Shawnee Forest CampgroundFees To Increase On March 15

An increase in fees for five campgrounds on the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois was announced Monday, March 2.

Shawnee National Forest supervisor Allen Nicholas announced the fee increase.

The increase will become effective Sunday, March 15.

The fees for Pine Ridge, Pharaoh, Camp Cadiz and Pine Hills campgrounds will increase from $5 to $10 per night. (Pine Hills is in Union County.)  

Fees for single family campsites at Johnson Creek will increase from $5 to $10 per night, with double sites increasing from $9 to $12 and triple sites from $12 to $15. 

The fee increase was authorized by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004. 

Nicholas said the act allows 95 percent of the fees collected to be spent on the forest where they are collected. 

Prior to the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act fees collected at these sites were sent to the United States Treasury. 

The fees collected on the Shawnee National Forest will be used in campgrounds on the forest to take care of deferred maintenance items, such as replacing split-rail fences, replacing picnic tables with accessible versions, repairing potholes or installing ramps to ensure full accessibility to toilets. 

Nicholas said that as fees accumulate, future plans will include larger projects such as replacing old toilets with larger, more accommodating buildings. 

For more information, contact the forest supervisor’s office at 618-253-7114, the Hidden Springs Ranger District at 618- 658-2111 or the Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District at 833-8576.