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The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is seeking public comment on proposed fee increases at three recreation sites in the Glenwood-Pedlar Ranger District.
The fee at the Crabtree Falls Observation Site would go from $3 to $5 per day; electric hookups at Sherando Lake would go from $7 to $10 per hookups; a new fee at Oronoco Campground would be $14 per site; and North Creek Cabin, a new site, would be $100 per night.
The fee increases would bring recreation site fees into better alignment across forest locations and with prices of other nearby private and public recreation facilities, according to the Forest Service. Revenues from increased fees would help improve and maintain Forest Service recreation sites.
As part of this effort, the forest is also proposing some changes to the forest recreation pass, including adding additional locations and increasing the annual cost from $30 to $50.
If these fee proposals are approved, the increase would go into effect as early as spring 2025.
The national forest will continue to offer numerous free outdoor recreation opportunities such as dispersed camping, interpretive sites, observation towers, a number of developed, stocked fishing lakes, river and creek access for canoeing and kayaking, forest roads for scenic driving, numerous trailhead accesses for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, birding and wildlife photography.
“We recognize how important these sites are to visitors and our local communities. These fee changes will help us keep the care and maintenance of these sites sustainable and improve the visitor experience across the forest,” said Glenwood-Pedlar District Ranger Lauren Stull.
This proposal will be presented before a citizen’s advisory committee which helps ensure the Forest Service addresses public issues and concerns about recreation fees. A decision has not been made on this proposal. The public comment period will be open until Oct. 31.
