U.S. Forest Service implementing recreation fee changes for the first time in nearly 20 years

Release Date: 

Columbia, SC – December 20, 2018 — In the next few months new fees will be started at six shooting ranges and fees increased at three campgrounds and one recreation area across the Francis Marion & Sumter National Forests (FMS) in South Carolina. The timing of fee implementation will vary by facility and location.

These fee changes are a result of a public involvement process that began in August 2017 (click here for our last public outreach) that included press releases and flyers, website and social media postings, a published Federal Register Notice, and review and recommendations from the Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (RRAC), a Federal Advisory Committee comprised of a broad array of members from the public.

The goal of implementing these fee changes is to improve visitor experiences at the affected sites through continued maintenance and upgrades to aging facilities. Higher visitation, dated infrastructure, and associated increases in operation and maintenance costs have made fee changes a necessity at these facilities. In addition, fees at FMS recreation sites have remained static for almost two decades and have not kept pace with other recreation sites with similar services and amenities.

The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004 allows the Forest Service to keep 80-95 percent of fees collected to operate, maintain, and improve the recreation sites from which they were collected.

Immediately following is the list of the facilities where fee changes will take place:

Shooting Ranges

Shooting Range

District

Forest

New Fees

Fairforest

Enoree

Sumter

$5/person/day or $50/person/year

Indian Creek

Enoree

Sumter

$5/person/day or $50/person/year

Leeds

Enoree

Sumter

$5/person/day or $50/person/year

Philson Crossroads

Enoree

Sumter

$5/person/day or $50/person/year

Beaver Dam

Long Cane

Sumter

$5/person/day or $50/person/year

Candy Branch

Long Cane

Sumter

$5/person/day or $50/person/year
  1. Persons under the age of 16 can use the range at no cost provided they are accompanied by an adult.
  2. Annual passes ($50/person/year) will be valid at all FMS shooting ranges where fees are charged.

Campgrounds

Campground

District

Forest

Fee Increase

Cherry Hill

Andrew Pickens

Sumter

$15/night/site (from $10/night/site)

Whetstone Horse Camp

Andrew Pickens

Sumter

$15/night/site (from $12/night/site)

Pouluos Loop

Enoree

Sumter

$30-60/night/entire campground

(from $5/night/site)

Buck Hall Campground

Francis Marion

Francis Marion

$28/night for RV site (from $20)

$20/night for tent site (from $15)

Buck Hall Day Use

Francis Marion

Francis Marion

$7/day/vehicle or $40/year/vehicle

(from $5/day or $25/year)

For more information on the fee changes, please contact Joe Robles at 803-561-4067 or by e-mail at joseph.robles@usda.gov. For more information about recreation opportunities on the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests, visit our website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/scnfs or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/scnfs

Question and Answers for the Francis Marion & Sumter Recreation Fee Changes