Public Lands Access Fees - Forest Service and BLM

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Map Locations

A MAP OF FEE AREAS THAT CONTROL ACCESS TO UNDEVELOPED BACKCOUNTRY

Click a marker to see details. Where markers
are densely clustered, zoom in with the
tool bar or double-click in an open area
nearby. Or search alphabetically by
scrolling down in the left column.
Click on the area name to go there directly.

ADVENTURE PASS - THE DIRTY DOZEN

In southern California, it is nearly
impossible to go for a walk in the woods
without buying an "Adventure Pass."
The Adventure Pass program has become a
full-blown industry, with special websites to
help visitors decide what type of pass they
need to buy before they can access land
they already own and pay taxes to support.
A private contractor operates a parallel
website
to handle the 40,000 non-compliance
notices that are issued every year.
ONE OF THE WORST OF THE WORST

Alsea Falls


BLM charges a day use fee for all access
including twenty miles of hiking trails.
Details click here

AMERICAN FORK CANYON - THE DIRTY DOZEN


The Uinta National Forest charges an
entrance fee for 46,600 acres
in American Fork Canyon. Stop anywhere along
the state highway, you better pay up.
The fee doubled in 2008, just in time
for the bottom to drop out of the economy.
Details click here
ONE OF THE WORST OF THE WORST

Angeles National Forest


Angeles National Forest has over 160,000
acres that require an "Adventure Pass." The
fee areas control access to hundreds of
thousands of acres of backcountry.
Details click here

Angelina National Forest


The National Forests in Texas have a
day-use fee program that is completely
different from anywhere else in the country.
They have their own pass, their own rules,
their own pricing and discounts. There is
not even a hint of any effort to comply with
the requirements and restrictions in the
federal fee authority law.
Details click here

ARAPAHO NATIONAL RECREATION AREA - THE DIRTY DOZEN


A fee is required for entry to the 10,000
acre Arapaho National Recreation Area,
including for use of trails leading into
dispersed backcountry. Federal law prohibits
the Forest from charging either entrance fees
or fees for backcountry access.
ONE OF THE WORST OF THE WORST

Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness


BLM charges a fee for all access
to the 19,700 acre Aravaipa Canyon
Wilderness.

Bankhead National Forest - Brushy Lake


Day use fee for hiking trails.
Details click here

Bankhead National Forest - Clear Creek


Day use fee for hiking trails.
Details click here

Bankhead National Forest - Corinth


Day use fee charged for access.
Details click here

Bankhead National Forest - Flint Creek Trail


Day use fee for trail use.
Details click here

Bankhead National Forest - Houston Recreation Area


Day use fee for hiking trails.
Details click here

Bankhead National Forest - Owl Creek Horse Trails

Day use fee required for use of equestrian
trail system.
Details click here

Bankhead National Forest - Sipsey River


Day use fee charged for access to
river trail.
Details click here

Bear River Dispersed Camping


The Routt National Forest charges $5 for
this dispersed camping area that lacks
the legally required amenities for
charging a fee.
Details click here

Bettys Kitchen Trail


The BLM charges a $10 parking fee for access
to this 1/2 mile interpretive trail.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness


At 1.3 million acres the BWCAW is the largest
designated wilderness in the eastern U.S.
Access fees are charged for 2,000 miles of
trails, 1,500 miles of canoe routes,
and 1,000 lakes. Additional charges
apply to reserve access (essentially
mandatory in the summer) and to purchase
access from commercial vendors.

Buffalo Pass

Routt National Forest wants to charge a
$5 parking fee for winter recreation on
Buff Pass near Steamboat Springs. The
proposal is on the back burner for now
due to local opposition, but has not been
withdrawn.
Details click here

Caddo-LBJ National Grassland


The National Forests in Texas have a
day-use fee program that is completely
different from anywhere else in the country.
They have their own pass, their own rules,
their own pricing and discounts. There is
not even a hint of any effort to comply with
the requirements and restrictions in the
federal fee authority law.
Details click here

CEDAR MESA - THE DIRTY DOZEN


At Cedar Mesa the BLM lets you use the
facilities above the rim for free, but if
you hike below the rim of any of the canyons,
where there are no facilities whatsoever,
then you have to pay.
Details click here
ONE OF THE DIRTY DOZEN - WORST OF THE WORST_

Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest


Fee required for all trail use.

