To celebrate National Public Lands Day, the Francis Marion National Forest will be fee free on both September 27th and 28th, 2008. 

In an announcement, Forest Service Jerome Thomas said, "We want to thank those that support our national forest.  We hope this fee-free day will encourage Americans to take advantage of their public lands for exercise and outdoor recreation pursuits, not only on these fee-free days, but also throughout the year."

The national forests in South Carolina stretch across the state from Walhalla to McClellanville and offer a variety of nature-based recreational opportunities such as hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, horseback riding, ATV and dirt bike trail riding, boating, hunting, fishing, camping, picnicking or birding.

For more information about recreational opportunities on the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests, visit www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms .