Swimmers are pictured at Kinzua Beach.

Not everyone is in favor of additional developments at Kinzua Beach in the Allegheny National Forest.

Late Monday, the Friends of the Allegheny Wilderness came out against the idea of additional development in the area.

“The Allegheny National Forest’s press release on this subject, and the below resultant newspaper article, couch the initiative as being a case of “we’re going to add development at Kinzua Beach, so what kind of development do you think there should be?” Friends of Allegheny Wilderness said in an email. “That is the wrong way to look at it. That is not the question. The question actually is: should there be any new developments at all at Kinzua Beach? Do not let them project on you by the power of suggestion the idea that new developments are simply inevitable so you might as well just go along with it, so to speak.”

The U.S. Forest Service was accepting public comments through Tuesday regarding future recreational additions at Kinzua Beach and the Kinzua Point Information Center in the Bradford Ranger District of the Allegheny National Forest. Sites are located on the Allegheny Reservoir, along State Route 59, in Warren County.

Both sites are included in consideration because of their proximity and current conditions. USDA officials said both locations typically have few visitors and there are no current partnerships to support long-term maintenance and upkeep.

According to a document posted on the Forest Service website, the recreational uses and volume of visitors to Kinzua Beach and Kinzua Point Information Center has changed over time. Both locations are dated and do not meet current accessibility standards.

Kinzua Point Information Center is typically utilized as a rest stop for visitors to use the restroom, find local information, and view the Allegheny Reservoir. The center is staffed in the summer, from Memorial Day until September, by the Warren County Visitors Bureau. During this time, the Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry provides free WiFi at KPIC for visitors. The center is an access point to the Jakes Rocks Mountain Biking Trails , named the 2024 Pennsylvania Trail of the Year by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Kinzua Beach contains three paved parking lots, a pavilion, bathhouse, concrete beach ramp, and grassy picnic area. The site is also an access point to hiking, biking, and backcountry camping trail systems. The location is popular for hosting weddings and other large events, including the annual Jakes Rocks Trail Festival.

Among the issues the Forest Service wants to address is pavement in parking lots and walkways that have become damaged and uneven and don’t meet federal accessibility standards. Additionally, over time it’s become difficult to perform routine maintenance on the sites’ water systems and landscaping, leading to declining infrastructure that is in need of significant repairs, according to the Forest Service.

Friends of Allegheny Wilderness officials say new developments in the area should be as modest and nondescript as possible. New buildings should be less than one story tall, according to the group, with no neon signs or nighttime lighting. New structures should be rustic and use wood, stone or earth tones that blend in with the surrounding landscape.

“Everybody knows that they will never be satisfied with just a little bit of modest refurbishment at Kinzua Beach, and that they ultimately have designs on massive commercial developments at locations all around the shoreline of the Allegheny Reservoir because all of that “empty space” is “just going to waste.” This current initiative is just the first step toward that larger goal — the proverbial camel’s nose under the tent,” FAW officials wrote. “Remember, it’s not about fun for people, per se, nearly as much as it is about keeping the wilderness wild. People can recreate appropriately within that undeveloped context of course, but we do not dumb down the wilderness to the lowest common denominator in order to accommodate the masses.”