By 9:30 a.m., John Corcoran was halfway through his first can of Budweiser Select.

An unseasonably frigid autumn wind blew across the beginnings of a campsite. A blue tarp rustled where a tent would soon stand. Various camping supplies littered a wooden picnic table nearby. But Corcoran's childhood friend and drinking buddy, Ryan Mulchey, was busy turning the knobs of a portable radio.

The two men from the south suburbs of Chicago had arrived at Van Buren State Park in northern Van Buren County just minutes before on Friday morning, determined to enjoy the weekend despite the chilly temperature.

"It's just rural up here. It's nice and secluded," said Corcoran, adding he camps at the park about two hours southwest of East Lansing at least three or four times each year. "Everyone here, overall, is nice."

Corcoran said camping in the autumn is much different than the summer, when the park shifts from empty sites to reserved spots.

For Corcoran and Mulchey to have fun, the quantity of people doesn't matter as much as the quality.

"It depends on if there are guys or girls next to us," Corcoran said.

But after years of visits to the campground, this early fall expedition might be the last, Corcoran said.

Van Buren State Park, which lies along the coast of Lake Michigan in southwest Michigan, is one of 35 popular parks throughout the state set to institute a $4 per night increase in camping fees in 2006.

Separate changes to all state campgrounds include an increase in the reservation fee from $2 to $8, a $5 fee for customers without reservation, an increase in the cancellation fee from $5 to $10, and a new $5 fee for campers who want to transfer sites during a camping trip.

Sleepy Hollow State Park in Laingsburg - about 30 minutes northeast of East Lansing - and Lakelands Trail State Park in Pinckney - about an hour southeast of East Lansing - are included in the increase.

Department of Natural Resources officials approved the increases in September to offset a $3.5 million budget hole and keep all parks open, as well as establish a $1 million fund for emergency repairs, said Ron Olson, DNR chief of parks and recreation.

Since 2003, all general state tax fund support has been cut in the budget process.

Today, about 70 percent of the park system's $38 million budget comes from fees and charges. Of that roughly $26.6 million, 64 percent comes from state camping fees.

Michigan is tied for last place among states in terms of public tax support, but ranks second among states in the number of yearly campers.

The parks system now offers wireless Internet access at five popular state parks, but the addition was meant to meet the demands of regular campers, and its effect on attendance is unknown, Olson said.

"The real problem is Michigan's economy has slowed over the last number of years, and the state budget has been in a very stressed situation so the government has had many challenges," Olson said.

"One of the many choices was to eliminate the money for the state parks.

"That's really the problem, but there are no simple answers."

But many, including Olson, say they fear the new fees could hurt attendance levels at some state parks.

"It's going to remain a challenge for the next few years," Olson said. "We still feel we need to come up with some other mechanism to sustain this larger financial burden."

Members of the MSU Outing Club, who go whitewater rafting in West Virginia, cave spelunking in Kentucky and backpacking in Ontario, also take a camping trip to Cheboygan State Park each November, said club treasurer and former president Laura Hall.

For the 140-member group, the trip is a tradition and will continue despite future fee increases, Hall said.

"Everyone will just have to pay a little extra," she said.

At Holland State Park, one of the 35 parks hit with the largest fee increases, 55-year-old Shar Rau hunched over a picnic table, painting tiny rocks with nail polish Friday morning.

As a volunteer host for the park's Lake Macatawa Campground, Rau is required to offer one craft or activity to campers each week, as well as greet new visitors, pick up litter, and offer coffee and cookies on chillier mornings.

"Once there are no people left, the squirrels get the cookies," said Rau, decked out in a forest green DNR vest.

Since September, Rau has lived at the park with her husband Mike, 55, in their traveling home, a luxury Monaco RV.

The Raus, originally from Grand Rapids, have volunteered at campgrounds in seven states throughout the country since 1997.

Rau said the fee increases might not affect younger campers as much as senior citizens, who often live on a fixed income.

"Several (campers) have said, you know, they're saying, 'We won't be staying here next year,'" Rau said.

But many DNR officials say their hands are tied in regards to the fee increases.

The other option would be to close the parks that are not self-sufficient or cut down on overall park system maintenance, said Keith Charters, chairman of the Natural Resources Commission.

The seven-member, governor-appointed group establishes general DNR policies.

"I see this as a major crossroads for the whole state parks system if we don't come up with some sustainable way to operate," Charters said. "You need to come up with some solution that is consistent and can be depended upon."

In March, the Citizens Committee for State Parks convened for the first time.

The committee, whose members are appointed by the DNR director, was created by legislation in 2004 to develop long-term strategies to revive the park system's finances.

Charters said he is uncertain whether the increased fees could drive down attendance.

"That's the big mystery of course," he said. "In reality, I suspect that it could."

But Pat Whalen said attendance won't be a problem at his Grand Haven State Park campground, located alongside the picturesque Lake Michigan town.

Whalen is the park's supervisor. Outside his office, campers are hidden away in tents and RVs that sparsely pepper the sandy shoreline.

Winds pushing east from across the lake have bent the khaki-colored dune grass and robbed most trees of their leaves.

For Whalen, this is the slow season, far different from the summer's six-month camping waiting lists.

"Out there now, it's the same people we see year after year," Whalen said. "We have a weekly coffee hour with the campers that I go to. A few complained (about fee increases), but they said they'd keep coming back."

Further north along Lake Michigan, at Silver Lake State Park in western Oceana County, Jason and Tracey Tatarcuk spent Friday afternoon pitching their tent and preparing their weekend campsite.

Silver Lake State Park is the only state park to offer off-roading, and the Tatarcuks have come prepared, with two motorcycles and a four-wheeler.

The couple are off-roading enthusiasts - Jason has been riding for 10 years, Tracey for four - who make the three to four-hour drive from their home in Waterford five or six times each year, Jason Tatarcuk said.

Later in the weekend, many more of the Tatarcuk extended family will join the couple for a weekend of revved up revelry.

"Everyone in the family rides, from knee-high to old man," Jason Tatarcuk said.

He said that despite the fee increases, the couple will continue to make the statewide journey to the park, where the sand dunes tower high on the shore. The only thing that hindered their weekend plans was the weather - they packed an electric blanket for the first time.

From the couple's campsite, the cobalt blue waters of Silver Lake are visible in the distance, chopping violently under a healthy gust of wind.

"It won't affect us at all," he said. "You could double the price and still get me here."