Feds want to end camping at Oconee County site

MOUNTAIN REST, S.C. (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service wants the public’s input on its proposal to stop overnight camping at a site in Oconee County.

Forest rangers say they want to close the Hell Hole primate campsite at night in the Sumter National Forest because visitors are failing to remove their own trash and properly dispose of human waste.

The campsite is at the bottom of a steep hill near the Chauga River. Rangers tried to put in a vault toilet and do maintenance to the road leading to the campsite to keep sediment from spilling into the river, but the problems have continued.

Anyone who wants to comment on the proposal can go to the Forest Service’s website at http://fs.usda.gov/scnfs or call the district office at 864-638-9568.