Camping Fees Increased for State Forests

The fees for camping at state forest campgrounds increased Monday, May 14, following action taken by Department of Natural Resources Director Rebecca Humphries at Thursday's meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission.

Fees for state forest campgrounds will increase for many different types of camping. For designated campground sites, the fees will go from $10 to $15 per campsite, per night. For equestrian, off-road vehicle, and semimodern campgrounds, the fee will increase from $10 to $20 per campsite, per night. Designated group campground rates will increase from $3 to $6 per person, per night. For cabins at two state forest campgrounds, Presque Isle and Lime Island, the rates will be raised from $35 and $45 per night, respectively, to $65 per night. Senior rates at campgrounds and weekly rates at cabins will be eliminated.

"Fees paid by campers in state forest campgrounds are put right back into the campgrounds for operation and maintenance of these facilities," said Ms. Humphries. "For several years, the campgrounds have not generated the revenue needed to meet these costs, and this has created both a short- and long-term deficit in the Forest Recreation Fund."

The fees paid by campers have historically been used to pay for routine maintenance and capital outlay needs of managing the campgrounds. These costs include the annual licensing and inspection fees from regulatory agencies, trash removal, vault toilet pumping and cleaning, well water supply and testing fees, environmental restoration, renovation, and stabilization, lawn mowing and trimming, replacing damaged or aged facilities, road grading and gravel, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, maintenance fuel, the printing expense for information posters and brochures, and the salaries and wages of personnel who work in the campground program.

"Maintaining the integrity of the forest Recreation Program is critical to the DNR's land management responsibilities," Ms. Humphries said. "State forest campgrounds were first developed in the 1920s as a fire control initiative, and have since expanded to 143 campgrounds with 3,361 designated and group campsites."