January’s mild weather has negatively impacted tourism across the region, local officials say, forcing individuals to make alternative plans.

“Usually during January and February the bureau is taking a ton of phone calls daily asking about snow conditions,” said Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau Executive Director Linda Devlin. “This year with the mild winter weather we do have visitors asking about other activities and upcoming events.”

Something similar has been happening at Sinnemahoning State Park in Cameron and Potter counties, where officials there have seen a decrease in attendance, Sinnemahoning State Park Manager Lisa Bainey said.

“However, we are still offering hikes, ski and snowshoe demos and the Environmental Education staff is offering for the first time a Winter Women in the Wilds program, which has attracted over 20 women thus far,” she said.

In addition, the Park Office and Wildlife Center is doing well, Bainey said.

Back at Allegheny National Forest, folks are already asking about hiking trails, cabins and campgrounds, Devlin said. People are looking ahead to spring and summer, she said.

At Red Bridge in the Allegheny National Forest, two new full-amenity cabins are attracting quite a bit of attention, she said.

Normally, the snow would bring ice fishermen out, and that would mean some of the cabins would be rented out in the Allegheny National Forest, said Allegheny Site Management owner Ed Prince.

Typically, he said this time of year is slow for Allegheny Site Management, but he called it unfortunate that winter wasn’t more like winter with plentiful snow.

“Having the new Kinzua Bridge Visitors Center in Mount Jewett  open year round is helping to attract visitors, as previously, the winter weather was a challenge when visiting the Kinzua Bridge State Park,” Devlin said.

In fact, the Kinzua Bridge State Park Visitor Center and Park Office has significantly increased the number of visitors to the state park, state park manager Mitch Stickle previously told The Era. And he indicated that he expects the momentum to continue.

Also, the Winter in the Wilds hosted by CJ Spirits in Kane on Jan. 13-15 proved to be a success, Devlin said, although the snowmobile run had been canceled.

“CJ Spirits and Flickerwood Wine Cellars are always popular rain or snow, and both have been adding more events,” Devlin said.

Officials at Lyman Run State Park in Galeton recently announced the Jan. 28 Winterfest was canceled due to a lack of snow, but a three-mile hike is still scheduled to take place.

And events lined up for this weekend at Sinnemahoning State Park require none of the white stuff. At Coffee with the Birds, scheduled from 9-10 a.m. today at the Park Office and Wildlife Center, people will be able to grab a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate and learn about birds, their food preferences and how winter bird feeder counts help scientists learn more about the health of the environment. The program is part of the Project Feeder Watch, a citizen-science initiative sponsored through Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Also at the state park, from 10-11:30 a.m. today, there will be program on installing and watching backyard birdfeeders.

For more information on classes at the state park, contact the Park Office and Wildlife Center at 814-647-8401 or SinnemahoningSP@pa.gov. Meanwhile, the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau can be reached at 1-800-473-9370 info@visitANF.com.