I have hiked the WMNF in my younger years and have never used the huts nor have any need for em. I never had any desire to use "hotels" on the mountain as a backpacking experience, as well as hate the looks of em as I pass em on the trails.
I want to know who actually owns them? Are they private property?... owned by nonprofit organizations?... or are government run? Where do the fees go? who hires the people running them?
What confuses me is they are in the National Forest, in places where camping is restricted so how is a private business run in the National Forest imposing restrictions on the public, forcing them to use these hotels? I thought anything in a National Forest is public, on public land, and falls under public use guidelines. Do you have to reserve lean-tos in a National Forest as you do these huts? ...is it really to protect the land or is it a rich man's cash box in the sky with government cooperation?
I want to know who actually owns them? Are they private property?... owned by nonprofit organizations?... or are government run? Where do the fees go? who hires the people running them?
What confuses me is they are in the National Forest, in places where camping is restricted so how is a private business run in the National Forest imposing restrictions on the public, forcing them to use these hotels? I thought anything in a National Forest is public, on public land, and falls under public use guidelines. Do you have to reserve lean-tos in a National Forest as you do these huts? ...is it really to protect the land or is it a rich man's cash box in the sky with government cooperation?