Bureau of Land Management increases and adds fees at several Oregon recreation sites

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Published April 1, 2022 at 10:38 AM PDT

The Wildwood Recreation Area near Welches is part of a network of federal sites in Oregon.

The great outdoors is getting a little pricier at several recreation areas in Oregon.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is implementing new fees and increasing others at 22 sites in the Willamette Valley and on the coast. The agency is also introducing a $30 annual pass that will cover day-use fees at each of those sites.

The agency will now charge day-use fees of $5 for vehicles carrying between one and nine passengers, $10 for vans carrying between 10-19 people and $20 for buses carrying 20 or more people. Eight recreation sites that previously had no day-use fees will now charge while others are increasing the price for small vehicles from $3 to $5.

Overnight fees range from $15 for primitive campsites (up from $10) all the way to $420 for larger facilities like group camp shelters.

The changes take effect Friday and are the first price adjustments across the agency’s Northwest Oregon District in more than a decade. View a full list of price changes and affected areas here.

The BLM says fees will go toward maintenance, staffing and visitor services in its recreation program. The agency spends about $2.2 million annually to maintain the 22 fee sites.

Recreators can make reservations online at Recreation.gov. The BLM will continue to honor America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated where the affected recreation sites are located. They are in the BLM’s Northwest Oregon District, which covers the Willamette Valley and northern Oregon Coast.