"For anybody who wants to have a nice day in the woods, Dupont Forest is a pretty good spot for it”
Bruce McDonald is the Ranger at Dupont State Forest and he tells WHKP News that they’ve had more folks than normal enjoy Dupont State Forest through the summer...and this fall, visitor numbers at Dupont look about like normal, he says.
Of course the falls are a big attraction at Dupont and numerous unfortunate and tragic accidents have happened around those falls. Ranger McDonald says Dupont has been part of an area wide effort to improve waterfall safety.
“We’ve changed some of the signage and designated a viewing area around the falls”, he told WHKP News. The trouble is, “Folks get near them and they’re not making good decisions...we’ve got some rules about climbing and being above the waterfalls, but not everybody follows the rules.” So, he says, “We’ve put a physical barrier on it that doesn’t detract from the beauty but still keeps the waterfalls safer.”
The waterfalls at Dupont Forest are a popular attraction not only in the warm weather season, but pretty much year around...and that’s certainly the case right now with the fall leaf change and the color in the forest.
Ranger McDonald says Dupont State Forest will have some new restrooms opening soon, “...and we’re working on things in the trail system so that they’ll function well.”
Especially in seasons like the fall, says McDonald, they see a lot of visitors in the forest “...especially when we have daytime temperatures up in the 50s there are a lot of folks in the area who want to get out and have a day in the woods.”
McDonald says the real highlights of Dupont Forest depend on what a visitor is looking for. “We have the waterfalls that are fairly easy waterfalls to see and enjoy that are well worth the walk for people who aren’t necessarily outdoor type people.”
And he points out, too, that there are frequent mountain bikers in Dupont Forest...there are the trails to enjoy and some folks bring horses for horseback riding...”...it’s just all depends on what folks are looking for. For anybody who wants to have a nice day in the woods, Dupont Forest is a pretty good spot for it”, says McDonald.
And that’s surely true on a nice day in the fall.
By Larry Freeman and Tippy Creswell
