Fire Pits in Parks
Most parks either never allow fires or provide fire pits in designated locations for overnight campers, day visitors and hikers. Fire pits provide parks against accidental forest fires due to poorly built fires and fires built too close to flammable vegetation. Availability of fire pits in parks typically runs on a first-come first-serve basis. The importance of extinguishing a camp fire remains, even though the pit keeps the flames contained.
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Camping Parks
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Basic camping parks, either drive-in or walk-in, typically provide a picnic table, a place for pitching a tent and a fire pit. Camping parks generally offer ground-level fire rings made of metal. The large round metal fire ring offers a cooking area on a cast iron grate covering half of the pit. Stone fire pits within camping parks often accompany a steel charcoal cooking grill on a pole, near the fire pit.
RV Parks
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RV parks typically offer full utility hook-ups, showers, laundry facilities, playgrounds and Internet access. This type of long-term living space, often located near residential areas, may not offer fire pits. RV parks that do offer fire pits tend to be located in areas of low fire risk and green vegetation. Fire pits in some RV parks are made of concrete or brick and mortar and not intended for cooking on. Fire pits in these areas are often in a central location near a swimming pool or club house.
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State Parks
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Of the 108 state parks in California, 29 allow beach bonfires in a fire ring for residents and vacationers. Bonfire pits consist of a large cement ring in the sand for placing your own wood. State parks do not typically allow burning anything other than dry, clean corded wood that you bring with you. Burning of trash and park vegetation is not permitted. Some parks contain stands for venders who often sell cords of wood. A few state parks located on beaches allow visitors to dig a pit in the sand, fill it with kindling and wood and light it. Areas like this generally do not allow overnight camping.
How to Build a Fire in a Pit
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Place tinder of small dry sticks, bark, dry grass or paper in the center of the pit. Next, place kindling of small dry branches or wood chips around the edges of the tinder and light the tinder; blow on it to get it going. Once the tinder is burning place more kindling around it and place large, dry pieces of wood in a teepee formation within the kindling, over the tinder.
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References
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