Congaree National Park (South Carolina) has planned to increase night camping reservation fees in its designated front-country campgrounds.
The reservation fees at Bluff Campground have increased from $5 to $10 per night. While Longleaf Campground has raised its standard campsite reservation fee from $10 to $15 per night, and the group campsite will be charged $25, from $20 per night.
New reservation rates will go into effect on January 1, 2023.
The reason for raising rates for reservation fees is to help the park to pay for the costs of Congaree National Park’s usage of reservations through the reservation contract, which is hosted on www.recreation.gov.
Recreation.gov is a contractor line item (CLIN) cost that range between $6-8 for each reservation made via either using the online reservation system or the call center. At present, the park is responsible for the costs of these CLINs, which are deducted from the fee paid for camping reservations.
Through the recovery of these CLIN costs, Congaree can reinvest the funds in enhancing services for visitors and improving the infrastructure at Congaree.
Amenity fees that are increased to visitors to the usage of facilities such as campgrounds in parks provide funds that can be directly invested in the maintenance and improvement of the same facilities.
Over the past several years, funds generated by campground reservation fees have been used to:
In the past years, funds allocated from campground reservation fees have been used to buy and install new ring fires and picnic tables for Bluff and Longleaf Campgrounds.
The funds were also used to buy and install lantern hooks for all the camps at Longleaf Campground, as well as mitigate issues in ponding for certain sites at the campground.
The funds generated by the increased amenity fees have also assisted in other park projects like the design and construction, as well as the installation of a brand new desk at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center and the removal of plants from the shelter for picnickers.
All money earned through increased amenity fees remains in the park and will be utilized to help Congaree National Park to continue offering the most enjoyable experience for guests.