Recreation Fee Proposal

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is proposing changes to fees at three recreation areas on the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. By law, these proposed fee increases are subject to public comment and review by the Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee. The public is invited to provide input to proposed fee changes for 60 days, starting Aug. 7, 2026, through Oct. 5, 2026.

Proposed Sites:

*sites are available on recreation.gov with an additional reservation fee of $8  

The picnic pavilions are planned improvements to Poplar and Rocky Bluff, and the proposed fee would only be for reservation of the picnic pavilions. The recreation areas will otherwise remain free to the public. The Forest Service recognizes how important the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests are to our local communities and the citizens who recreate on the forest. These recreation fee changes will help us maintain our sites at the level and quality our visitors have come to expect, especially at a time when we are experiencing increases in visitation and operating costs. Under the 2004 Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, at least 80 percent of recreation fees collected at recreation sites shall be used on the local unit to operate, maintain, and improve these sites, so fee increases will translate directly to improved facilities on the forest. Proposed recreation fee changes also will move us closer to fee levels charged by other nearby public and private recreation providers.

The forest will be accepting public comments until Oct. 5, 2026. For more information or to provide comments about these recreation fee proposals, please contact Logan Free, Developed Recreation Program Manager, by phone at 828-257-4256 or by email at Logan.n.free@usda.gov. Proposed recreation fees can be viewed, and comments can be provided online at https://arcg.is/1Gu8zH1.