THE FORKS (AP) – Rafting outfitters say bookings are up for the upcoming season, but they are cautious about what the summer may bring with record high gasoline prices and the sluggish economy.

Russell Walters, president of Northern Outdoors in The Forks, said spring bookings have been good, but he’s neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic about the season.

“The jury is still out on gas prices and everything else,” said Walters.

Outfitters are coming off their best snowmobile season in at least three years, but the cost of business is rising and the tight economy makes them hesitant to raise prices for rafting trips and other outdoor ventures.

Clifford Stevens, owner of Moxie Outdoor Adventures in The Forks, said he expects his core group of customers to come from New England. His bookings are up 10 to 15 percent.

At the same time, more Europeans have been showing up in recent years to take advantage of the their increased buying power with the weak U.S. dollar, Stevens said.

At North Country Rivers in Bingham, owner Jim Murton said his cabins are already booked up on some weekends this summer, even with the additional cabins he built over the winter.

About 60 to 75 percent of Murton’s customers come from the New England area, but he said the geographic range of his customer base is growing.

It may cost a lot to put fuel in your car, but a trip to Maine still offers a lot of value even if your family is driving from outside of New England, he said.

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Information from: Morning Sentinel, http://www.onlinesentinel.com/

AP-ES-04-19-08 1131EDT