Officials are asking visitors to Beltzville and several other state parks and forests to find alternative recreation options.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources on Monday posted an “overcrowding alert” to its website, listing Beltzville State Park as one of nearly a dozen across the state that is consistently “reaching capacity, and experiencing unsafe overcrowding and/or turning away visitors.”

“Visitors should consider Tuscarora, Tobyhanna and Gouldsboro State Parks for swimming and picnicking alternatives,” state officials said.

Carbon County Commissioners invited Gov. Tom Wolf to visit Beltzville State Park on a weekend and see the problems that are happening for himself.

The board voiced concerns about the “continuing degradation of the visitor experience” at Beltzville.

“The disgraceful conditions at Beltzville can’t be sufficiently understood through written correspondence, a staff briefing, a phone call, or even the multitude of news segments and articles that attest to our assessment of the situation,” the letter states. “Rather, only a visit to Beltzville State Park and a conversation with the concerned citizens of Carbon County will allow you to fully understand the enormity of the issue and the state’s dereliction in responding to this yearly cry for help by the elected officials of the more than 64,000 residents of Carbon County.”

State Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, unsuccessfully attempted to get DCNR to bar out-of-state visitors from day use areas of the park while the state is under a COVID-19 disaster declaration.

“It’s just simply too crowded in those areas and there is no social distancing going on,” he said in his request. “I don’t want to see a spike in Carbon County’s COVID numbers because of the situation there. It makes no sense to restrict businesses from safely reopening across the commonwealth only to allow this lawlessness on our state-owned properties.”

DCNR officials said its lease with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prohibits the agency from excluding anyone from the premises.

Instead, DCNR announced plans to restrict parking in some areas of the park and provide extra staff from other state parks on weekends and holidays. It also plans to provide trash bags to visitors, and additional dumpsters for trash disposal. Several new gates have been erected to restrict parking and access to areas, which aren’t designated, for parking.

Other state parks included on DCNR’s overcrowding list include Codorus, Keystone, Marsh Creek, Ohiopyle, Presque Isle, Ricketts Glen, Tyler and Washington Crossing, as well as the Seven Tubs Recreation Area in Pinchot State Forest and Rock Run in Loyalsock State Forest.