REGIONAL— If you’re thinking of camping on the Superior National Forest next summer, it’s going to cost you a bit more than in the past.
The forest service announced late last week that camping fees at ten of its most popular campgrounds on the forest will increase, in many cases by at least 50 percent. Forest officials say the higher costs associated with maintenance of forest campgrounds is driving the need for higher fees.
In 2004, Congress passed the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act which allows the forest service to retain 95 percent of revenue collected at recreation sites and use these funds locally to operate, maintain and improve these sites. Revenue is reinvested into forest recreation sites in the form of trash pickups, septic and toilet pumping, painting, cleaning, addressing the backlog of deferred maintenance, conducting patrols, maintaining highly used trails and campsites, and more.
Even with the increases, the rates at forest service campgrounds are typically well below most private sector camping facilities in the region.
The higher fees took effect on Monday of this week for those making reservations for 2025 at www.recreation.gov.
The fee changes include:
Campgrounds
Single site fee: Current $12/ New $18
Extra vehicle fee: Current $6/ New $9.
Echo Lake (LaCroix District)
Lake Jeanette (LaCroix District)
Pfeiffer Lake (Laurentian District)

Single site fee: Current $15/ New $18.
Extra vehicle fee: Current $7.50/ New $9.
Divide Lake (Tofte District)
Little Isabella River (Tofte District)
McDougal Lake (Tofte District)
Ninemile Lake (Tofte District)

Group campground fee:      
Current $20/ New $30 per night.
Echo Lake

Seasonal camping:
Current $420/ New $504
Extra vehicle fee: Current $7.50/ New $9
Little Isabella River
McDougal Lake

Along with the fee increases, the following changes have been made in the reservation process for some of the campgrounds, including:
The reservation window for Echo Lake, McDougal Lake, Little Isabella River, and Jeanette Lake campgrounds has been changed to seven days (sites cannot be reserved fewer than seven days before the reservation date).
At Pfieffer Lake Campground, reservations can be made up to the day of arrival.
The reservation season for Echo Lake and Lake Jeanette for 2025 is May 9 to Sept. 2, and May 9 to Sept 30 for Ninemile Lake, Little Isabella River, Pfeiffer Lake, and McDougal Lake.
Divide Lake sites are available on a first come, first served basis all season.