Scan & Pay now available at select campgrounds

WILLOWS, Calif., May 20, 2025 — Beginning May 20, Mendocino National Forest will offer a convenient Scan & Pay option to pay for a campsite at select first-come, first-serve campgrounds, saving time and reducing the need to carry cash or checks.

Campgrounds now accepting Scan & Pay are: Davis Flat, Deer Valley, Dixie Glade, Fouts, Howard Lake, Howard Meadows, Letts Lake, Little Doe, Mill Creek, Mill Valley, North Fork, Penny Pines and South Fork.

Before heading out into the forest, visitors will need to download the Recreation.gov app and add a valid payment method. Cash and check are still accepted at campgrounds. Funds collected from campground fees support maintenance on campgrounds. There is an additional service charge, approximately ten percent. 

To use Scan & Pay to secure campsites, visitors arrive at the campground and claim a campsite. Visitors walk up to the campground kiosk and scan the QR code using a mobile device. After scanning the code, visitors follow the instructions to pay for the site. If the campground has no cell service, then payment will be noted as ‘pending’ until they reach cell service and then the payment will go through. Visitors must write the confirmation code from their payment and display it on their car dashboard.

Visitors can find more information by reaching out to local Forest Service offices in Willows, Stonyford, Upper Lake or Covelo, Calif.

For more information about the Mendocino National Forest, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/mendocino.

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