a bout of thunder and lightning Saturday afternoon, area campers flocked to Little Bennett Campground in Clarksburg this past weekend for campfires, s’mores and a taste of a rural adventure without roaming too far from home.
‘‘Here, you could be anywhere up and down the East Coast,” said Johleen Cannon of Bethesda, who visited the campsite with Brownie Troop 6002. The fact that Little Bennett – a facility with ample trails, 91 wooded campsites, and a nature center – was a 20-minute drive away was a major draw for the weekend trip, Cannon said.
For some of the campers Saturday, taking a ‘‘staycation” close to home was in many ways an economic decision.
According to AAA, more people are staying closer to home this summer because of rising prices at the gas pump.
The average price of a tank of gas in Maryland was listed on Tuesday by the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report as $3.96 – up from just under $3 from July of 2007.
In mid-May, AAA projected a drop in the number of Americans that would travel 50 miles or more away from home over the Memorial Day weekend. The number was projected to slip from 38.23 million last year to 37.87 million this year.
In the Washington area, AAA Mid-Atlantic expected the first drop in Memorial Day travel since Sept. 11, 2001.
Chrissie Soistman, 25, who attends school in Baltimore, traveled with her husband and a group of friends from the Baltimore area for a weekend getaway at Little Bennett Campground. The group had originally considered going to Assateague State Park in Eastern Maryland for the weekend – a three-hour trip — but rising prices at the pump encouraged them to stay closer to home.
‘‘Taking four cars there, with gas, would be way too expensive,” Soistman said. It took about an hour for the group to travel to Little Bennett.
Parks officials say many others will most likely follow suit. Use of area parks and outdoor facilities are expected to rise this summer, according to representatives from the Montgomery County Parks Department, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the National Park Service.
With more county residents sticking around, the Parks Department is hoping to get the word out about ‘‘staycation” destinations within the county. At about $21 to $29 per campsite, the parks department listed Little Bennett Campground as a part of a ‘‘top 10” list of cheap county getaways issued May 13.
‘‘At Little Bennett, it’s a fantastic deal,” said Montgomery County Department of Parks spokeswoman Kelli Holsendolph. ‘‘It feels like you’ve driven out on a vacation, but you really haven’t gone that far at all.”
Over Memorial Day weekend, Little Bennett Campground was booked solid for two out of three days, and nearly full for the third, according to campground manager Rosemary Nichols. ‘‘We haven’t had that full a booking in several years,” Nichols said.
Campsites at Cabin John Regional Park were also booked, Holsendolph said.
Many of the Memorial Day campers were first-time visitors to Little Bennett, according to Esther Henning, a program facility aid there. ‘‘I think with gas prices, people are saying closer to home and discovering this for the first time,” Henning said.
Also included in the ‘‘top 10” list were boating trips to Lake Needwood at Rock Creek Regional Park and Little Seneca Lake at Black Hill Regional Park, summer concerts at Brookside Gardens, and a visit to the South Germantown Splash Playground.
Little Bennett campground is hosting more popular Saturday night programs such as group campfires, outdoor movies and ice cream socials in order to entice county residents into visiting the park for weekend getaways, Nichols said.
For some, gas prices haven’t changed summer plans made several months ago. For the Malone family of Olney, a road trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina is still in the works – but gas prices are a factor, Mike Malone said.
‘‘Before, you never thought about gas prices when you planned trips,” Malone said. ‘‘Now, you have to take it into account.”
Malone, who attended a group campfire at Little Bennett Saturday along with his wife, Sherri, and daughter Carlee, 5, said his family tends to stay within an hour’s drive for weekend getaways. The family was attracted to Little Bennett because of its offerings for kids and hoped to introduce their daughter to camping.
It was the family’s first visit to the campground. ‘‘I think we’ll definitely come back,” he said.
top 10 list of county getaways
The Montgomery County Department of Parks recently released a top 10 list of affordable summer getaways in Montgomery County. They are:
Camping at Little Bennett Campground in Clarksburg. Visit www.littlebennettcampground.com for more information.
Boating at Lake Needwood at Rock Creek Regional Park in Rockville and Little Seneca Lake at Black Hill Regional Park in Boyds. Visit www.BlackHillBoats.com and www.LakeNeedwoodBoats.com for more information.
Catching some waves at the South Germantown Splash Playground at the South Germantown Recreational Park in Boyds. Visit www.splashandgolf.com for more information.
Sending the kids to camp at one of the county’s many day camps, including Camping Camp and Outdoor Adventure Camp at Little Bennett Regional Park, and Tennis and Ice Skating Camp at Cabin John Regional Park. Visit www.parkpass.org for more information.
Going wild with Wild Montgomery, a program that lists the county’s many wild areas. Visit www.WildMontgomery.org
Feeling the beat at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton for free summer concerts. Visit www.BrooksideGardens.org for more information.
Walking, hiking or biking along one of the county’s many trails. Visit www.MontgomeryTrails.org for more information.
Getting a history lesson at one of the county’s historical sites, including Bussard Farmstead at the Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood and the Woodlawn Manor House in Sandy Spring. Visit www.ParksCulturalResources.org for more information.
Catching a ride on the Cabin John miniature train in Cabin John or the Wheaton Miniature Train and Carousel in Wheaton. Visit www.CabinJohnTrain.com and www.WheatonTrainandCarousel.com for more information.
Pitch in by volunteering this summer. Visit www.ParksVolunteers.org for more information.