Cleveland National Forest


Fee required on over 38,000 acres, which
control access to most of the 400,000
acres of backcountry.
Details click here

Columbia River Gorge


A Northwest Forest Pass is required to
access the backcountry from eight
trailheads in the Columbia River Gorge.
Details click here

Colville National Forest


A Northwest Forest Pass is required to launch
a boat at Bead Lake.
Details click here

Conecuh National Forest - Open Pond


Day use fee for access to hiking trails.
Details click here

Davy Crockett National Forest


The National Forests in Texas have a
day-use fee program that is completely
different from anywhere else in the country.
They have their own pass, their own rules,
their own pricing and discounts. There is
not even a hint of any effort to comply with
the requirements and restrictions in the
federal fee authority law.
Details click here

Deschutes National Forest


A Northwest Forest Pass is required at over
60 trailheads, picnic areas, and boat
launches on the Deschutes National Forest.
Details click here

Egin Lakes Day Use

BLM will begin collecting a day use fee
at the Egin Lakes Access to St Anthony
Sand Dunes. They got all their advisory
committee approvals first, and only after
it's a done deal are they taking public
comments.
For details click here

Eldorado National Forest


Eldorado National Forest requires a $5 fee
at popular trailheads leading into the
Desolation and Mokelumne Wilderness Areas,
the Carson Pass Management Area,
the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit,
Round Top Botanical Area, and an
Area of Geologic Interest.

Elkhorn Valley/Canyon Creek


Day use fee charged for access to both
developed and undeveloped areas along
the Little North Santiam River.
Details click here

Fish Creek Falls


Routt National Forest charges a $5 parking
fee at the trailhead to one of Colorado's
prettiest waterfalls. The law prohibits
the Forest Service from charging any fees
solely for parking, or for access to
dispersed backcountry.
Details click here

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area


The Ashley National Forest charges
entry fees to 7,030 acres at Flaming Gorge.

Fremont-Winema National Forest


A Northwest Forest Pass is required at
the Mt McLoughlin trailhead on the Fremont-
Winema National Forest.
Details click here

George Washington and Jefferson National Forest


Fee required for all OHV trail use.

Gifford Pinchot National Forest


A Northwest Forest Pass is required at
almost 40 sites on the Gifford Pinchot
National Forest, most of them trailheads.
Details click here

Gila River


BLM charges a fee to float the Gila River
through the Gila Box Riparian Area.

Green Mountain Reservoir/Cataract Lake


Fees required for access to 3,800 acres,
including for parking at trailheads that
provide access to the Eagles Nest Wilderness.

Gunnison Gorge Wilderness


BLM charges an entrance fee for the
entire Gunnison Gorge Wilderness Area, which
by law contains no developed facilities. The
toilet and picnic table on the rim are free
but entry to dispersed undeveloped backcountry
requires a fee.

Hiawatha National Forest


The Grand Island fee area contains only
two "information sites" but a fee applies
anywhere within a 3000 acre area.

IMPERIAL SAND DUNES -THE DIRTY DOZEN


Imperial Sand Dunes is a popular place for
OHV recreation, but you have to pay to
enter the area whether you are using an OHV
or not - in violation of the legal
prohibition on BLM entrance fees. Access to
200,000 acres of backcountry is subject
to the fee requirement, even just to enjoy
the scenery.
Details click here

Juan Tabo Basin


The 3,300 acre Juan Tabo Basin fee area
contains four trailheads that provide
access to the backcountry of the Cibola
National Forest.

Lake Como


The Lake Como fee area is 440 acres
encompassing two trailheads that
provide access to undeveloped backcountry.

Lake Havasu Proposed Fees

Civic leaders in Lake Havasu City say
BLM's proposed new fees for special events
could cripple the city's economy. To read the
news article
click here

Lake Isabella


Lake Isabella on the Sequoia National Forest
has been charging access fees for more than
ten years, and doubled the fee in 2007,
yet the facilities remain substandard and
poorly maintained.
For an article about the problems,
click here

Land Between The Lakes


The 107,000 acre area was cleared of
inhabitants by the Tennessee Valley
Authority, and recreation
was eventually transferred to the Forest
Service. Fees are charged for all
backcountry access and primitive camping.

Los Padres National Forest


Los Padres National Forest charges for
entry to 63,000 acres. The fee areas
control access to over 1 million acres of
dispersed backcountry.
Details click here

Lower Deschutes River


Boater Pass required. The cost? $2/person
per day, except on summer weekends it's
an extra $6/person per day, plus a
transaction fee of $1.95 up to 3% of the
total fees, whichever is greater, and
another $3 if you buy the pass from a vendor.
Got that?
Details click here

Madera Canyon


Madera Canyon is a 2,560 acre fee area on
the Coronado National Forest.

Mark Twain National Forest


Trail fee required for OHVs, motorcycles, and
mountain bikes.

Maroon Valley


Maroon Valley is home to the infamous
$1.5 million toilet, which blocks the view
of the Maroon Bells Wilderness. Fee required
for access to the Wilderness trailhead.

