Responding to higher maintenance costs and updates due to increased use, the Bureau of Land Management and Shoshone National Forest are proposing new and increased fees for camping at several popular recreation areas across northwest Wyoming.

Some areas, such as the BLM’s Hogan and Luce Campground and the SNF’s Little Sunlight Campground, might see fees for the first time if proposed fees are adopted, while other campground fees could be increased — in some cases doubled — to help the agencies maintain and improve the sites.

As outdoor recreation continues to increase, the push for new opportunities and required additional site maintenance has driven up the cost of running campgrounds, both agencies reported. 

“At the same time that we’re providing more and better amenities and services, for more than 20 years, the Cody Field Office has charged a fee at just one area — the Five Springs Falls Campground east of Lovell,” said BLM spokesperson Sarah Beckwith. “To keep up with increasing demand and to continue to provide quality services, we’re now considering the possibility of raising the overnight fee at the Five Springs Falls Campground and proposing the establishment of new overnight fees at the Hogan and Luce Campground and the Cottonwood Creek Campground. These sites in particular have become more popular in recent years, in turn, increasing the frequency of necessary maintenance.” 

Overnight fees would help offset the rising costs associated with maintaining the recreation sites, she said, while helping generate new funding to put toward future improvements and updates that the sites need.

The money will specifically help with maintenance, repair and facility enhancement related directly to visitor enjoyment, visitor access, and health and safety; interpretation, visitor information, visitor service, visitor needs assessments and signs; habitat restoration directly related to wildlife-dependent recreation that is limited to hunting, fishing, wildlife observation or photography; law enforcement; and direct operating or capital costs associated with the recreation fee program, the U.S. Forest Service reported.

In 2021, the total recreation fee revenue for the BLM recreational facilities was $27,284.53, but the costs for the same year were $30,953.40. Much of the money was used to improve services and replace equipment, but expenses were also incurred recently to purchase materials and supplies to help remove graffiti from recreation areas and caves.

The current fee for overnight camping at Five Springs Falls (the only area BLM property to charge fees) is $7 per night/per campsite. There is no fee for day use.

“Money collected from increased or new fees would be put back into those particular sites for improvements and to increase recreation opportunities for the public,” Beckwith said. “We’re still in the earliest stages of discussions, but if we proceed, we’ll seek participation and input from all the people and organizations who may be interested in this possibility.”

The public comment period for the Shoshone National Forest’s proposal for fee increases closed Oct. 31 and the agency is now sorting the comments into categories and responding to those asking for information before sending the proposed fee changes to be reviewed by the Wyoming Recreation Action Team, which will submit its recommendation to the Regional Forester for a final decision.

“if we need to, we can go back and actually change our original proposal to address some of those concerns or comments,” said forest spokesperson Evan Guzik.

In some campgrounds, fees proposed are double the current rates. For example, the fee proposal for Crazy Creek Campground would double from the current rate of $10 to $20 if the proposal is accepted.

“Half the time, you’re gonna pay more in gas to get there than you will for a couple of nights stay,” he said.

Campgrounds like Lily Lake and Little Sunlight campgrounds in the Clarks Fork Ranger District would see a $10 fee for the first time, as would Deer Creek Campground in the Wapiti Ranger District. Also receiving proposed fees for the first time are all three campgrounds in the Greybull Ranger District and five previously fee-free campgrounds in the Washakie Ranger District.

Most campgrounds will see a $5 to $10 increase in fees. Double and triple campsites could increase by $20 to $30 and to rent a Sunlight Ranger’s Cabin, the proposed fee increase is $75, increasing from $150 to $225.

Existing campground fees in the forest have been in place since 2006. Over 70% of day-use sites, overnight camping sites, and other recreation sites are managed without user fees currently on the forest, officials reported in a recent press release.

In 2004, Congress passed the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA) which allows the NFS and BLM to retain revenue collected at certain recreation sites and use these funds locally to operate, maintain and improve the sites.

Guzik said the increased fees are “all exceedingly reasonable” and that the public comments were “overwhelmingly positive.”

For comparison, the overnight camping fee at Yellowstone National Park is within the ranges of proposed fees in the forest and in BLM campgrounds, although services vary. Campsites cost as little as $20 per night per site in Yellowstone for tent camping. Most campgrounds with more amenities, such as flush toilets and nearby laundry facilities, range from $30 to $40 per night and group camping fees can cost $60 or more. The overnight camping rate at the Park County Fairgrounds is $38.85 for full hook-ups per night from May to October and $27.75 per night for electrical hook up only between October and April.