The Bureau of Land Management’s Pocatello Field Office is inviting public comment on a draft proposal to raise and implement new recreation fees across several Southeast Idaho campgrounds.
The changes are outlined in the BLM’s 2025 Recreation Fee Sites Business Plan, which aims to support long-term maintenance and operations through increased visitor contributions.
The plan includes proposed fee increases at three existing sites—Blackfoot Reservoir Campground near Soda Springs, Redpoint Campground near Preston, and Maple Grove Campground near Thatcher—as well as new fees at Pipeline Campground near American Falls.
Proposed charges cover camping, boat ramp access, and RV amenities.
Camping fees at each of the four locations would rise by $10 per night. If approved, nightly rates would increase to $20 at Blackfoot Reservoir, $15 at both Redpoint and Maple Grove, and $10 at Pipeline Campground.
Pipeline is currently fee-free and would see its first fee implementation under the proposal.
“[The COVID-19 pandemic] really drove people outdoors… we applaud that, we want people to go out and enjoy our public lands,” Bruce Hallman, public affairs specialist for the BLM, said, as reported by Local News 8 on July 16.
“The problem is that it has impacted it, so lots more people, lots more use, lots more abuse—it takes work to try to deal with that,” Hallman added.
According to Hallman, the spike in outdoor recreation following the pandemic has put strain on public lands, prompting a need for greater investment in upkeep. The plan is designed to ensure campgrounds remain “self-sufficient” amid increasing labor and maintenance demands.
“People not following trails, people camping, wanting more camping, inventing their own version of camping, dumping all sorts of things that are appropriate and not so appropriate… it takes a lot of managing to manage these different public lands,” Hallman said.
The BLM manages over 245 million acres of public lands across the U.S., with Southeast Idaho’s recreation sites among the most heavily visited in the state.