MIRROR LAKE SCENIC BYWAY - THE DIRTY DOZEN


At 191,791 acres, the Mirror Lake Scenic
Byway fee area is the largest on
any National Forest. Fee required for any
travel away from the highway.
ONE OF THE WORST OF THE WORST

Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest


A Northwest Forest Pass is required at
more than 135 sites on the Mt Baker-
Snoqualmie-National Forest, most of them
trailheads.
Details click here

MT EVANS -THE DIRTY DOZEN


Arapaho National Forest charges $10 to
stop anywhere along Colorado State Highway 5,
which is bordered for most of its length by
the Mt Evans Wilderness Area. You also
must pay the fee if you stop at the scenic
overlook at the top or any of the scenic
pullouts, even though fees for viewing scenery
are prohibited by law.
For an informative video about the Mt Evans
fee program, click here
ONE OF THE WORST OF THE WORST

Mt Hood National Forest


A Northwest Forest Pass is required at 36
sites on the Mt Hood National Forest, almost
all of them trailheads.
Details click here

Mt Lemmon


Mt Lemmon on the Coronado National Forest, an
18,432 acre fee area, much of
which is undeveloped backcountry including
designated Wilderness. Mt Lemmon is the
subject of a federal lawsuit, currently
pending in the 9th Circuit.
More info click here

MT LEMMON/SABINO CANYON - THE DIRTY DOZEN

In the Santa Catalina Ranger District of
the Coronado National Forest it is almost
impossible to go for a walk in the woods
without buying an access pass. This program
is the subject of a federal civil lawsuit
that is pending in the 9th Circuit Court of
Appeals.
ONE OF THE WORST OF THE WORST

NORTHWEST FOREST PASS - THE DIRTY DOZEN

In Washington and Oregon it is nearly
impossible to go for a walk in the woods
without buying a "Northwest Forest Pass."
The number of different pass options has
become so complex there is a website called
Recreation Passes Of The Northwest that
visitors must navigate to figure out what
pass they need before they can access land
that they already own and pay taxes to
support.
ONE OF THE WORST OF THE WORST

Ocala National Forest


Fee required for use of all OHV trails.

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest


A Northwest Forest Pass is required at
105 sites on the Okanogan-Wenatchee
National Forest, almost all of them
trailheads.
Details click here

Olympic National Forest


A Northwest Forest Pass is required at
19 trailheads on the Olympic National
Forest.
Details click here

Orilla Verde Recreation Area


The BLM charges a daily fee for an area that
includes three backcountry trailheads.

Ozark-St Francis National Forest


Parking fees at numerous day use sites that
control access to trails and boating
waters.

Paria Canyon/Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness


BLM charges entry fees for the Paria Canyon/
Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness area, all of it
dispersed undeveloped backcountry.

Payette River


All access to the Payette River
(Boise National Forest and BLM)
requires a parking fee, even though
parking fees are prohibited by law.

Pompeys Pillar



The BLM charges an entrance fee to view
this sandstone formation inside a 2 acre
National Monument.

Prescott National Forest


Fourteen day use sites and trailheads
on the Prescott National Forest require
a fee. All fees were increased forestwide
in 2009. Wednesdays are free so the little
people can get some free fresh air.
Forest press release
click here

Proposed Fee Increase - White Mountain National Forest

The White Mountain National Forest is
proposing to increase the price of a White
Mountain Recreation Pass, increase the
cost of four campgrounds/cabin rentals, and
add two new fee sites.
To read the details click here

Ratcliff Lake

Fee increase proposed for both camping
and day use by the Davy Crocket National
Forest.
Details click here

Red Rock National Conservation Area


The BLM's Red Rock National Conservation
Area had no sooner gotten approval for
a fat fee increase, plus new fees for
bicycles and pedestrians, than they cut
their open hours. While the rest of us are
trying to do more with less, the BLM is
doing less with more.

RED ROCK PASS - THE DIRTY DOZEN


The fee that has been charged for access
to backcountry within the 160,000 acre
Red Rock Pass fee area was thrown out
by a federal magistrate in Flagstaff in
September 2010.To date, the fee signs have
not come down. For an article about the
court's decision,click here
For details click here
ONE OF THE WORST OF THE WORST

Redbird Crest Trail


Fee required for OHV trail use.

Rogue River


BLM charges individual, non-commercial
boaters $10/person to float the
Rogue River.
Details click here

Rogue River-Siskyou National Forest


Four dispersed day-use sites require a
Northwest Forest Pass.
For details click here

Sabine National Forest


The National Forests in Texas have a
day-use fee program that is completely
different from anywhere else in the country.
They have their own pass, their own rules,
their own pricing and discounts. There is
not even a hint of any effort to comply with
the requirements and restrictions in the
federal fee authority law.
Details click here

Sabino Canyon


Sabino Canyon on the Coronado National
Forest - a 1,500 acre fee area.

