Going to the woods was once a part of what it meant to be an American. Visits to the National forests today have declined by 13 percent.

Factors that contribute to this decline are include rising gas prices, the popularity of video games and the Internet, and an increasingly urban and aging population less inclined to camp out.

Critics, however, blame it on fees charged for hiking trails and visitor centers, a proliferation of noisy off-road vehicles and the declining proportion of the Forest Service budget dedicated to recreation.

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