Sam Houston National Forest


The National Forests in Texas have a
day-use fee program that is completely
different from anywhere else in the country.
They have their own pass, their own rules,
their own pricing and discounts. There is
not even a hint of any effort to comply with
the requirements and restrictions in the
federal fee authority law.
Details click here

San Bernardino National Forest


San Bernardino National Forest requires fees
for entry to 126,000 acres that control
access to over 650,000 acres of backcountry.
Details click here

San Joaquin River Gorge


BLM is proposing to begin charging a parking
fee at the San Joaquin River Gorge. The
proposal was prematurely approved by the
California Recreation Resource Advisory
Committee based on erroneous (to be polite)
information provided to them by the BLM.
For details, click here

San Pedro National Conservation Area


BLM charges $2 per person per day for
overnight backcountry access.

Sandia Crest Scenic Byway


The Cibola National Forest requires a fee to
enjoy the scenery in the 11,000 acre
Sandia Crest fee area.

Senator Wash


BLM charges a $10 per day parking fee for
this dispersed area that lacks the six
amenities the law requires must be present
in fee areas.

Siuslaw National Forest


A Northwest Forest Pass is required at more
than 40 sites on the Siuslaw National Forest,
most of them trailheads. At Marys Peak
winter use provides no services, facilities,
or emergency response, but you still have to
pay to park.
Details click here

Sixes River


The Coos Bay District of the BLM charges a
day-use fee to rock-hop along the river
near this campground.
Details click here

South Colony Lakes Basin

The San Isabel National Forest is proposing
to begin charging an entrance fee for
South Colony Lakes Basin, which provides
access to several 14,000 foot peaks. For
details click here

South Fork Snake River


The BLM charges a daily parking fee for
all boating access points on the South Fork
of the Snake River.

St Anthony Sand Dunes


The BLM charges a parking/access fee for
access to 10,000 acres of undeveloped
backcountry.

Talladega National Forest - Coleman Lake


Fee required for hiking trail access.
Details click here

Talladega National Forest - Lake Chinnabee


Fee charged for day use of hiking trails
and access to the lake.
Details click here

Talladega National Forest - Payne Lake


Payne Lake Recreation Area charges a day
use fee for hiking trails.
Details click here

TONTO NATIONAL FOREST - THE DIRTY DOZEN


More than 50 recreation sites on the 2.8
million acre Tonto National Forest require
a "Tonto Pass." At $95 per year, an annual pass to use
the Tonto National Forest is the most
expensive public land access fee in the nation.
Details click here
ONE OF THE WORST OF THE WORST

Umatilla National Forest


Umatilla requires a fee at twelve trailheads.
Details click here

Umpqua National Forest


A Northwest Forest Pass is required at
five trailheads on the Umpqua National
Forest as well as three boating sites
and a picnic area.
Details click here

Upper Colorado River - Radium and Pumphouse

BLM is proposing to increase an already
suspect river-access fee for both private
and commercial boaters at the Radium and
Pumphouse access points.
Details click here

Wallowa-Whitman National Forest


A Northwest Forest Pass is required at
20 trailheads on the Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest, as well as one picnic site.
Details click here

Wayne National Forest


Accessing any of the 400 miles of trail in
the Wayne National Forest by horse,
OHV, or mountain bike requires a fee.
Details click here

West Tensleep Trailhead

Bighorn National Forest is proposing to
begin charging a parking fee at the
West Tensleep Trailhead, most popular
access point into the Cloud Peak Wilderness.
For details click here

WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST - THE DIRTY DOZEN


A parking pass is required anywhere on
the 800,000 acre White Mountain National
Forest.
ONE OF THE WORST OF THE WORST

White Sulphur OHV Trail


Fee required for all trail use.

Wild Rivers Recreation Area


The BLM charges a fee for backcountry
access into the canyon where the Rio
Grande and Red Rivers converge.

Wildwood Recreation Site


BLM developed recreation fee site that
also controls access to the Salmon
Huckleberry Wilderness on the Mt Hood
National Forest.
Details click here

Willamette National Forest


A Northwest Forest Pass is required
at more than 40 sites on the
Willamette National Forest, most of
them trailheads.
Details click here

Yakima River Canyon


The Spokane District of the BLM charges
a day use fee at the Roza,Umtanum,
Lmuma Creek, and Big Pines recreation sites.
These control access to the Yakima River
and to undeveloped land adjacent
to the developed sites.
Details click here

Yaquina Head


BLM openly charges an entrance fee for
this coastal area, despite a specific
prohibition against any BLM entrance fees
in federal law.
Details click here